Conversation 784-017

TapeTape 784StartThursday, September 21, 1972 at 12:11 PMEndThursday, September 21, 1972 at 12:15 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Bull, Stephen B.Recording deviceOval Office

President Nixon and Stephen B. Bull meet to address a sudden power failure in the Oval Office and the subsequent failure of the backup generator system. Bull informs the President that he has initiated emergency measures to restore power and notes the difficulty in locating staff member Robert J. Brown during the blackout. The brief exchange focuses on resolving this infrastructure crisis and confirming the status of the President's schedule.

Oval OfficePower outageEmergency generatorsRobert J. BrownWhite House infrastructure

On September 21, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:11 pm and 12:15 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 784-017 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 784-17

Date: September 21, 1972
Time: Unknown between 12:11 pm and 12:15 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with an Stepehn B. Bull.

                                          (rev. Nov-03)

             The President’s schedule
                 -[Robert R. Casey]

             Power outage
                -Emergency generator
                - Robert J. Brown

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:15 pm.

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

There you go.
What happened?
Did the power pack just go out or...?
Yes, sir, it happened.
And there's supposed to be a reserve center.
Yeah, I have generated an emergency measure.
Very interesting.
I'm trying to find Bob Brown during the power pack and it's a very difficult thing to do.