Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 539 › Conversation 539-009

Nixon & Bull on Oval Office protocol and John Ehrlichman

Monday, July 19, 1971 · 12:08 PM–12:48 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation539-009 on Tape 539 (tape position 01:35:56–01:37:49)StartMonday, July 19, 1971 at 12:08 PMEndMonday, July 19, 1971 at 12:48 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 539-009 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Stephen B. Bull discussed operational logistics regarding the Oval Office, focusing specifically on managing the presence of children during visits. They considered the potential addition of gifts, such as a music box, to improve the experience for younger visitors. The conversation also included brief administrative coordination regarding John Ehrlichman's schedule.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 168.4 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 70.0 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 01:35:56 into the tape and ends around 01:37:49.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

1:36:14I've got to remind somebody that with their kids in here, I must remember children walking around.
1:36:40I used to think, I guess I can't get over there, I'll have to fix the clock.
1:36:46We used to, we used to make a point of chilling in this.
1:36:53Would you like to put something in it for children?
1:37:03Well, I don't think we've done it.
1:37:10You know how his mind is, right?

NARA Description

On July 19, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 539-009 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 539-9

Date: July 19, 1971
Time: Unknown between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull

[Music box plays “Hail to the Chief”]

     Staff meeting
           -Schedule
                -John D. Ehrlichman

     Children
          -John [Surname unknown]
          -Music box
                -Visits to the Oval Office
          -Gifts

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:48 pm

Also recorded on July 19, 1971

  • 539-004 11:12 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:12 am and 11:18 am.
  • 539-006 11:18 AM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, Alexander P. Butterfield, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:18 am to 11:37 am.
  • 539-007 11:58 AM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:58 am to 12:08 pm.
  • 539-008 12:08 PM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm.
  • 539-010 12:08 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm.
  • 539-011 12:08 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm.
  • 539-012 12:08 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 1:08 pm.
  • 539-013 12:55 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:55 pm and 1:08 pm.

All 26 conversations from July 19, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 539-009, July 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/539-009 (accessed October 11, 2026).