Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 658 › Conversation 658-009

Nixon, Connally & Butterfield on Personnel Appointments

Thursday, January 27, 1972 · 11:30 AM–11:45 AM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.; Connally, John B.; [Unknown person(s)]; Bull, Stephen B.Conversation658-009 on Tape 658 (tape position 02:30:09–02:45:41)StartThursday, January 27, 1972 at 11:30 AMEndThursday, January 27, 1972 at 11:45 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 658-009 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield, John B. Connally, and various aides to manage administrative matters, sign official documents, and coordinate the President’s daily schedule. The participants discussed staffing appointments, including the potential liaison role of J. Willard Marriott and the selection of personnel for government positions. Additionally, the group reviewed upcoming meetings involving Charles W. Colson and H.R. Haldeman at Camp David to facilitate future policy planning.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 168.3 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 168.3 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 131.3 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 02:30:09 into the tape and ends around 02:45:41.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
2:32:34Värmlandsfjall
2:33:36Kjell.
2:33:39Kjell.
2:34:05Stavros!
2:34:06Stavros!
2:34:06Stavros!
2:35:10Very good, very good.
2:35:36Teksting av Nicolai Winther
2:36:46Stavros Stavros Stavros
2:40:21Well, well, well, I think we're good.
2:40:25We're going to use the output current.
2:40:56There's going to be other controlled forces in addition to our weight transport.
2:41:00You know, that aqua command arm figure you guys were saying was a hell of a good one.
2:41:07What is this?
2:41:08It has one other thing.
2:41:08If you get it, talk to him.
2:41:14I see.
2:41:21Oh, you didn't talk.
2:41:22Good.
2:41:23Good.
2:41:24Good.
2:41:24Okay.
2:41:24Okay.
2:41:53The other thing is that keep your eyes open for other people here instead of like that.
2:42:01We've got a point.
2:42:03We can't just get one of our friends in there.
2:42:09I mean, I don't have friends, but there's so many good men.
2:42:12We always seem to start off with the same, you know, tired people.
2:42:18And, golly, their son and their guys just get you to do things that you don't know about.
2:42:23The trouble is, you know, the trouble is the guy's really successful at everything.
2:42:26He doesn't have to root himself up and go over to bond.
2:42:31Yeah, another piece of goddamn silly, isn't that right?
2:42:35Well, I'll say, after you give that, after you now do that, catch that, Mars will feel better.
2:42:40Yeah.
2:42:41Okay, Doc.
2:42:42Thank you.
2:42:56Let's see, here's a curve sign.
2:42:59Yes, sir.
2:45:16Should we spring a letter for the departure of the candidate that Bob said you were thinking about?

NARA Description

On January 27, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, John B. Connally, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:30 am to 11:45 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 658-009 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 658-9

Date: January 27, 1972
Time: 11:30 am - 11:45 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

     Weather

     [Signing documents]

     The President’s schedule

[The President talked with John B. Connally between 11:32 am and 11:41 am.]

[Conversation No. 658-9A]

[See Conversation No. 19-132; two items have been withdrawn from the conversation]

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 11:32 am.

     Herbert Stein

     [Signing documents]
          -Ezra Solomon

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 11:45 am.

     J. Willard Marriott
           -Request of Butterfield to be liaison
           -Honor America Day
           -Unknown person

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 11:41 am.

     The President’s schedule
          -Meeting with Charles W. Colson

Bull left at an unknown time before 11:45 am.

           -Camp David
                -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
           -Forthcoming meetings

Butterfield left at 11:45 am.

Also recorded on January 27, 1972

  • 658-005 10:27 AM · 45 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Richard M. Scammon, Charles W. Colson, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:27 am to 11:12 am.
  • 658-006 11:12 AM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:12 am and 11:13 am.
  • 658-007 11:13 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Maurice H. Stans, Ronald L. Ziegler, Peter G. Peterson, Peter M. Flanigan, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:13 am to 11:24 am.
  • 658-035 11:24 AM · 2 min — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:24 am and 11:30 am.
  • 019-131 11:30 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:30 am.
  • 658-008 11:30 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:30 am.
  • 019-132 11:32 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 11:32 am to 11:41 am.
  • 658-010 11:47 AM · 1 hr 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Charles W. Colson, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:47 am to 1:03 pm.

All 57 conversations from January 27, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 658-009, January 27, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/658-009 (accessed October 12, 2026).