Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 433 › Conversation 433-024

Nixon & Bull on Presidential papers and National Security Council

Tuesday, May 1, 1973 · 2:51 PM–2:52 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 49 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation433-024 on Tape 433StartTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 2:51 PMEndTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 2:52 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 433-024 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Stephen B. Bull to demand immediate progress on the legal assertion that presidential and National Security Council papers remain the property of the President rather than the government archives. Expressing intense frustration with the current staff's pace and efficacy, Nixon insisted that legal counsel Garland finalize this position immediately. He concluded by threatening to terminate the entire staff if his directive regarding the control of these records was not executed.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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What has Garland done on that project?
Garland is to the point that the asshole hadn't had in the fact that the presidential papers belonged not to these people, but to me, that the National Security Congress belonged not to them, but to me.
Does he understand it goddamn his soul or not?
the government and do that right away or goddamn it, I'll fire this whole fucking staff.
Do you understand that?

NARA Description

On May 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:51 pm to 2:52 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 433-024 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 433-24

Date: May 1, 1973
Time: 2:51 pm - 2:52 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Stephen B. Bull.

[See Conversation No. 45-91]
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                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on May 1, 1973

  • 045-091 2:51 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:52 pm.
  • 045-092 2:54 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:54 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 433-025 2:54 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:54 pm.
  • 433-026 2:54 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:54 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 045-093 2:59 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:59 pm to 3:01 pm.
  • 433-027 2:59 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:59 pm to 3:01 pm.
  • 045-094 3:01 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:01 pm and 5:35 pm.
  • 908-017 3:07 PM · 35 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:07 pm and 3:10 pm.

All 181 conversations from May 1, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 433-024, May 1, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/433-024 (accessed October 5, 2026).