Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 493 › Conversation 493-018

Nixon & Butterfield on Press management and Public relations

Thursday, May 6, 1971 · 2:30 PM–5:05 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation493-018 on Tape 493 (tape position 03:34:29–03:37:01)StartThursday, May 6, 1971 at 2:30 PMEndThursday, May 6, 1971 at 5:05 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 493-018 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Butterfield met to finalize the President's schedule for May 7, 1971, focusing on logistics for upcoming public appearances. The discussion centered on managing press access and determining the President’s level of involvement in remarks for the "Salute to Agriculture" and an appearance on the "Glen Campbell Show." They reached decisions to keep press presence minimal, specifically limiting photo coverage and briefings during the musical entertainment portion of the show to maintain control over the President's public image.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 167.6 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 160.2 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 03:34:29 into the tape and ends around 03:37:01.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
3:34:27For the right reasons.
3:34:30He couldn't pass the buck and said, well, I just did what the Justice Department told me to do.
3:34:34All I had was a hired hand.
3:34:37Fine.
3:34:38I'm not sure you're an out of it.
3:34:40I'm sure you're an out of it.
3:34:44I will push on with you.
3:36:07Sir, we'll check down the road tonight, quickly, and we'll conclude as soon as we can.
3:36:13Sure.
3:36:13Yes.
3:36:14First and foremost, there's no need to hold numbers without receiving the time to go.
3:36:18You are in.
3:36:19Yes.
3:36:20But if you do, you won't respond.
3:36:22No remarks would be so brief.
3:36:24That's right, because I don't care if they're flying.
3:36:27Well, if they're very brief, maybe you don't want those fighters to press.
3:36:33No, no remarks would be fighting to press.
3:36:36Now, there's no opportunity for photo coverage, I guess, since there's only all of them in the track group.
3:36:41Do you want them to have the whole lot as they sit down in the main entrance?
3:36:47No.
3:36:48No.
3:36:48Just in case you're going to the land animal show, Russ will be there.
3:36:54Well, Ron, I hope he will be.
3:36:55Hold on.
3:36:55Ron, I'm going to cover that.
3:36:56Let's just stay the hell out of the back.
3:37:00They don't need to be in the back.
3:37:01That keeps them out.
3:37:03There's a good picture.
3:37:06Just for your introduction of the entertainment, the first number and the last number in your glass.
3:37:12So the lights would be on, and they'd go off during the main part of the show, and come on into the last number here.

NARA Description

On May 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 5:05 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 493-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 493-18

Date: May 6, 1971
Time: Unknown between 2:30 pm and 5:05 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield

     President’s schedule, May 7, 1971
          -John D. Ehrlichman
          -President’s possible remarks at “Salute to Agriculture”
                -Photo coverage
          -”Glen Campbell Show”
                -Ronald L. Ziegler
                -Introduction, musical numbers
                -Press in State Dining Room
          -A morning group
                -President’s possible remarks
                -Press pool
                      -Judith Martin of Washington Post
                            -Ziegler

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 5:05 pm

Also recorded on May 6, 1971

  • 493-016 1:06 PM · 37 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:06 pm and 2:30 pm.
  • 493-017 1:06 PM · 17 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:06 pm and 4:15 pm.
  • 042-100 1:49 PM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 1:49 pm to 1:50 pm.
  • 042-101 1:50 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:50 pm and 2:24 pm.
  • 042-102 2:24 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Croby S. Noyes talked on the telephone from 2:24 pm to 2:26 pm.
  • 042-103 2:26 PM · 2 min — Alexander P. Butterfield, White House operator, unknown person(s), and John F. Evans, Jr.'s secretary talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:26 pm and 5:00 pm.
  • 493-019 2:30 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 5:05 pm.
  • 056-001 3:32 PM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon and members of the President's Commission on Financial Structure and Regulation, including Reed O. Hunt, Atherton Bean, Morris D. Crawford, Jr., Morgan C. Earnest, James H. Edgerton, Richard G. Gilbert, William D. Grant, Alan Greenspan, Walter S. Holmes, Jr., [Joseph] Lane Kirkland, Donald S. MacNaughton, Edward H. Malone, Rex J. Morthland, William H. Morton, Ellmore C. Patterson, K. A. Randall, Ralph S. Regula, Dr. Raymond J. Saulnier, Ezra Solomon, Robert H. Stewart, III, Allen R. Rule, James Lynch, Lucille Mayne, Bertwing Mah, Dr. Donald Jacobs, Dr. Almarin Phillips, Dr. Samuel Chase, Clarence Scruggs, Henry Shine, Jr., Neil Murphy, Charls E. Walker, Peter M. Flanigan, and the White House photographer, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 3:32 pm to 4:15 pm.

All 36 conversations from May 6, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 493-018, May 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/493-018 (accessed October 3, 2026).