President Nixon utilized the White House operator to place a personal telephone call to First Lady Pat Nixon. The brief interaction served solely as a logistical bridge to facilitate direct communication with his wife. No substantive policy discussions or administrative actions occurred during this brief exchange.
On March 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:29 pm and 3:31 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 467-029 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 467-29
Date: March 17, 1971
Time: Unknown between 3:29 pm and 3:31 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President talked with the White House operator
Call to Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) NixonNo transcript is available for this conversation. The audio may not contain audible speech, or the recording may not yet have been processed.