Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 656 › Conversation 656-002

Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on Staffing

Wednesday, January 26, 1972 · 7:47 AM–7:52 AM ET · Oval Office · 21 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); [Unknown person(s)]Conversation656-002 on Tape 656 (tape position 00:01:59–00:03:16)StartWednesday, January 26, 1972 at 7:47 AMEndWednesday, January 26, 1972 at 7:52 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 656-002 ↗

President Nixon held a brief, informal meeting with an unidentified woman to discuss the whereabouts of an unnamed individual. The participants confirmed that this person had not yet arrived at his office and verified his safety. No formal policy decisions were made, as the discussion focused solely on logistical coordination and staff status.

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Excuse me, sir, did you call the police?
Yeah.
He's not in his desk yet.
He's not in his office yet.
Uh, he's, uh, he's not in his office yet.
I didn't know the secretary said he wasn't in his desk.
Did you find him?
Yeah, I said he was fine.
He's probably not in his office.

On January 26, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 656-002 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 656-2

Date: January 26, 1972
Time: Unknown between 7:47 am and 7:52 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with an unknown woman.

     H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s location
          -Desk
          -Breakfast

The unknown woman left at an unknown time before 7:52 am.
  • 019-090 7:47 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am.
  • 088-002 7:47 AM · 1 hr 58 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and Republican Congressional leaders, including Hugh Scott, Robert P. Griffin, Norris Cotton, Gordon L. Allott, Peter H. Dominick, Barry M. Goldwater, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends, John B. Anderson, Samuel L. Devine, Richard H. Poff, Barber B. Conable, Jr., H. Allen Smith, Robert C. ("Bob") Wilson, John W. Byrnes, Frank T. Bow, Robert J. Dole, George P. Shultz, Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, Herbert Stein, John D. Ehrlichman, Clark MacGregor, William E. Timmons, Richard K. Cook, Thomas C. Korologos, Harry S. Dent, Ronald L. Ziegler, Bryce N. Harlow, Noel C. Koch, William L. Gifford, Henry A. Kissinger, and William P. Rogers, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 10:02 am.
  • 656-003 7:47 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am.
  • 656-004 7:47 AM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am.
  • 656-005 7:47 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am.
  • 656-006 7:47 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am.
  • 019-091 7:52 AM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 7:52 am to 7:53 am.
  • 656-007 7:52 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Rose Mary Woods, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 7:52 am to 8:03 am.

Conversation 656-002, January 26, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/656-002 (accessed October 6, 2026).