Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 587 › Conversation 587-006

Nixon & Butterfield on Richard M. Helms and CIA

Friday, October 8, 1971 · 10:55 AM–10:58 AM ET · Oval Office ·34 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation587-006 onTape 587 (tape position 01:06:00–01:09:07)StartFriday, October 8, 1971 at 10:55 AMEndFriday, October 8, 1971 at 10:58 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 587-006 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Alexander Butterfield to discuss the logistics of an upcoming engagement involving CIA Director Richard M. Helms. The brief exchange focused on coordinating the Director's return and ensuring the administration's readiness for a significant, unspecified event. The conversation emphasizes the President's reliance on Butterfield to manage the sensitivities and execution of this task.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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The president has told me that my generation is to be close to the first ever incident that I've seen.
That's the way I'm going to bring the director home, sir.
We ought to have our courage and our capacity ready.
Our health will not demand a lot of care, so let me say this, Chris.
I'm glad you're doing this for me, sir.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On October 8, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 10:58 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 587-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 587-6

Date: October 8, 1971
Time: Unknown between 10:55 and 10:58 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield [?].

     The President's schedule
          -Richard M. Helms

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 10:55 am.

Also recorded on October 8, 1971

  • 587-001 9:45 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:45 am to 9:46 am.
  • 587-002 9:46 AM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:46 am to 10:04 am.
  • 587-003 10:04 AM · 43 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John N. Mitchell, John D. Ehrlichman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:04 am to 10:47 am.
  • 587-005 10:47 AM · 8 min — Stephen B. Bull, Charlotte T. Reid, Mrs. Edward C. Thompson, Edward T. Reid, Susan Reid, George Lindner, H. A. Barker, Mrs. H. A. Barker, Lambert Oschsenschlager, Mrs. Lambert Oschsenschlager, Dean Burch, Donald H. Rumsfeld, Frederic V. Malek, Frank Nebeker, White House photographer, and President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:47 am to 10:55 am.
  • 587-007 10:58 AM · 1 hr 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Richard M. Helms, Stephen B. Bull, David M. Kennedy, Henry A. Kissinger, Peter G. Peterson, Ronald L. Ziegler, unknown person(s), and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:58 am to 12:12 pm.
  • 587-008 12:12 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:12 pm and 12:17 pm.
  • 587-009 12:18 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Wayne Woodrow ("Woody") Hays, Sherman Lloyd, Rene Chazelle, Jacqueline Thome-Patentore, Jean Boinvilliers, Pierre-Bernard Couste, Isadore Renouard, Pierre Billotte, Madame Solange Troisier, Manuel Lujan, Jr., Robert Moinet, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Richard K. Cook, and Charles E. Lucet met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:18 pm to 12:28 pm.
  • 587-010 12:28 PM · 59 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:28 pm to 12:30 pm.

All 28 conversations from October 8, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 587-006, October 8, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/587-006 (accessed September 18, 2026).