Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 808 › Conversation 808-009

Farrell & United States Secret Service agents on White House architecture

Friday, October 27, 1972 · 1:34 PM–2:54 PM ET · Oval Office · 2 min

ParticipantsFarrell, Michael J.; United States Secret Service agents; Farrell, Michael J.; United States Secret Service agentsConversation808-009 on Tape 808StartFriday, October 27, 1972 at 1:34 PMEndFriday, October 27, 1972 at 2:54 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 808-009 ↗

AI Summary

Michael J. Farrell and Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office to discuss the architectural history and interior structural changes of the White House. The participants reviewed the building’s construction timeline, specifically regarding the area's original geography near Tiber Creek and the 1810 site work. They also examined recent modifications to the Oval Office, including the 1969 replacement of the flooring.

  • White House architecture
  • Oval Office history
  • building construction
  • Tiber Creek
  • historical site preservation

Audio

Download MP3 · 2.1 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Oh, there?
Yeah, well, I think a lot of people have been here before.
It's not about 1810.
They, uh, that's when the creek ran through where they now build the lake.
I watched a bunch of people do that.
They made this wetwork out in between.
Before they put down a new floor, I guess, in 69 here, the old floor, I don't know if I had an outside door to the board, but now it's a late commercial.
I think they took it out of the cut pieces and made a way to the satellite tower itself.

NARA Description

On October 27, 1972, Michael J. Farrell and United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:34 pm and 2:54 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 808-009 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 808-9

Date: October 27, 1972
Time: Unknown between 1:34 pm and 2:54 pm
Location: Oval Office

An unknown man [Michael J. Farrell?] met with an unknown man; Secret Service agents may
have been present during the conversation.

        White House tour
           -The President's location
                -Executive Office Building [EOB]
           -Desk
                -White House staff
           -Architecture
           -1810 construction
                - [Tiber] Creek
                     -Washington Monument
                     -Constitution Avenue
           -Interior decoration of Oval Office
                -1969 floor replacement

[The conversation was cut off at an unknown time before 2:54 pm.]

Also recorded on October 27, 1972

  • 032-074 12:59 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:59 pm and 1:01 pm.
  • 808-008 12:59 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Gilroy Roberts, Clement C. Conger, unknown person(s), White House operator, Alexander P. Butterfield, Earl L. Butz, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:59 pm to 1:29 pm.
  • 032-075 1:01 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Earl L. Butz talked on the telephone from 1:01 pm to 1:04 pm.
  • 374-017 1:34 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:34 pm and 2:40 pm.
  • 374-018 1:34 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:34 pm and 2:40 pm.
  • 374-019 2:30 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:40 pm.
  • 374-020 2:40 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:40 pm to 2:50 pm.
  • 808-010 2:54 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Robert J. Dole, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:54 pm to 3:16 pm.

All 51 conversations from October 27, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 808-009, October 27, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/808-009 (accessed October 9, 2026).