Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 500 › Conversation 500-003

Nixon & Bolling on Book review and Presidential correspondence

Tuesday, May 18, 1971 · 7:26 AM–7:55 AM ET · Oval Office · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bolling, LandrumConversation500-003 on Tape 500 (tape position 00:06:28–00:07:46)StartTuesday, May 18, 1971 at 7:26 AMEndTuesday, May 18, 1971 at 7:55 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 500-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Landrum Bolling to discuss the latter's recent book and follow up on their previous conversation from May 14, 1971. The President expressed his personal views on the text, praising its objective tone and candid approach. During the meeting, Nixon dictated a formal letter to Bolling reflecting on their exchange and emphasizing a desire for peaceful resolution.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 67% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Since our last week, I've had the opportunity to read a few letters, reading such a precise and objective paragraph.
We're able to get some candid answers to your questions, in the case of our
There will be less harsh.
Just peace, son.

NARA Description

On May 18, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Landrum Bolling met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:26 am and 7:55 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 500-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 500-3

Date: May 18, 1971
Time: Unknown between 7:26 am and 7:55 am
Location: Oval Office

The President dictated a letter to Landrum Bolling.
     President's meeting with Bolling, May 14, 1971

     Bolling’s book
          -President’s views

Also recorded on May 18, 1971

  • 500-001 7:26 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:26 am and 7:55 am.
  • 500-002 7:26 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:26 am and 7:55 am.
  • 500-004 7:26 AM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Joe D. Waggonner, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:26 am and 7:55 am.
  • 500-005 7:55 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 7:55 am to 7:56 am.
  • 500-006 7:58 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 7:58 am to 8:02 am.
  • 058-001 8:02 AM · 1 hr 34 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Melvin R. Laird, and Republican Congressional leaders, including U. Alexis Johnson, Robert P. Griffin, Norris Cotton, Peter H. Dominick, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends, John B. Anderson, Barber B. Conable, Jr., Richard H. Poff, Robert C. ("Bob") Wilson, John J. Rhodes, Robert T. Stafford, H. Allen Smith, Robert J. Dole, Peter G. Peterson, George P. Shultz, John D. Ehrlichman, Clark MacGregor, William E. Timmons, Harry S. Dent, Ronald L. Ziegler, Bryce N. Harlow, and Kenneth E. BeLieu, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 8:02 am to 9:33 am.
  • 500-007 8:02 AM · 34 sec — Alexander P. Butterfield and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:02 am and 9:33 am.
  • 003-058 9:33 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:33 am and 9:34 am.

All 42 conversations from May 18, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 500-003, May 18, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/500-003 (accessed September 28, 2026).