Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 571 › Conversation 571-011

Decker & Butterfield on Oval Office and Administrative protocols

Saturday, September 11, 1971 · 1:38 PM–2:58 PM ET · Oval Office · 12 sec

ParticipantsButterfield, Alexander P.; Decker, Terry L.Conversation571-011 on Tape 571 (tape position 01:36:03–01:37:57)StartSaturday, September 11, 1971 at 1:38 PMEndSaturday, September 11, 1971 at 2:58 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 571-011 ↗

AI Summary

Alexander P. Butterfield and Terry L. Decker convened in the Oval Office for an informal discussion regarding administrative or personal matters. The brief exchange includes an expression of surprise from an unidentified participant, though the lack of a substantial transcript prevents a determination of specific policy or action items. The meeting concludes with both individuals departing the office together before the end of the recording session.

Audio

Download MP3 · 0.5 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Are you serious?

NARA Description

On September 11, 1971, Alexander P. Butterfield and Terry L. Decker met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:38 pm and 2:58 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 571-011 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 571-11

Date: September 13, 1971
Time: Unknown between 1:38 pm and 2:58 pm
Location: Oval Office

Alexander P. Butterfield met with an unknown woman [Terry L. Decker?].

     Unknown group

Butterfield and the unknown woman [Decker?] left at an unknown time before 2:58 pm.

Also recorded on September 11, 1971

  • 008-085 12:53 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 12:53 pm.
  • 570-005 12:53 PM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:53 pm and 12:56 pm.
  • 570-006 12:56 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:56 pm to 12:59 pm.
  • 570-007 12:59 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Paul W. McCracken met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:59 pm to 1:13 pm.
  • 570-008 1:13 PM · 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:13 pm to 1:56 pm.
  • 571-002 1:38 PM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:38 pm and 2:58 pm.
  • 570-009 1:56 PM · 46 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:56 pm and 2:18 pm.
  • 571-003 2:58 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:58 pm to 3:02 pm.

All 24 conversations from September 11, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 571-011, September 11, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/571-011 (accessed October 9, 2026).