Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 483 › Conversation 483-021

Nixon, Mitchell & Haldeman on Alexander P. Butterfield and Puerto Rico

Tuesday, April 20, 1971 · 5:14 PM–5:17 PM ET · Oval Office · 40 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.; Mitchell, John N.; Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation483-021 on Tape 483 (tape position 04:44:28–04:45:50)StartTuesday, April 20, 1971 at 5:14 PMEndTuesday, April 20, 1971 at 5:17 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 483-021 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417176657 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield, John N. Mitchell, and H. R. Haldeman to briefly review matters following a photo session. The discussion focused on logistical details regarding a planned trip by Butterfield to Puerto Rico, specifically concerning the duration and base of operations for the visit. The brief exchange concluded before any further administrative or political business could be addressed.

Audio

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NARA Description

On April 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, John N. Mitchell, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:14 pm and 5:17 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 483-021 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 483-21

Date: April 20, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:14 pm and 5:17 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield, John N. Mitchell and H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

     The President's schedule
          -Previous photo session

******************************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 02/21/2020.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal-Returnable]
[483-021-w001]
[Duration: 26s]

       Alexander P. Butterfield’s trip to Puerto Rico
             -Length of trip
             -Base

******************************************************************************

The conversation was cut off at an unknown time before 5:17 pm.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

All right.
How are you doing?

Also recorded on April 20, 1971

  • 002-012 4:04 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George H. Mahon talked on the telephone from 4:04 pm to 4:07 pm.
  • 483-018 4:10 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Ronald L. Ziegler, Fred Maroon, Manolo Sanchez, unknown person(s), and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:10 pm to 4:19 pm.
  • 483-019 4:20 PM · 51 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John N. Mitchell, John W. Dean, III, White House photographer, Ronald L. Ziegler, unknown person(s), White House operator, and Sue Morrison met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:20 pm to 5:14 pm.
  • 002-013 4:42 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:42 pm and 4:59 pm.
  • 002-014 4:59 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John N. Mitchell, and Sue Morrison talked on the telephone from 4:59 pm to 5:01 pm.
  • 483-020 5:14 PM · 2 min — Alexander P. Butterfield and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:14 pm and 5:17 pm.
  • 055-001 5:17 PM · 1 hr 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Republican senators, including Barry M. Goldwater, Henry L. Bellmon, John G. Tower, Howard H. Baker, Jr., Robert J. Dole, Edward J. Gurney, J. Caleb Boggs, Carl T. Curtis, Clifford P. Hansen, Jack R. Miller, Clark MacGregor, William E. Timmons, Kenneth E. BeLieu, Eugene S. Cowen, Harry S. Dent, and Henry A. Kissinger, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 5:17 pm to 6:21 pm.
  • 483-022 6:22 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:22 pm to 6:44 pm.

All 56 conversations from April 20, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 483-021, April 20, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417176657). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/483-021 (accessed November 2, 2026).