Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 639 › Conversation 639-019

Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on Maurice Stans

Saturday, December 18, 1971 · 5:20 PM–5:26 PM ET · Oval Office · 13 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation639-019 on Tape 639 (tape position 02:02:14–02:04:36)StartSaturday, December 18, 1971 at 5:20 PMEndSaturday, December 18, 1971 at 5:26 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 639-019 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiates a call to the White House operator to be connected with Secretary of Commerce Maurice Stans, referred to as Secretary Cotton. The brief interaction serves as a logistical bridge to facilitate an official communication between the President and the Secretary. No further policy discussions or significant substantive developments occurred during this short exchange.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Secretary Cotton, please.

NARA Description

On December 18, 1971, 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. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 639-019 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 639-019

Date: December 18, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:20 pm and 5:26 pm
Location: Oval Office

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

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 16-117]

Also recorded on December 18, 1971

  • 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.
  • 639-017 5:05 PM · 23 sec — 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 639-021 5:28 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 5:28 pm.

All 52 conversations from December 18, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 639-019, 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/639-019 (accessed October 11, 2026).