Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 774 › Conversation 774-010

Nixon, Train & Butterfield on Environmental Policy and US-Soviet Relations

Monday, September 11, 1972 · 11:23 AM–11:34 AM ET · Oval Office ·13 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Train, Russell E.;  Butterfield, Alexander P.;  Bull, Stephen B.;  White House photographerConversation774-010 onTape 774StartMonday, September 11, 1972 at 11:23 AMEndMonday, September 11, 1972 at 11:34 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 774-010 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Russell E. Train and Alexander P. Butterfield to discuss Train’s upcoming diplomatic mission to the Soviet Union focused on environmental cooperation. The conversation centered on strategies for engaging Soviet officials on issues like Arctic pipeline technology and urban air quality, while emphasizing the importance of building personal rapport with foreign counterparts. Nixon encouraged Train to leverage his delegation, which included prominent conservationists, to gain deeper insights into Soviet political figures and environmental management practices.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Yes, this has been checked over very carefully.
That's all I got.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Sure, thank you.
Not a great deal.
There are some areas where we can work on that.
They're quite expert in the Arctic pipeline problems, for example, where we hope we can learn how to deal with that permafrost problem in ways which they know.
But they're very leery of giving us away.
They are.
Well, one minute.
I grew up in Los Angeles area.
When there was no smog, there would be none.
Back in the 90s and 30s, it became a problem in the 40s and 50s without no bills.
So they must have been cities.
And so the candidates for smog, you know, overworked.
They've done very good planning on this too.
And they can stop right now.
see if their cars are ones that are more polluted.
They're taking two private conservation organizations, the Wildlife Federation, which is a very conservative group, and the old friends they see are a group.
But their head is a conservative man.
We'll see you next time.
they can and talk to their opposite numbers.
Make book of them.
That's why I think it's very important.
You never know who's going to go to the top in these countries.
Make book of them.
In other words, give very thorough reports as to what this person was like and what they say, what they do.
Very good thing to do.
Don't spend your time talking to each other.
Get around.
Concede.
Move around.
Do what you think is right.
And move with your past beliefs, your opposites.
They just didn't .
They came over here and said that she's not .
And they're telling me .
And she's about .
You know, things of that sort.
But also, .
Well, you've, of course, been there before.
No, I have not.
You didn't go on an earlier trip?
No, I didn't.
I had a great time.
Which cities?
Going to Moscow.
I'm hoping to get out to Lake Baikal and go to Siberia for a bit.
Oh, you've got to go to Siberia, because it's a different part of the world.
You might say that I strongly recommend it, because I know people there that should go to Siberia, because it's so interesting.
No, Siberia's the brand new city.
Go out and see the castles.
Go out and see the castles.
The Russians are terribly complex.
They're not as bad as Khrushchev was.
I understand.
I had a great time.
The best thing to do is get there.
It's good for you.
It is, but very good for you.
Very good for you.
And also, it has no, particularly for stress.
I once read an article on stress.
once.
You don't have to stress about this.
Caviar and champagne, the only problem is that you can't pay them when the bill comes.

NARA Description

On September 11, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Russell E. Train, Alexander P. Butterfield, Stephen B. Bull, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:23 am to 11:34 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 774-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 774-10

Date: September 11, 1972
Time: 11:23 am - 11:34 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Russell E. Train and Alexander P. Butterfield.

         Train's forthcoming trip to Soviet Union
            -Alaska

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 11:23 am.

                                       (rev. Oct-06)

         Press coverage of meeting

Members of the press and the White House photographer entered at an unknown time after 11:23
am.

         Soviet Union

         Environmental issues

Bull, members of the press and the White House photographer left at an unknown time before
11:34 am.

         Environment
            -Department Of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
            -Soviet Union
                -Train's forthcoming meeting with Soviet officials
                     -The President's interest in environmental issues
                     -US - Soviet Union relations
                     -The President's meetings with Leonid I. Brezhnev, Nikolai V. Podgorny,
                     and Alexsei N. Kosygin
                     -The President's trip to the Soviet Union
                          -Signing of environmental agreement
                -Pipeline
                     -Permafrost
                -Los Angeles
                     -Air quality
                          -Automobile emissions
                -Forests
                     -White birch trees
                -Train's delegation on trip
                     -Shirley Temple Black
                     -National Wildlife Federation director
                     -Sierra Club
                          -[Michael McCloskey]
                              -The President's previous trip to San Francisco
                     -Suggested actions during trip
                -Television productions
                     -Black
                     -The President's trip to the Soviet Union
                -Itinerary

                                            (rev. Oct-06)

                      -Moscow, Leningrad
                      -Lake Baikal
                      -Siberia
                           -Novosibirsk
                               -Swan Lake
                      -Leningrad, Moscow
                      -Caucausus Mountains
                      -Mrs. Train
                  -Soviets
                      -Nikita S. Khrushchev
                  -People's Republic Of China [PRC]
                  -Soviet performance at Olympics

          1972 Olympics
             -The President's call to Chris Schenkel
                  -American Broadcasting Corporation [ABC]
             -US Olympic Committee
                  -Disqualified runners [Wayne Collett, Vince Matthews]
             -Patriotism
             -Future of Olympics

          Train's forthcoming trip to Soviet Union
             -Food
                   -Caviar
                       -Article by unnamed psychiatrist

Train and Butterfield left at 11:34 am.

Also recorded on September 11, 1972

  • 774-007 11:09 AM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:09 am.
  • 774-008 11:09 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Chris Schenkel met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:09 am to 11:15 am.
  • 774-009 11:18 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:18 am to 11:22 am.
  • 774-011 11:38 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:38 am.
  • 774-012 11:39 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:39 am.
  • 774-013 11:39 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:39 am.
  • 774-014 11:40 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:40 am to 12:02 pm.
  • 774-015 12:03 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, James R. Mann, Stephen B. Bull, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:03 pm to 12:04 pm.

All 36 conversations from September 11, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 774-010, September 11, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/774-010 (accessed September 18, 2026).