{"conversationCode":"825-015","tapeNumber":825,"conversationNumber":15,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-825-015","startDateTime":"1972-12-16T16:09:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-12-16T16:25:00.000Z","startDate":"16-Dec-1972","startTime":"11:09 AM","endDate":"16-Dec-1972","endTime":"11:25 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.;","description":"On December 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:09 am and 11:25 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 825-015 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"OVAL","recordingDevice":"Oval Office","latitudeEstimated":38.8974,"longitudeEstimated":-77.0374,"chronCode":"5.2","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part II","chronReleaseDate":"2-Dec-2008","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 825-15\n\nDate: December 16, 1972\nTime: Unknown between 11:09 am and 11:25 am\nLocation: Oval Office\n\nThe President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.\n\n       White House social affairs\n            -Cabinet dinner\n                 -Number of guests\n                        -Number of assistants\n                              -Ronald L. Ziegler\n                              -William E. Timmons\n                              -John D. Ehrlichman\n                              -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman\n                              -Henry A. Kissinger\n                              -Peter M. Flanigan\n                              -Timmons\n                              -Ziegler\n                              -Robert J. Brown\n                        -Reception\n                              -Robert J. Dole, Hebert Stein\n                        -Under Secretaries\n                        -Arthur F. Burns\n                        -Butterfield’s office\n                        -Brown\n                        -Additions\n                              -Haldeman\n                              -Round tables\n\nButterfield left at an unknown time before 11:25 am.\n\f                                                -28-\n\n                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM","filename":["825-015.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Butterfield, Alexander P."],"prevCode":"825-014","nextCode":"825-016","transcript":[{"start":0.86,"end":6.89,"text":"Tell me what do they want me to do with regard to the number of people who are going to be there tonight?"},{"start":6.91,"end":10.81,"text":"And what do they want me to do with regard to special assistance and all that sort of stuff?"},{"start":11.05,"end":14.19,"text":"It goes up and down the road about three or four times."},{"start":14.21,"end":18.23,"text":"I need to know so I know what we can add or what we should add."},{"start":18.77,"end":26.36,"text":"Well, I've got, I don't know the total number, but the final statement of assistance was you've got five assistants there plus a zigger."},{"start":26.38,"end":28.36,"text":"You do have tenants and you do have a zigger."},{"start":29.25,"end":39.25,"text":"It was early when Haldeman, Kessinger, Flanagan, and Timmons, those five, plus Singer, plus Bob Brown, Dole, and Stein, and that's all they had for it."},{"start":39.27,"end":46.54,"text":"It's not divided, not a cabinet, not a team, it was divided as an exception."},{"start":47.78,"end":49.82,"text":"So was Dole, even of all past presidents."},{"start":70.3,"end":71.23,"text":"Thank you for watching this video."},{"start":102.05,"end":123.63,"text":"give me the total number and get from Holland or somebody suggestions of additions can make it so that it's not too crowded I think it's I often the outfit over there how many they take comfortably you understand we're going to put them around"},{"start":131.07,"end":136.19,"text":"the number that we have accepted, et cetera."},{"start":136.96,"end":141.96,"text":"And then who would be next in line when being invited in case of money."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met to coordinate the logistics and guest list for an upcoming Cabinet dinner. They discussed the specific number of White House assistants and other officials to include while ensuring the venue remained comfortable for the attendees. Nixon requested a final head count and instructed Butterfield to consult with H.R. Haldeman to finalize the seating arrangements and potential additions.","topics":["White House social events","Cabinet dinner","guest list management","Alexander P. Butterfield","White House logistics"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-08T00:35:20.661Z"},"topicSlugs":["white-house-social-events","cabinet-dinner","guest-list-management","alexander-p-butterfield","white-house-logistics"],"audioDurationSec":153,"audioFiles":[{"file":"825-015.mp3","bytes":3671326,"durationSec":152.83,"bitrate":192182,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:59.848Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:44:41.157Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/825-015.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/825-015","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/825/conversation-825-015","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}