Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 495 › Conversation 495-011

Nixon White House recording on Oval Office and Construction

Friday, May 7, 1971 · 11:48 AM–11:56 AM ET · Oval Office ·1 min

Participants[Unknown person(s)]Conversation495-011 onTape 495 (tape position 00:57:40–00:58:42)StartFriday, May 7, 1971 at 11:48 AMEndFriday, May 7, 1971 at 11:56 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 495-011 ↗

AI Summary

Unknown participants met in the Oval Office to coordinate logistics for manual labor involving the excavation of trenches near a wall. The conversation focused on specific spatial measurements for digging and ensuring the work area was adequately prepared. The participants concluded the brief discussion by confirming their instructions and coordinating follow-up communication.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah, yeah, sure.
Can you spread the trench here?
About six, seven feet down from the wall.
That's good.
We have to spread the trenches.
Yeah.
About ten feet away from the wall.
Sure.
It doesn't take people to break up the white.
Get through to him and find me.

NARA Description

On May 7, 1971, unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:48 am and 11:56 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 495-011 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 495-11

Date: May 7, 1971
Time: Unknown between 11:48 am and 11:56 am
Location: Oval Office

Unknown men met.

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

[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 12/11/2019.]
[Unintelligible]
[495-011-w001]
[Duration: 1m 1s]

     Measurements

     Wall

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

The unknown men left at an unknown time before 11:56 am.

Also recorded on May 7, 1971

  • 495-010 11:45 AM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:45 am and 11:48 am.
  • 056-003 11:48 AM · 2 min — during the signing of the Telephone Bank Bill [S. 70], President Richard M. Nixon, Robert J. Dole, Jack R. Miller, Herman E. Talmadge, Ancher Nelsen, Alvin E. O'Konski, William R. Poage, Robert D. Price, Garner Shriver, Vernon W. Thomson, Clifford M. Hardin, J. Philip Campbell, Thomas K. Cowden, William E. Galbraith, David A. Hamil, Everett C. Weitzell, James R. Wright, Harold C. Ebaugh, Warren B. French, Jr., Adm. William C. Mott, David C. Fullarton, Ross Heller, Eldon M. Snowden, Harold G. Payne, A. Harold Peterson, Hyde Murray, John C. Whitaker, Richard K. Cook, Max L. Friedersdorf, and press photographers met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 11:48 am and 11:56 am.
  • 495-012 11:48 AM · 26 sec — Alexander P. Butterfield and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:48 am and 11:56 am.
  • 495-013 11:56 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:56 am and 11:58 am.
  • 495-014 11:58 AM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Stephen B. Bull, Herbert G. Klein, Bob Murphy, Robert Rosenthal, and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:58 am to 12:17 pm.
  • 495-015 12:17 PM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:19 pm.
  • 495-016 12:19 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, W. Richard Howard, Marcis Howard, and Mr. Northrup met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:19 pm to 12:20 pm.
  • 495-017 12:20 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:20 pm and 12:26 pm.

All 48 conversations from May 7, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 495-011, May 7, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/495-011 (accessed September 18, 2026).