Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 588 › Conversation 588-005
Nixon White House recording on Oval Office and Ambient Noise
Tuesday, October 12, 1971 · 12:01 AM–11:22 AM ET · Oval Office · 8 sec
AI Summary
This recording consists primarily of ambient room noise and unintelligible background chatter between unidentified individuals in the Oval Office. No substantive policy discussions, political deliberations, or administrative decisions were captured during this brief segment. Consequently, the recording provides no historical insight into the administration's activities or objectives.
- Oval Office
- Ambient Noise
- Unidentified Participants
- Administrative Records
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On October 12, 1971, unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:01 am and 11:22 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 588-005 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 588-5 Date: October 12, 1971 Time: Unknown before 11:22 am Location: Oval Office Unknown people met. ********************************************************************** [Previous non-historical (H) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 07/24/2019. Segment cleared for release.] [Non-Historical] [588-005-w001] [Duration: 8s] [This portion of the tape is mostly room noise with some muffled background conversation.] ********************************************************************** The unknown people left at an unknown time before 11:22 am.
Also recorded on October 12, 1971
- 011-047 9:26 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 9:26 pm to 9:34 pm.
- 288-002 9:26 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:26 pm to 9:34 pm.
- 288-003 9:36 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:36 pm and 9:40 pm.
- 588-004 12:01 AM · 9 sec — Ronald L. Ziegler and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:01 am and 11:22 am.
- 588-006 12:01 AM · 4 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:01 am and 11:22 am.
- 588-022 12:01 AM · 7 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:01 am and 11:22 am.
- 288-004 8:25 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:25 am and 8:30 am.
- 011-048 8:30 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:30 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 588-005, October 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/588-005 (accessed September 28, 2026).