{"conversationCode":"504-003","tapeNumber":504,"conversationNumber":3,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-504-003","startDateTime":"1971-05-27T14:01:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-05-27T14:03:00.000Z","startDate":"27-May-1971","startTime":"10:01 AM","endDate":"27-May-1971","endTime":"10:03 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Nixon, Thelma C. (\"Pat\") (Ryan); Butterfield, Alexander P.; [Unknown person(s)];","description":"On May 27, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Thelma C. (\"Pat\") (Ryan) Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:01 am to 10:03 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 504-003 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"OVAL","recordingDevice":"Oval Office","latitudeEstimated":38.8974,"longitudeEstimated":-77.0374,"chronCode":1,"chronRelease":"First Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"5-Oct-1999","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 504-3\n\nDate: May 27, 1971\nTime: 10:01 am - 10:03 am\nLocation: Oval Office\n\nThelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield.\n\n     Lyndon B. Johnson Library\n\n     Oval Office furnishings\n          -Objet d'art\n          -Library\n          -Gifts\n\nThe President entered at an unknown time after 10:01 am.\n\n     Placement of gift from Malik Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Saud Faisal [King of Saudi Arabia]\n\nAn unknown man entered at an unknown time after 10:01 am.\n\n**********************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n[National Security]\n[Duration: 16s ]\n\n     SAUDI ARABIA\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n\n**********************************************************************\n\nThe President, Butterfield, Mrs. Nixon, and the unknown man left at 10:03 am.","filename":["504-003.mp3"],"tapeStart":"00:54:16","tapeEnd":"00:56:44","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Nixon, Thelma C. (\"Pat\") (Ryan)","Butterfield, Alexander P.","[Unknown person(s)]"],"prevCode":"504-002","nextCode":"504-004","transcript":[{"start":0.15,"end":20.67,"text":"I don't know if you're going to want to display it."},{"start":21.63,"end":26.01,"text":"Well, I think you ought to put it here and get this started up."},{"start":26.03,"end":27.71,"text":"Yeah, yeah."},{"start":27.73,"end":28.38,"text":"I just wanted to receive it."},{"start":28.39,"end":28.55,"text":"Right."},{"start":28.57,"end":30.24,"text":"As he places by, we'll replace this right now."},{"start":30.26,"end":31.08,"text":"That occurred to me, yeah."},{"start":31.89,"end":39.42,"text":"Oh, is it?"},{"start":42.67,"end":43.57,"text":"There's something."},{"start":44.65,"end":44.77,"text":"Hi."},{"start":44.79,"end":45.17,"text":"No."},{"start":45.19,"end":48.32,"text":"Yeah, of course, everything goes in the library."},{"start":48.34,"end":48.96,"text":"So there's this courage in you."},{"start":48.98,"end":52.74,"text":"You know, you get to be great on the wind, but you need to smell it."},{"start":52.76,"end":53.23,"text":"That's the end of that."},{"start":53.24,"end":54.93,"text":"I hate the end of life."},{"start":54.95,"end":55.15,"text":"Don't you?"},{"start":55.43,"end":74.09,"text":"How does that happen, Dave?"},{"start":74.11,"end":74.61,"text":"Well, no, you can borrow."},{"start":74.63,"end":76.17,"text":"No, you can borrow, but it really doesn't ever go on, do you?"},{"start":76.19,"end":77.09,"text":"You can keep after you keep them for a while."},{"start":77.11,"end":78.78,"text":"I mean, one or two, but, uh, others in other countries, I mean, I can't believe it."},{"start":78.8,"end":80.48,"text":"I know the next big president was so excited because I admired him for renaming him."},{"start":80.5,"end":80.84,"text":"What did you say?"},{"start":80.86,"end":81.14,"text":"I didn't know."},{"start":81.16,"end":82.08,"text":"I said, well, if you want to sign it."},{"start":82.63,"end":95.21,"text":"Well, it belongs to the government, to any of the prisons."},{"start":95.65,"end":99.67,"text":"That's only if it's worthy of it or anywhere."},{"start":99.69,"end":100.51,"text":"I don't think you should be afraid of it."},{"start":100.53,"end":102.45,"text":"I believe it's something to be accepted, but they don't have it."},{"start":102.47,"end":103.22,"text":"The people have to say it."},{"start":103.24,"end":103.36,"text":"Right."},{"start":103.38,"end":104.82,"text":"I believe it's worth it."},{"start":104.84,"end":106.68,"text":"I'm not having them share the decision with you."},{"start":106.82,"end":110.46,"text":"In fact, I've heard that, and I'm about to look in front of you and spread everything over immediately."},{"start":113.14,"end":133.74,"text":"We're going to flip this, and I'll tell you when we're here."},{"start":133.76,"end":134.02,"text":"Okay, sir."},{"start":134.37,"end":137.01,"text":"Did any of that just get it?"},{"start":137.03,"end":137.23,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":142.81,"end":142.91,"text":"Okay."},{"start":142.93,"end":143.03,"text":"Okay."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon, First Lady Pat Nixon, and Alexander Butterfield met briefly in the Oval Office to coordinate the placement of a gift received from King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. The participants discussed whether the item should be displayed in the White House or transferred to the presidential library. They ultimately concluded the session by formalizing plans for the gift's handling and display.","topics":["Oval Office furnishings","White House gifts","King Faisal","Presidential library","Protocol"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T22:29:01.066Z"},"topicSlugs":["oval-office-furnishings","white-house-gifts","king-faisal","presidential-library","protocol"],"audioDurationSec":149,"audioFiles":[{"file":"504-003.mp3","bytes":5970334,"durationSec":149.11,"bitrate":320322,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:49.684Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:43:52.133Z","transcriptGapSeconds":60,"transcriptGapShare":0.4,"transcriptQuality":"incomplete","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/504-003.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/504-003","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/504/conversation-504-003","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}