Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 502 › Conversation 502-018

Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on Charles W. Colson

Thursday, May 20, 1971 · 2:09 PM–2:16 PM ET · Oval Office · 4 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); [Unknown person(s)]Conversation502-018 on Tape 502 (tape position 02:27:39–02:28:36)StartThursday, May 20, 1971 at 2:09 PMEndThursday, May 20, 1971 at 2:16 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 502-018 ↗

President Nixon held an brief, unrecorded meeting in the Oval Office with an unidentified woman. The discussion focused on the President's schedule and included the involvement of special counsel Charles W. Colson. No further details regarding the substance of the meeting are available as the interaction concluded quickly.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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On May 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:09 pm and 2:16 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 502-018 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 502-18

Date: May 20, 1971
Time: Unknown between 2:09 pm and 2:16 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with an unknown woman.

     President’s schedule
          -Charles W. Colson

The unknown woman left at an unknown time before 2:16 pm.
  • 502-014 1:45 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Justin W. Dart, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John A. Scali, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:45 pm to 2:05 pm.
  • 003-086 1:47 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 2:08 pm.
  • 502-015 2:05 PM · 10 sec — 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 2:08 pm.
  • 502-016 2:05 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:05 pm and 2:08 pm.
  • 003-087 2:08 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Leslie C. Arends talked on the telephone from 2:08 pm to 2:09 pm.
  • 502-017 2:08 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Leslie C. Arends met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:08 pm to 2:09 pm.
  • 003-088 2:09 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:09 pm and 3:43 pm.
  • 502-019 2:09 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, and Charles W. Colson met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:09 pm and 2:46 pm.

Conversation 502-018, May 20, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/502-018 (accessed October 10, 2026).