Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 396 › Conversation 396-005

Nixon, Eisenhower & Bull on Inauguration planning and Oral history

Friday, January 12, 1973 · 11:25 AM–11:49 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; Eisenhower, Julie NixonConversation396-005 on Tape 396StartFriday, January 12, 1973 at 11:25 AMEndFriday, January 12, 1973 at 11:49 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 396-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Stephen B. Bull to discuss logistical arrangements regarding the President’s schedule and preparations for the upcoming inauguration. The conversation further touches on the potential for maintaining an oral diary of events, with Nixon advising Bull on the practical handling and filing of these recordings. Julie Nixon Eisenhower also briefly joins the discussion, rounding out the informal session centered on administrative workflows and archival record-keeping.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 11% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I'm talking to Steve.

I'll call you about it, Steve.

Yeah, what's that?

Well, yeah, I'm working here at the EOB.

I've got my credit on my club coat.

It fits fine, but I'm almost done with the inauguration.

What the hell?

I'm glad your machine's working all right.

If you have any problems with it, why don't you go ahead and ask a doctor or somebody.

It's very simple.

That way you get the vernacular.

Just say, we're able to do this.

Take it off.

Just put it in a file.

Don't have to transcribe it.

Just say, I'll file it years later.

But remember, too, that even the small incidents, as a matter of fact, I should say even more so as I

You'll find that what people are interested in are the late cross.

They really do love your service here.

But I do think that you're just sort of starting to keep an oral diary which you don't transcribe.

You know, I never.

Yeah.

We really are doing.

We're going to put all, all, all.

Four years, right?

Four, four years.

Okay, we got it.

Thank you.

NARA Description

On January 12, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:25 am and 11:49 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 396-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 396-5

Date: January 12, 1973
Time: Unknown between 11:25 am and 11:49 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

       President’s schedule

       Vietnam settlement
            -Announcement
                  -President's meeting with Col. Richard T. Kennedy
                  -Plans
                        -Ronald L. Ziegler

The President talked with Julie Nixon Eisenhower between 11:43 and 11:49 am.

[Conversation No. 396-5A]

[See Conversation No. 35-153]

Bull left at an unknown time before 11:49 am.

Also recorded on January 12, 1973

035-152 11:25 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:25 am and 11:43 am.
396-002 11:25 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Zosimo Monson, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:25 am and 11:43 am.
396-003 11:25 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:25 am and 11:43 am.
396-004 11:25 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:25 am and 11:43 am.
035-153 11:43 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 11:43 am to 11:49 am.
035-109 11:50 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:50 am.
396-006 11:50 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 11:50 am.
396-007 11:55 AM · 2 hr 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:55 am to 1:55 pm.

All 27 conversations from January 12, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 396-005, January 12, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/396-005 (accessed October 11, 2026).