Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 796 › Conversation 796-003

Nixon & Butterfield on Drug Abuse Prevention and Japanese-American Relations

Thursday, October 12, 1972 · 9:45 AM–9:52 AM ET · Oval Office · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation796-003 on Tape 796StartThursday, October 12, 1972 at 9:45 AMEndThursday, October 12, 1972 at 9:52 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 796-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Butterfield met to coordinate the President's upcoming schedule, specifically focusing on balancing campaign obligations with official administrative duties. They discussed arrangements for Drug Abuse Prevention Week events and logistical preparations for a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Masayoshi Ohira to support bilateral relations. Nixon instructed Butterfield to minimize his calendar commitments during the week to prioritize political activities while delegating the coordination of these conflicting priorities.

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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You get these for us, we all.
Yeah.
It's the best thing you can make that you don't want to see.
Okay, we'll do it.
Seriously.
Okay, Monday, it's, uh, whatever news you were mentioning, the week, whatever you wanted, that Bud Krug and Jaffee and Pam were speaking to the, uh, the, uh, council, the council, the council, the cabinet, when you got by the cabinet, it was about this, about this, and it's, I, what is that, like, I'm going to take it, Monday's the campaign, we're going to speak to the campaign, okay, so I won't be here, I, you know, I can't do it.
We'll be up there Monday all day.
The only other thing is Foreign Minister O'Hara.
Japan is in here to greet some of our people.
Tanaka's...
I don't see him, is it?
I don't see him.
I just saw him.
Yeah, you saw him on the line.
That's just terrible.
I should be
Do you understand?
Yes, I understand.
It's just that we have to for Japanese-American relations.
I'll do it.
Seriously?
Yes, sir.
That could be Tuesday, you mean?
No, that would be toward the end of the week, Thursday.
Oh, right.
Just Thursday.
Yeah.
Right.
He leaves in the Senate.
Well, it can't be Friday.
Nothing on Wednesday or Thursday.
I've got to beat all politics next week, and I want to be moderate in this crowd.
Okay.
So Tuesday I'll do a little stuff.
Nothing Wednesday, nothing Thursday.
Wednesday, I think there's one little guy.
Yeah, I'll read it.
I don't see it this night.
Nothing here.
But Wednesday and Thursday, I'll be tied up.
Yes, sir.
Thursday afternoon, I could do something around 4 o'clock.
That's about the way it adds up.
All right.
In other words, if they feel it's urgent,
Urgent.
Put it off until Friday.
Put it off until just before his departure.
I think he departs Friday night, now that I look at this.
Sure.
Well, he'd worth late Thursday afternoon.
Or Friday.
Right.
Or Tuesday.
Right.

NARA Description

On October 12, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:45 am to 9:52 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 796-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 796-3

Date: October 12, 1972
Time: 9:45 am - 9:52 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

         Instruction
              -Materials for H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

         The President's schedule
             -Meeting with Claire (Hodgson) Ruth, October 13, 1972
                 -Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca
                 -Lou Gehrig
             -Drug Abuse Prevention Week
                 -Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr., Dr. Jerome Jaffe’s and Myles J.
                  Ambrose’s briefing, October 17, 1972
                       -National Advisory Council for Drug Abuse Prevention 1972
                           -Cabinet Room
                           -Camp David
                               -Campaign speeches
             -Possible meeting
                 -Masayoshi Ohira
                       -Kakuei Tanaka
                           -The President’s previous meeting
             -Politics
             -[Ohira]

Butterfield left at 9:52 am.

Also recorded on October 12, 1972

  • 796-001 8:59 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:59 am and 9:01 am.
  • 796-002 9:01 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:01 am to 9:06 am.
  • 108-002 9:06 AM · 26 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, and Senate Republican leaders, including Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, James E. Smith, Hugh Scott, Robert P. Griffin, Norris Cotton, Peter H. Dominick, Robert J. Dole, Wallace F. Bennett, John G. Tower, John D. Ehrlichman, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Ronald L. Ziegler, William E. Timmons, Thomas C. Korologos, William L. Gifford, Wallace H. Johnson, the White House photographer, and members of the press, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 9:06 am and 8:48 pm.
  • 796-004 10:05 AM · 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), Ronald L. Ziegler, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:05 am to 10:33 am.
  • 031-032 6:09 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 6:09 pm.
  • 031-033 6:09 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:09 pm and 6:10 pm.
  • 366-004 6:09 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 6:09 pm.
  • 366-005 6:09 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:09 pm and 6:10 pm.

All 12 conversations from October 12, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 796-003, October 12, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/796-003 (accessed October 10, 2026).