Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 576 › Conversation 576-007

Colson, Ehrlichman & Butterfield on White House scheduling

Saturday, September 18, 1971 · 2:05 PM–2:07 PM ET · Oval Office · 44 sec

ParticipantsButterfield, Alexander P.; Colson, Charles W.; Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation576-007 on Tape 576 (tape position 04:05:59–04:08:00)StartSaturday, September 18, 1971 at 2:05 PMEndSaturday, September 18, 1971 at 2:07 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 576-007 ↗

AI Summary

Alexander P. Butterfield, Charles W. Colson, and John D. Ehrlichman convened in the Oval Office to discuss administrative operations and scheduling matters. The brief interaction focused on the staff's need for dedicated time to manage official White House work. The recording concludes abruptly before any significant decisions or follow-up actions could be finalized.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Can I get some work done?

NARA Description

On September 18, 1971, Alexander P. Butterfield, Charles W. Colson, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:05 pm and 2:07 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 576-007 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 576-007

Date: September 18, 1971
Time: Unknown between 2:05 pm and 2:07 pm
Location: Oval Office

Alexander P. Butterfield met with unknown people [Charles W. Colson and John D.
Ehrlichman?].

     Schedule

     Work

This recording was cut off at an unknown time before 2:07 pm.

Also recorded on September 18, 1971

  • 009-076 10:05 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:05 am.
  • 009-077 10:05 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:05 am.
  • 009-078 10:05 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:05 am and 10:39 am.
  • 576-005 10:05 AM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:05 am to 10:40 am.
  • 009-079 10:39 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 10:39 am to 10:40 am.
  • 576-006 10:40 AM · 3 hr 22 min — Stephen B. Bull, John N. Mitchell, Henry A. Kissinger, President Richard M. Nixon, Roger H. Zion, Charles E. Wiggins, Howard Russell, Ronald L. Ziegler, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:40 am to 2:05 pm.
  • 009-080 10:51 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Roger H. Zion talked on the telephone from 10:51 am to 10:54 am.
  • 009-081 11:05 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Charles E. Wiggins talked on the telephone at 11:05 am.

All 18 conversations from September 18, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 576-007, September 18, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/576-007 (accessed October 12, 2026).