Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 718 › Conversation 718-006

Nixon & Butterfield on J. Edgar Hoover

Wednesday, May 3, 1972 · 10:54 AM–10:56 AM ET · Oval Office · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation718-006 on Tape 718 (tape position 01:02:17–01:04:49)StartWednesday, May 3, 1972 at 10:54 AMEndWednesday, May 3, 1972 at 10:56 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 718-006 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield to coordinate the scheduling of J. Edgar Hoover’s funeral services. They specifically discussed the timing of the funeral in relation to the President’s other standing speaking commitments. The brief discussion focused on ensuring the funeral arrangements could be accommodated within the President's existing calendar.

Audio

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Position in tape: 01:02:17 – 01:04:49

part A, 1:02:15

718a.mp3

718b.mp3

NARA Description

On May 3, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:54 am to 10:56 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 718-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 718-6

Date: May 3, 1972
Time: 10:54 am - 10:56 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

     The President’s schedule
          -J. Edgar Hoover
                -Funeral
                      -Timing
                           -Compared with another scheduled speech
                      -Time

Butterfield left at 10:56 am.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

What can I do?

She hasn't had a chance.

Let's not do it at all.

Fair enough.

I'm sure there's been a chance out there.

Just haven't had a chance there.

And then we didn't, uh...

We have to do something.

We have to do them, you know, do them for a half hour in the afternoon or something like that.

My words work out, so it's done.

Yeah, I know.

There's no question.

But I'll keep talking.

It's 11 o'clock.

— 1 min 50 s with no transcribed speech —

I know when you're there, it's 21st, but of course they would leave.

Also recorded on May 3, 1972

718-002 10:06 AM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:06 am to 10:19 am.
718-003 10:19 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:19 am and 10:20 am.
718-004 10:20 AM · 29 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:20 am to 10:50 am.
718-005 10:50 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:50 am and 10:54 am.
718-007 10:56 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:56 am and 10:59 am.
718-008 10:56 AM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:56 am and 10:59 am.
718-009 10:59 AM · 1 hr 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:59 am to 12:11 pm.
718-010 12:14 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:14 pm and 12:18 pm.

All 59 conversations from May 3, 1972 →

Nixon phone call with Cox on J. Edgar Hoover and Eulogy May 2, 1972 · 1 min
Nixon & Haldeman on J. Edgar Hoover and FBI May 2, 1972 · 5 min
Nixon & Bull on J. Edgar Hoover and Speech rehearsal May 4, 1972 · 10 min
Nixon phone call with Acheson on Condolences and White House military aide October 13, 1971 · 4 min
Nixon phone call with Bull on diplomacy and State Department December 29, 1972 · 3 min
Nixon phone call with Bull on Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower December 30, 1972 · 2 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 718-006, May 3, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/718-006 (accessed November 2, 2026).