Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 786 › Conversation 786-009

Nixon & Butterfield on State dinners and White House protocol

Monday, September 25, 1972 · 10:27 AM–10:44 AM ET · Oval Office · 12 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation786-009 on Tape 786StartMonday, September 25, 1972 at 10:27 AMEndMonday, September 25, 1972 at 10:44 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 786-009 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield to finalize guest lists for upcoming state dinners, specifically honoring Alexander F. Douglas-Home and Soviet diplomat Andrei Gromyko. The discussion focused on balancing the number of Soviet and American attendees, ensuring appropriate Cabinet-level representation, and limiting the presence of White House staff at the events. Nixon provided specific directives regarding guest substitutions, including the potential inclusion of John Hay Whitney and the removal of Peter G. Peterson and George H.W. Bush from certain slots to manage the total headcount and organizational flow.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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This is the
The guy here may suggest that these are the two John Warner and Bill Gacy.
That's OK. We'll go ahead with that.
And these are his alternatives.
I don't need to have water.
I have grass.
And I have a limb.
Okay, and then the Soviets here.
Even the Soviets have asked for enemies recommended in the addition of three Soviets.
All right, I'm all for that.
Okay, and then the custom Americans.
Where are the Americans?
These are the ones we directed.
If we had three Soviets, we could have... Oh, no, we don't have the same number.
Yes, sir.
What are the Americans?
We have myself, Rogers, and... That's what moves.
But you're six to four, if you know that.
That makes ten.
We had three anyway.
We had three Soviets.
We got ten anyway.
Six to four, ten.
That's not bad.
I think ten is enough for them.
Yeah, there's only suggestions on that same list there, so you don't have any.
All right, here.
Just like that.
And there's only suggestions on that list.
If you don't see anyone there, you might want to go with it.
64, accommodation.
Yeah, well, I don't think we're handing that one over.
Is that Aspen, where we're going?
Yeah.
Yeah, we always have it there on that day.
Let me think.
If we were to ask, we ought to have an officer that would visit us there.
You see, one thing you've got to do, Alex, is not to have so many people that are from the White House staff.
You've got to have just your officers.
And that's kind of good.
You don't need to have hate.
You don't need to have a son involved.
See what I mean?
Should we overdo that?
And you don't need to have plenty.
I mean, that's just too damn many.
That's my point.
Let me look at the pen here.
I would say Butts and Peterson should be added.
Now if you miss one of them, you've got to have somebody else.
I'd have Russ Crane or David.
They were trained, it might be, but the Butson-Peterson, let's add a couple of cabin officers to that, maybe 12, okay.
They were trained on these alternatives to Butson-Peterson.
Yeah, oh, sure, sure.
I meant it.
I want 12, I don't want 11.
On this one, I know that Kearns is good, and I know that Lynn is good, I suppose.
He's good.
Anybody care to hear anything?
Well, he wants to do everything.
He's a whiner, but he does work hard.
The minute he responds...
And if neither of them can come, see, there's no reason for you to bring him there.
How many of you have him for you?
Sixteen.
We've already had sixteen.
Where is he?
I don't know if I can show the sense of that, but I'd be sure to put Krummer's raising a medal in or something to Mrs. Nexon.
I don't want to be here tomorrow.
I mean, I'll do it.
I'll do it.
Good God, why the hell would it?
Have you already invited these people inside?
No, I'm not invited.
Well, let's have you.
I don't see any reason to have Peterson.
You have him for the other one.
Let's write him off.
Bush is a good one.
Well, Bush should be the alternative.
Rather, he should be the alternative, because rather than David, they're trying to... First off, first off, it would be Bush.
Why the hell would they ask for the president?
He's such a brown, dismissal.
Let's take Peterson off.
The trouble is...
Thank you.
And I just thought, oh, he's, well, Bolin has had an operation, hasn't he?
No, no, no, no.
Yeah, that was, I think he had.
Just checked to see if he could possibly come to the, you know, Bolin to Russia.
Yeah.
And have him as the, you see, rather than as the alternate.
See, Peterson's Bucks.
Peterson's Bucks, one of them may be out of town.
Don't let him cancel anything.
And I don't want Bush and Bolt in there, so we've got to take him off.
If he takes one, then they'll let me know.
Supposedly, first off, his health is, yeah, good.
Just so you know, he's in private, yeah.
Thank you.
We've got to find an owner for Peterson and maybe one for Bush for the distribution area.
Find some other owners that are here.
Goals.
Check them so we can check them by this afternoon.
The only farmer ambassador for Britain I can think of is Chuck Whitney.
I think he might be a pretty good one to have.
asshole, but anyways, he was a former ambassador.
He might put him on to the British dinner to head.
If not, then I'd go maybe to, uh, to find these.
Check first with, uh,
All of it.
See what he's attributed.
He hasn't attributed it.
You know what I mean?
Maybe it is.
That's all right.
I think you've got a pretty good going here.
Fair enough.
Good.

NARA Description

On September 25, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:27 am to 10:44 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 786-009 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 786-9

Date: September 25, 1972
Time: 10:27 am - 10:44 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

             White House special affairs
                -Guest list for Alexander F. (“Alec”) Douglas-Home's state dinner, September
                29, 1972
                     -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
                     -John W. Warner
                     -Helmut (“Hal”) Sonnenfeldt
                     -William Casey

    -Warner
    -Henry Kearns
    -James T. Lynn
-Guest list for Andrei Gromyko state dinner, October 2, 1972
    -Number of Soviets compared to Americans
         -The President
         -William P. Rogers
         -Henry A. Kissinger
         -Walter J. Stoessel, Jr.
         -Location
               -[Camp David]
                    -Aspen Lodge
         -Earl L. Butz
         -Peter G. Peterson
         -White House staff
               -Kissinger
               -Haig, Sonnenfeldt
               -Peter M. Flanigan
         -State Department
         -National Security Council [NSC]
         -Butz, Peterson
         -Alternates
               -Russell E. Train
               -Dr. Edward E. David, Jr.
-Guest list for home dinner
    -Kearns
    -Lynn
    -Kearns
    -[Donald C. Tebbit]
    -Number
    -Location
         -White House
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon's schedule
    -[Earl of Cromer] George R.S. Baring
         -Medal presentation
-Guest list for home dinner
    -Shultz
    -Melvin E. Laird
    -Peterson
    -Alternate
         -George H.W. Bush

                           -David
                           -Train
                       -Arthur F. Burns
                       -Kissinger
                       -Peterson
                       -Alternates
                           -Charles E. (“Chip”) Bohlen
                                -Health
                                    -Gromyko dinner
                           -Peterson, Butz
                           -Bush
                           -Bohlen
                           -Peterson, Bush
                           -John Hay Whitney
                                -Richard G. Kleindienst
                                -Possible contributions
                                    -Haldeman

Butterfield left at 10:44 am.

Also recorded on September 25, 1972

  • 786-003 9:39 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:39 am and 9:56 am.
  • 786-004 9:39 AM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:39 am and 9:56 am.
  • 786-005 9:56 AM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:56 am to 10:10 am.
  • 786-006 10:10 AM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:10 am and 10:27 am.
  • 786-007 10:10 AM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:10 am and 10:27 am.
  • 786-008 10:10 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:10 am and 10:27 am.
  • 786-010 10:44 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:44 am and 10:48 am.
  • 786-011 10:48 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:48 am to 11:00 am.

All 37 conversations from September 25, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 786-009, September 25, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/786-009 (accessed October 12, 2026).