Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 799 › Conversation 799-028

Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on Telephone operations

Monday, October 16, 1972 · 4:45 PM ET · Oval Office · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation799-028 on Tape 799StartMonday, October 16, 1972 at 4:45 PMEndMonday, October 16, 1972 at 4:45 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 799-028 ↗

President Nixon coordinated with the White House operator regarding the management of incoming telephone calls. The discussion centered on handling a high volume of traffic, with the operator confirming that calls were being held back to prevent a backlog. The President authorized the operator to continue managing the queue as necessary to ensure efficient communication flow.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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All right.
All right.
You get it in the back.
These two are underway.
OK.
So you're going to just go ahead and get the rest of them.
Yeah, yeah.
We hold back.
So they can hang on, just like.
You know, it seems like a pileup, so I've made more, and I have to wait for the rest.

On October 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 4:45 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 799-028 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 799-28

Date: October 16, 1972
Time: 4:45 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 31-69]
  • 031-069 4:45 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:45 pm.
  • 031-070 4:45 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Robert A. Forst talked on the telephone from 4:45 pm to 4:46 pm.
  • 799-029 4:45 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 4:45 pm.
  • 799-030 4:45 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Robert A. Forst met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:45 pm to 4:46 pm.
  • 799-031 4:46 PM · 32 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:46 pm and 4:49 pm.
  • 031-071 4:49 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William M. Fast talked on the telephone from 4:49 pm to 4:51 pm.
  • 799-032 4:49 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William M. Fast met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:49 pm to 4:51 pm.
  • 031-072 4:52 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Joseph Townsley talked on the telephone from 4:52 pm to 4:53 pm.

Conversation 799-028, October 16, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/799-028 (accessed October 1, 2026).