Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 512 › Conversation 512-026

Nixon & Butterfield on Willy Brandt and State dinner

Friday, June 4, 1971 · 4:44 PM–4:47 PM ET · Oval Office · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation512-026 on Tape 512 (tape position 04:12:14–04:14:48)StartFriday, June 4, 1971 at 4:44 PMEndFriday, June 4, 1971 at 4:47 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 512-026 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Butterfield met to coordinate the logistics and guest list for an upcoming state dinner honoring West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. Nixon expressed frustration with the size and formality of previous diplomatic dinners, insisting on a larger guest list of approximately 80 people to minimize his personal interaction with attendees. The President directed Butterfield to streamline the event's physical arrangements to ensure a static, less demanding environment for himself.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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I'd like to take a smile with the Willie Brandt over to Lucy.

Do you want to look at this first and spin through the Colson?

One thing that you may want to pass judgment on is Colson thinks Georgia Media ought to be invited.

We didn't invite Brandt in the last year.

Sure.

What?

Oh, God, no, I'm not going to have any sex work.

I want at least 80 people.

Hell yes, I don't want those dinners anymore.

I've told all of them at least a dozen times.

I don't want to have to talk to these people.

So what we do is to set up, you know, a nice thing and use it.

How many big chairs do they have?

However many big chairs they have, that's what we'll have for dinner.

You see what I mean?

I see what you mean.

Yeah.

So we'll have to get you some more.

Let's just say, you know, just add some more people.

We can do some more.

You know, that's just a pain in the ass.

I'll have to look at it.

Yeah.

Because I don't want to see that man.

I don't want any of this.

I don't want to worry about that.

I'm not interested in that.

I don't want to hear anything.

You see, I don't want any working cameras.

This is a, just make it to, to be a static camera.

How many chairs do they have?

The big chairs.

See, that's what we do, is I want to use the big chairs and have it static.

But I have 80.

You can't carry 80 people in here, Jesus Christ.

I mean, what is it?

They've got that work up there anyway.

What work do they do?

There's no damn work, huh?

Well, those are the guidelines that came down.

Small, you don't push it in.

All right.

I'm just keeping it in care all the time.

Listen to the silence.

The silence of the senses.

Let's go.

Here we go.

Well, you see, I want to, I want to widely expand my field.

Okay.

NARA Description

On June 4, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:44 pm and 4:47 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 512-026 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 512-26
Date: June 4, 1971
Time: Unknown between 4:44 pm and 4:47 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield
     President’s schedule
          -Willy Brandt dinner
                -Lucy A. Winchester
                -Charles W. Colson
                -William E. Timmons
                -Clark MacGregor
                -George Meany
                -Number of Attendees
                      -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                      -Physical Arrangements
                -Diplomats
          -Working dinner
                -Henry A. Kissinger
          -Brandt dinner
                -Number of attendees

Butterfield left at 4:47 pm

Also recorded on June 4, 1971

059-003 3:35 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon and members of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, including Adm. George W. Anderson, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Dr. William O. Baker, Gordon Gray, Dr. Edwin H. Land, Franklin B. Lincoln, Jr., Dr. Franklin D. Murphy, Frank Pace, Jr., Henry A. Kissinger, and Dr. James R. Schlesinger, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 3:35 pm to 4:44 pm.
512-027 4:47 PM · 1 hr 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and Homer Ferguson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:47 pm to 5:59 pm.
004-035 5:12 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:12 pm and 5:14 pm.
004-036 5:14 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Homer Ferguson talked on the telephone from 5:14 pm to 5:17 pm.
004-037 5:17 PM · 23 sec — Edward R. F. Cox, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:17 pm and 8:03 pm.
004-038 5:17 PM · 2 min — Edward R. F. Cox, White House operator, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:17 pm and 8:03 pm.
004-039 5:17 PM · 47 sec — Tricia Nixon Cox, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:17 pm and 8:03 pm.
004-040 5:17 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:17 pm and 8:03 pm.

All 55 conversations from June 4, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 512-026, June 4, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/512-026 (accessed September 27, 2026).