Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 664 › Conversation 664-001
Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on China
Wednesday, February 2, 1972 · 8:51 AM–9:10 AM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon discusses political strategy and the anticipated public reaction to his upcoming diplomatic visit to China with a White House operator. He expresses confidence that the trip will be viewed favorably, emphasizing that the mission serves as a diplomatic opening rather than a final conclusion. The conversation also touches upon domestic political challenges, specifically mentioning internal frustrations regarding Senator Kenneth Keating.
- China
- Foreign Policy
- Domestic Politics
- Kenneth Keating
- Diplomacy
Audio
Download MP3 (part 1) · 169.3 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 41.4 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 00:15:41 into the tape and ends around 00:16:51.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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
NARA Description
On February 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:51 am and 9:10 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 664-001 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 664-1 Date: February 2, 1972 Time: Unknown between 8:51 am and 9:10 am Location: Oval Office The President talked with the White House operator. [See Conversation No. 20-16]
Also recorded on February 2, 1972
- 020-016 8:51 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:51 am and 9:10 am.
- 020-017 9:10 AM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles S. Gubser talked on the telephone from 9:10 am to 9:13 am.
- 664-002 9:10 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles S. Gubser met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:10 am to 9:13 am.
- 020-018 9:13 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 9:14 am.
- 664-003 9:13 AM · 34 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 9:14 am.
- 664-004 9:13 AM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 9:14 am.
- 020-019 9:14 AM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thomas N. Downing talked on the telephone from 9:14 am to 9:15 am.
- 664-005 9:14 AM · 46 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thomas N. Downing met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:14 am to 9:15 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 664-001, February 2, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/664-001 (accessed October 12, 2026).