Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 541 › Conversation 541-009
Nixon White House recording on Diplomacy and Personnel management
Wednesday, July 21, 1971 · 6:19 PM–6:23 PM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
Participants discuss staffing logistics and personnel challenges related to an upcoming diplomatic engagement, possibly involving travel to Moscow. The conversation touches upon the difficulties of coordinating schedules for members of an assembly and the importance of having expert representation during high-level negotiations. The dialogue reflects concerns about ensuring appropriate presence and advice for the delegation, with mentions of shifting geopolitical contexts such as developments with China.
- Diplomacy
- Personnel management
- Moscow travel
- Foreign policy
- Staffing logistics
Audio
Download MP3 (part 1) · 168.3 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 128.2 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 03:24:16 into the tape and ends around 03:27:01.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 · Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
NARA Description
On July 21, 1971, unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:19 pm and 6:23 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 541-009 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 541-9
Date: July 21, 1971
Time: Unknown between 6:19 pm and 6:23 pm
Location: Oval Office
Unknown persons talked to an unknown person.
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Agency Policy]
[Duration: 5s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
**********************************************************************
[Pause]
The President’s location
An unknown person talked to an unknown person at an unknown time after 6:19 pm.
[Conversation No. 541-9A]
Instructions
[End of telephone conversation]
An unknown person talked to an unknown person at an unknown time after 6:19 pm.
[Conversation No. 541-9B]
The President’s schedule
[Pause]
[Unintelligible]
This recording was cut off at an unknown time before 6:23 pm.Also recorded on July 21, 1971
- 006-178 4:46 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:46 pm and 5:14 pm.
- 541-003 5:04 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:04 pm and 5:07 pm.
- 541-004 5:04 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:04 pm and 5:07 pm.
- 541-005 5:07 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:07 pm to 5:15 pm.
- 006-180 5:14 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:14 pm.
- 541-006 5:15 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 5:15 pm.
- 541-007 5:15 PM · 34 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:15 pm and 5:21 pm.
- 541-008 5:15 PM · 1 hr — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, unknown person(s), Stephen B. Bull, Charles W. Colson, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:15 pm and 6:19 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 541-009, July 21, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/541-009 (accessed September 18, 2026).