Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 776 › Conversation 776-002
Nixon & Butterfield on Ray Charles and Public relations
Thursday, September 14, 1972 · 8:16 AM–8:57 AM ET · Oval Office ·2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met to coordinate the President's upcoming schedule, specifically focusing on a proposed meeting with musician Ray Charles. The discussion centered on managing the publicity surrounding this appearance and coordinating the event through H.R. Haldeman, including a potential visit to the National Children's Center. Nixon emphasized his specific preferences regarding the management of these public appearances.
- Presidential scheduling
- Ray Charles
- Public relations
- H.R. Haldeman
- National Children's Center
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 · Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On September 14, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:16 am and 8:57 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 776-002 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 776-2
Date: September 14, 1972
Time: Unknown between 8:16 am and 8:57 am
Location: Oval Office
The President dictated a memorandum for the file.
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m 2s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
Alexander P. Butterfield entered at an unknown time after 8:45 am.
(rev. Oct-06)
The President's schedule
-Ray Charles
-Possible meeting with the President
-H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Visit to the National Children's Center
-Publicity
-The President’s view
Butterfield left at an unknown time before 8:57 am.
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 10m 27s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************Also recorded on September 14, 1972
- 776-001 8:16 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:16 am and 8:57 am.
- 776-003 8:57 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:57 am to 9:02 am.
- 776-004 9:18 AM · 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:18 am to 9:50 am.
- 776-005 9:50 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 9:57 am.
- 776-006 9:50 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 9:50 am and 9:57 am.
- 776-007 9:50 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 9:57 am.
- 776-008 9:57 AM · 43 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Stephen B. Bull, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, Rogers C. B. Morton, John C. Whitaker, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:57 am to 11:23 am.
- 776-009 11:23 AM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:23 am and 11:28 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 776-002, September 14, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/776-002 (accessed September 18, 2026).