Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 501 › Conversation 501-017
Nixon & Bull on Henry Kissinger and Melvin Laird
Wednesday, May 19, 1971 · 2:05 PM–2:10 PM ET · Oval Office · 10 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon met with his aide Stephen B. Bull to coordinate the scheduling of upcoming meetings with key administration officials. The discussion focused on finalizing arrangements for discussions with National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird. The primary outcome was the administrative preparation required to facilitate these high-level consultations.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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NARA Description
On May 19, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:05 pm and 2:10 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 501-017 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 501-17
Date: May 19, 1971
Time: Unknown between 2:05 pm and 2:10 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Stephen B. Bull.
President's schedule
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Melvin R. Laird
Bull left at an unknown time before 2:10 pm.Also recorded on May 19, 1971
- 501-013 12:28 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:28 pm and 12:30 pm.
- 501-014 12:30 PM · 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, Manolo Sanchez, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:30 pm to 1:03 pm.
- 501-015 1:03 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:03 pm and 1:14 pm.
- 501-016 1:03 PM · 44 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, White House operator, William P. Rogers, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:03 pm and 2:05 pm.
- 003-066 1:14 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:14 pm and 1:18 pm.
- 003-067 1:18 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 1:18 pm to 1:29 pm.
- 501-018 2:10 PM · 48 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Melvin R. Laird, Henry A. Kissinger, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:10 pm to 2:56 pm.
- 501-019 3:09 PM · 25 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Gerard C. Smith, Gen. Royal B. Allison, Paul J. Nitze, Harold Brown, Llewellyn E. ("Tommy") Thompson, Jr., and Philip J. Farley met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:09 pm to 3:45 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 501-017, May 19, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/501-017 (accessed October 25, 2026).