Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 556 › Conversation 556-016
Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on White House…
Friday, August 6, 1971 · 12:17 PM–12:20 PM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon held a brief, informal exchange with the White House operator to discuss an unspecified matter of importance. The conversation served as a routine communication check between the President and the operator. No specific policy decisions or significant administrative actions were recorded during the brief duration of this interaction.
- White House administration
- Communications
- Operational procedures
- Presidential staff
Audio
Download MP3 (part 1) · 168.2 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 29.8 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 02:05:00 into the tape and ends around 02:05:24.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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
NARA Description
On August 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:20 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 556-016 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 556-16 Date: August 6, 1971 Time: Unknown between 12:17 pm and 12:20 pm Location: Oval Office The President talked with the White House operator. [See Conversation No. 7-68]
Also recorded on August 6, 1971
- 007-066 12:16 PM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Wright Patman talked on the telephone from 12:16 pm to 12:17 pm.
- 007-067 12:17 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:20 pm.
- 007-068 12:17 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:20 pm.
- 007-069 12:17 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:20 pm.
- 007-162 12:17 PM · 3 sec — the White House operator and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:20 pm.
- 556-014 12:17 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:20 pm.
- 556-015 12:17 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:20 pm.
- 556-017 12:17 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:20 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 556-016, August 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/556-016 (accessed October 9, 2026).