Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 789 › Conversation 789-005

Nixon, Bull & Butterfield on Camp David and Charles E. Bohlen

Saturday, September 30, 1972 · 10:35 AM–10:56 AM ET · Oval Office · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; Butterfield, Alexander P.; Acker, Marjorie P.Conversation789-005 on Tape 789StartSaturday, September 30, 1972 at 10:35 AMEndSaturday, September 30, 1972 at 10:56 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 789-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with staff members Stephen B. Bull, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Marjorie P. Acker to review daily scheduling logistics and coordinate upcoming personal arrangements. A primary objective was coordinating a potential visit for his brother, Edward C. Nixon, to Camp David, alongside discussions regarding the President’s pending telephone call to the ailing diplomat Charles E. Bohlen. The participants also managed routine administrative tasks, including lunch planning and staff scheduling for H.R. Haldeman and First Lady Pat Nixon.

Audio

Download MP3 · 3.6 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Get a rope.
Stay.
Mark, I wondered if you would try to find my brother Eddie and see if he'd like to go to Camp David today.
He's never been there.
He's out of town or something in the snow from the man's apartment.
I'm sorry.
I guess he's in pretty bad shape.
They thought I should come to him with the invitation.
It makes it would be nice to make the gesture, at least.
And I'd like to bring most of that, I say, so if he is not able to take the call, she probably would be able to.
Just before lunch.
There's a way about an arm.
whether it's clear that Doug did, so...
I would like to... Yeah, yeah, we could talk about it.
He's not going to be here.
He's not going to drive up there.

NARA Description

On September 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Marjorie P. Acker met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:35 am and 10:56 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 789-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 789-005

Date: September 30, 1972
Time: Unknown between 10:35 am and 10:56 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

             The President's schedule
                 -Recent meeting with Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
                     -Interruptions

Bull left and Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 10:35 am.

             [Signing documents]

Marjorie P. Acker entered at 10:36 am.

             Edward C. Nixon's schedule
              -The President's forthcoming trip to Camp David

Acker left at 10:37 am.

             The President's schedule
                 -Forthcoming telephone call to Charles E. (“Chip”) Bohlen
                      -Bohlen’s health
                      -Avis Howard (Thayer) Bohlen
                      -Timing

Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:37 am.

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

                  -Camp David
                     -Weather

Butterfield left at 10:39 am.

              -H.R. (”Bob”) Haldeman's schedule
              -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon’s schedule
              -Lunch
                  -Manolo Sanchez

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:56 am.

Also recorded on September 30, 1972

  • 789-002 9:42 AM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:42 am to 10:06 am.
  • 789-003 10:06 AM · 17 sec — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:06 am and 10:16 am.
  • 789-004 10:17 AM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Henry M. ("Scoop") Jackson, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:17 am and 10:34 am.
  • 789-006 10:56 AM · 28 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, Henry A. Kissinger, White House operator, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:56 am to 12:00 pm.
  • 030-036 11:52 AM · 1 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 11:52 am to 11:54 am.
  • 030-037 12:00 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:00 pm and 12:05 pm.
  • 789-007 12:00 PM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, White House operator, Charles E. ("Chip") Bohlen, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:00 pm to 12:20 pm.
  • 030-038 12:05 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles E. ("Chip") Bohlen talked on the telephone from 12:05 pm to 12:11 pm.

All 29 conversations from September 30, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 789-005, September 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/789-005 (accessed October 12, 2026).