Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 639 › Conversation 639-017

Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

Saturday, December 18, 1971 · 5:05 PM–5:12 PM ET · Oval Office · 23 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); [Unknown person(s)]Conversation639-017 on Tape 639 (tape position 01:52:26–01:54:22)StartSaturday, December 18, 1971 at 5:05 PMEndSaturday, December 18, 1971 at 5:12 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 639-017 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consulted with General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. regarding the identity of an individual named John A. Becker. The brief exchange focused on clarifying this person's background or professional status as part of an inquiry into the President's schedule. No further policy decisions were recorded during this short administrative interaction.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

You know, his, uh, I don't know if he's John, but his name is John A. Becker.

NARA Description

On December 18, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:05 pm and 5:12 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 639-017 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 639-017

Date: December 18, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:05 pm and 5:12 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with an unknown person.

     Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

     President’s schedule

Also recorded on December 18, 1971

  • 639-022 4:43 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:43 pm and 5:03 pm.
  • 639-025 5:03 PM · 1 hr 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Jerrold L. Schecter, Hugh S. Sidey, Hedley W. Donovan, Henry A. Grunwald, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:03 pm to 6:35 pm.
  • 639-015 5:05 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:05 pm and 5:12 pm.
  • 639-016 5:05 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:05 pm and 5:12 pm.
  • 639-018 5:12 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:12 pm to 5:20 pm.
  • 639-019 5:20 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:20 pm and 5:26 pm.
  • 016-118 5:26 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 5:26 pm to 5:28 pm.
  • 639-020 5:26 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:26 pm to 5:28 pm.

All 52 conversations from December 18, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 639-017, December 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/639-017 (accessed October 11, 2026).