Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 747 › Conversation 747-002

Nixon & Butterfield on William T. Pecora and Funeral arrangements

Wednesday, July 19, 1972 · 9:45 AM–9:48 AM ET · Oval Office · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation747-002 on Tape 747StartWednesday, July 19, 1972 at 9:45 AMEndWednesday, July 19, 1972 at 9:48 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 747-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield to address administrative matters, including the securing of the President's signature on pending documents. The discussion covered arrangements regarding the death and funeral of William T. Pecora, as well as the appointment of Thomas Bradford Curtis to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. These brief interactions underscored the routine management of executive personnel and institutional oversight during the Nixon administration.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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You know, I'm the secretary of the church.
Oh, God.
I'm just going to sit here.
I'm just going to sit here.
You know, Curtis is our man.
One of him is my man.
Yeah.

NARA Description

On July 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:48 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 747-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 747-2

Date: July 19, 1972
Time: Unknown between 9:45 am and 9:48 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

     Request for the President's signature

     William T. Pecora
          -Death
               -Funeral

     Public Broadcasting Corporation
          -Thomas Bradford Curtis

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 9:48 am.

Also recorded on July 19, 1972

  • 747-001 9:06 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:06 am and 9:45 am.
  • 747-003 9:48 AM · 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), Manolo Sanchez, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:48 am to 11:33 am.
  • 747-004 11:33 AM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Branford Mills, Thomas S. Sedlar, Peter M. Flanigan, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:33 am to 11:40 am.
  • 747-016 11:33 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:33 am.
  • 747-005 11:41 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:41 am.
  • 747-006 11:41 AM · 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John G. Veneman, Dr. Merlin K. ("Morty") Duval, Marie Callender, Arthur S. Flemming, James H. Cavanaugh, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., White House photographer, Stephen B. Bull, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:41 am to 12:17 pm.
  • 027-001 12:17 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:19 pm.
  • 747-007 12:17 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:19 pm.

All 39 conversations from July 19, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 747-002, July 19, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/747-002 (accessed October 2, 2026).