Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 735 › Conversation 735-003

Nixon & Bull on Apollo 16 and John W. Young

Thursday, June 15, 1972 · 12:14 PM–12:16 PM ET · Oval Office ·53 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Bull, Stephen B.Conversation735-003 onTape 735 (tape position 01:43:54–01:45:47)StartThursday, June 15, 1972 at 12:14 PMEndThursday, June 15, 1972 at 12:16 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 735-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Stephen B. Bull to coordinate the scheduling and logistical arrangements for an upcoming visit from the Apollo 16 astronauts, John W. Young and Thomas K. Mattingly, III. The discussion focused on the sequence of events, including a photo opportunity, the presentation of gifts, and a press briefing. Bull confirmed the timeline for the astronauts' arrival and highlighted specific background details regarding the mission's technical challenges to prepare the President for the encounter.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Okay, if you've got the watches, let's take about 10 minutes to see if it's qualified.
Oh, they want the picture right away?
Yes, sir.
When they have a lot of gas, that's your invitation.
Then after they leave, they're going to have to read.
Oh, well, after the press vote.
Oh, sorry.
They want the picture right away.
But after they leave, they have a couple of projects.
Sure, sure.
And just to remind you, this Apollo 16 flight was the one that had trouble with the steering system.
You were keeping track of it.
You were entertaining the commander.
The commander is John Young.
He was the guy calling the shots.
The guy who stayed on.

NARA Description

On June 15, 1972, 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 12:16 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 735-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 735-3

Date: June 15, 1972
Time: Unknown between 12:14 and 12:16 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

     The President’s schedule
          -Apollo astronauts
               -Gifts
               -Photograph
               -Press briefing
               -John W. Young
               -Thomas K. Mattingly, III

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:16 pm.

Also recorded on June 15, 1972

  • 735-002 12:10 PM · 49 sec — Stephen B. Bull and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:10 pm and 12:14 pm.
  • 735-004 12:16 PM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Thomas K. Mattingly, III, John W. Young, Charles M. Duke, James C. Fletcher, Alexander P. Butterfield, Ronald L. Ziegler, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:16 pm to 12:42 pm.
  • 735-005 12:45 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 12:49 pm.
  • 735-006 12:45 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 12:49 pm.
  • 735-007 12:49 PM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:49 pm to 1:26 pm.
  • 735-008 1:26 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:26 pm and 1:35 pm.
  • 735-009 1:35 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:35 pm to 1:36 pm.
  • 735-010 1:36 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:36 pm and 2:30 pm.

All 22 conversations from June 15, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 735-003, June 15, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/735-003 (accessed September 18, 2026).