Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 631 › Conversation 631-005

Nixon & Saunders on Henry Kissinger and White House logistics

Tuesday, December 7, 1971 · 4:29 PM–4:33 PM ET · Oval Office · 11 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Saunders, Harold H.Conversation631-005 on Tape 631 (tape position 02:03:21–02:03:46)StartTuesday, December 7, 1971 at 4:29 PMEndTuesday, December 7, 1971 at 4:33 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 631-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Harold H. Saunders to ascertain the current location of National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. The brief encounter served solely as a logistical check to locate Kissinger within the West Wing complex. No policy discussions occurred, and the exchange concluded immediately once Kissinger's whereabouts were confirmed in the outer office.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Oh, he just stepped out.
I'm sorry.
He's in there.
He's out in the outside office.

NARA Description

On December 7, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Harold H. Saunders met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:29 pm and 4:33 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 631-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 631-005

Date: December 7, 1971
Time: Unknown between 4:29 pm and 4:33 pm
Location: Oval Office

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

The President talked with Harold H. Saunders.

     Henry A. Kissinger's location

Also recorded on December 7, 1971

  • 631-002 2:59 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:59 pm to 3:02 pm.
  • 631-003 3:04 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:04 pm to 3:11 pm.
  • 631-004 3:12 PM · 1 hr 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Maurice H. Stans, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Peter G. Peterson, White House photographer, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler, unknown person(s), and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:12 pm to 4:29 pm.
  • 631-006 4:29 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:29 pm and 4:33 pm.
  • 631-007 4:33 PM · 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:33 pm to 5:05 pm.
  • 631-008 5:05 PM · 1 hr 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Daniel P. Moynihan, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:05 pm to 6:16 pm.
  • 631-009 6:10 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:10 pm and 6:28 pm.
  • 631-010 6:10 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:10 pm and 6:28 pm.

All 20 conversations from December 7, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 631-005, December 7, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/631-005 (accessed October 12, 2026).