Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 480 › Conversation 480-002

Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on Robert H. Finch

Thursday, April 15, 1971 · 10:59 AM–11:02 AM ET · Oval Office · 45 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); [Unknown person(s)]Conversation480-002 on Tape 480 (tape position 00:01:17–00:02:17)StartThursday, April 15, 1971 at 10:59 AMEndThursday, April 15, 1971 at 11:02 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 480-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with unknown individuals to discuss an upcoming trip to Europe involving Robert H. Finch and Donald Rumsfeld. The dialogue focused on managing press relations and coordinating report delivery, with specific instructions to be provided by Henry Kissinger. No formal decisions were reached during this brief organizational discussion.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

I don't know that Jesus Christ could have given the church this.
You know, it's a pleasure to survive for us all.

NARA Description

On April 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:59 am and 11:02 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 480-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 480-2

Date: April 15, 1971
Time: Unknown between 10:59 am and 11:02 am
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with an unknown person

     Robert H. Finch and Donald H. Rumsfeld
         -Trip to Europe
                -Press
                -Report
                -Instructions
                      -Henry A. Kissinger

Also recorded on April 15, 1971

  • 480-001 10:59 AM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry Ahlgren met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:59 am and 11:02 am.
  • 480-003 11:02 AM · 58 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Alex G. Toumayan, Emil ("Bus") Mosbacher, Jr., Moulay Ahmed Laraki, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:02 am to 12:00 pm.
  • 480-004 12:01 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:01 pm to 12:02 pm.
  • 480-011 12:02 PM · 37 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:15 pm.
  • 480-005 12:15 PM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:15 pm.
  • 480-006 12:15 PM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Robert H. Finch, and Donald H. Rumsfeld met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:15 pm to 12:40 pm.
  • 001-096 12:40 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 12:40 pm to 12:41 pm.
  • 480-007 12:40 PM · 33 sec — Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon and President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:40 pm to 12:41 pm.

All 71 conversations from April 15, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 480-002, April 15, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/480-002 (accessed October 12, 2026).