Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 451 › Conversation 451-002

Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on William L. Safire

Thursday, February 18, 1971 · 9:52 AM–9:56 AM ET · Oval Office ·2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  White House operatorConversation451-002 onTape 451 (tape position 00:06:17–00:08:03)StartThursday, February 18, 1971 at 9:52 AMEndThursday, February 18, 1971 at 9:56 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 451-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon requested that the White House operator place a telephone call to speechwriter William L. Safire. The interaction served as a brief administrative bridge to facilitate direct communication between the President and his staff. No further substantive discussion occurred during this short recording.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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NARA Description

On February 18, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:52 am and 9:56 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 451-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 451-2

Date: February 18, 1971
Time: Unknown between 9:52 am and 9:56 am
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with the White House operator

     Call to William L. Safire

Also recorded on February 18, 1971

  • 451-001 9:47 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:47 am to 9:52 am.
  • 451-003 9:52 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:52 am and 9:56 am.
  • 451-004 9:56 AM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, William L. Safire, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:56 am to 10:09 am.
  • 451-005 10:12 AM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:12 am to 10:30 am.
  • 451-006 10:30 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Mark I. Goode, and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:30 am to 10:36 am.
  • 451-007 11:13 AM · 1 hr 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Emilio Colombo, Neil A. Seidenman, and A. Jose De Seabra met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:13 am to 12:22 pm.
  • 451-025 12:22 PM · 2 min — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:22 pm and 1:09 pm.
  • 451-008 12:40 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:40 pm and 1:09 pm.

All 24 conversations from February 18, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 451-002, February 18, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/451-002 (accessed September 18, 2026).