Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 501 › Conversation 501-026

Nixon, Butterfield & Bull on White House scheduling and Presidential staff

Wednesday, May 19, 1971 · 4:28 PM–4:38 PM ET · Oval Office · 49 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.; Bull, Stephen B.Conversation501-026 on Tape 501 (tape position 05:00:23–05:01:47)StartWednesday, May 19, 1971 at 4:28 PMEndWednesday, May 19, 1971 at 4:38 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 501-026 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield and Stephen B. Bull to review pending administrative paperwork and finalize the President's upcoming schedule. The discussion specifically addressed preparations for a 5:00 p.m. meeting involving key advisors including Henry Kissinger, H.R. Haldeman, and Ronald Ziegler. During the exchange, Nixon also gave instructions regarding the visual presentation of staff in photographs, specifically requesting that images of individuals with cigarettes be excluded.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Hey.
You see the person with the cigarette, I want to be sure he didn't have a cigarette in his hand.
That's Henry and Bob Hall and Clyde.
I have to finish Clyde's book.

NARA Description

On May 19, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:28 pm and 4:38 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 501-026 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 501-26

Date: May 19, 1971

Time: Unknown between 4:28 pm and 4:38 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

     Items for President's signature

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 4:28 pm.

     President's schedule
           -5:00 meeting
           -Ronald L. Ziegler, John A. Scali, Henry A. Kissinger, H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                 meeting
           -Robert H. Finch

Butterfield and Bull left at an unknown time before 4:38 pm.

Also recorded on May 19, 1971

  • 501-020 3:45 PM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:45 pm and 3:50 pm.
  • 501-021 3:45 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:45 pm and 3:50 pm.
  • 501-022 3:45 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:45 pm and 3:50 pm.
  • 501-024 3:50 PM · 34 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Alexander P. Butterfield, Ronald L. Ziegler, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry L. Bellmon, John G. Tower, Clifford M. Hardin, John C. Whitaker, Clark MacGregor, and Peter M. Flanigan met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:50 pm to 4:28 pm.
  • 501-025 4:28 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:28 pm and 4:38 pm.
  • 501-027 4:28 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:28 pm and 4:38 pm.
  • 501-028 4:28 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:28 pm and 4:38 pm.
  • 501-029 4:38 PM · 1 hr 26 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, Henry A. Kissinger, John A. Scali, Ronald L. Ziegler, Donald H. Rumsfeld, and Robert H. Finch met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:38 pm to 6:10 pm.

All 48 conversations from May 19, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 501-026, 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/501-026 (accessed October 9, 2026).