Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 472 › Conversation 472-024

Nixon & Butterfield on Administration and John D. Ehrlichman

Tuesday, March 23, 1971 · 6:40 PM–6:45 PM ET · Oval Office · 53 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation472-024 on Tape 472 (tape position 05:29:30–05:31:07)StartTuesday, March 23, 1971 at 6:40 PMEndTuesday, March 23, 1971 at 6:45 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 472-024 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with his Deputy Assistant Alexander P. Butterfield in the Oval Office to address administrative matters. The brief session focused on the review and signing of official documents submitted by John D. Ehrlichman. The meeting concluded shortly thereafter with the completion of these routine executive tasks.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I don't know what we're supposed to be doing.
I don't know what we're supposed to be doing.

NARA Description

On March 23, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:40 pm and 6:45 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 472-024 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 472-24

Date: March 23, 1971
Time: Unknown between 6:40 pm and 6:45 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield

     Items for President to sign
          -John D. Ehrlichman

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 6:45 pm

Also recorded on March 23, 1971

  • 051-002 3:00 PM · 1 hr 40 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, George Romney, and mayors of United States cities, including Carl B. Stokes, James H. J. Tate, Roman S. Gribbs, Henry W. Maier, Louie Welch, Jack D. Maltester, Sam Massell, Alfonso J. Cervantes, Lee Alexander, Maurice E. ("Moon") Landrieu, John V. Lindsay, Lawrence F. Kramer, Harry G. Haskell, John W. Driggs, Richard G. Lugar, William D. Dyke, Robert J. Blackwell, Thomas J. D'Alesandro, Will H. Hays, Jr., Kevin D. White, Kenneth A. Gibson, Frank Curran, George G. Siebels, Jr., George M. Sullivan, Antonina P. Uccello, Ann H. Kilgore, Robert W. Knecht, Joseph Alioto, Peter F. Flaherty, Patrick Healy, and John J. Gunther, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 3:00 pm to 4:45 pm.
  • 051-003 4:45 PM · 49 sec — Unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 4:45 pm on March 23, 1971 and 10:12 am on March 25, 1971.
  • 472-019 4:45 PM · 52 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:45 pm and 4:46 pm.
  • 472-020 4:46 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, James L. Buckley, and William E. Timmons met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:46 pm to 5:04 pm.
  • 472-021 5:05 PM · 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Clifford M. Hardin, J. Philip Campbell, George P. Shultz, John D. Ehrlichman, John C. Whitaker, Donald B. Rice, John B. Connally, and William Fitz-Patrick met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:05 pm to 5:38 pm.
  • 472-022 5:38 PM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Marjorie P. Acker, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:38 pm and 6:07 pm.
  • 472-023 6:02 PM · 28 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:02 pm and 6:40 pm.
  • 472-025 6:45 PM · 59 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 6:45 pm on March 23, 1971 and 9:32 am on March 24, 1971.

All 29 conversations from March 23, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 472-024, March 23, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/472-024 (accessed October 12, 2026).