Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 493 › Conversation 493-021

Nixon White House recording on Political strategy and Electoral planning

Thursday, May 6, 1971 · 5:22 PM–10:40 AM ET · Oval Office

Participants[Unknown person(s)]Conversation493-021 on Tape 493 (tape position 03:55:58–03:56:26)StartThursday, May 6, 1971 at 5:22 PMEndFriday, May 7, 1971 at 10:40 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 493-021 ↗

AI Summary

Unnamed individuals discuss political intelligence or strategic planning, referencing a figure named Becker who claims support across various states. The speakers address geographic advantages and suggest that specific operational objectives are being met in multiple locations, including Chicago. The brief exchange concludes without identifying a formal decision, focusing instead on the perceived progress of an ongoing project.

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 03:55:58 into the tape and ends around 03:56:26.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

3:56:01Because we're on the right side of the city.
3:56:03And Becker feels so, too.
3:56:04He said they're going to do it.
3:56:06Yeah, Becker said it in all of the states.
3:56:10He said in all of the states.
3:56:12He said that two people in Chicago had exactly the same connection.

NARA Description

Unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 5:22 pm on May 6, 1971 and 10:40 am on May 7, 1971. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 493-021 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 493-21

Date: Unknown between May 6 and May 7, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:22 pm, May 6 and 10:40 am, May 7, 1971
Location: Oval Office

Unknown people entered

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Non-historical]
[Duration: 22s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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The unknown people left at an unknown time before 10:40 am, May 7, 1971

Also recorded on May 6, 1971

  • 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.
  • 493-018 2:30 PM · 3 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.
  • 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.
  • 056-002 4:15 PM — Unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 4:15 pm on May 6, 1971 and 11:48 am on May 7, 1971.
  • 493-020 5:05 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:05 pm to 5:22 pm.
  • 042-104 5:22 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:22 pm and 6:16 pm.
  • 042-105 5:22 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:22 pm and 6:16 pm.

All 36 conversations from May 6, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 493-021, 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/493-021 (accessed October 3, 2026).