Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 860 › Conversation 860-002

Nixon & Bull on People's Republic of China and Commemorative gifts

Wednesday, February 21, 1973 · 2:13 PM–3:12 PM ET · Oval Office · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation860-002 on Tape 860StartWednesday, February 21, 1973 at 2:13 PMEndWednesday, February 21, 1973 at 3:12 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 860-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Stephen B. Bull reviewed administrative details concerning the first anniversary of the President’s historic trip to the People's Republic of China, including the presentation of a commemorative pen. They also discussed upcoming scheduling commitments, specifically verifying the timing of a meeting involving Hafez Ismail and Henry Kissinger. Nixon directed Bull to confirm the precise scheduling of these appointments to avoid any conflicts.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I'm sorry, I was present as you were.
So in fact, I didn't put this in as being the first anniversary of the landing in China.
Okay, I would just present with a silver and gold pen there.
And then it would be kind of fun to have it in here for this week.
All right.
Who incidentally is this dish man?
Who's that?
That's the magician, sir.
Are you sure it's that day or this afternoon?
Unless anything's changed, it's this Friday at 9.30, as I recall, sir.
It says 11.30.
11.30, well, it's 11 o'clock.
You better check that out carefully.
Yes, sir.
Be sure to check that, because I know that's...
And whether it's that day or Saturday, I don't think that's correct.
What about the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh,

NARA Description

On February 21, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:13 pm and 3:12 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 860-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 860-2

Date: February 21, 1973
Time: Unknown between 2:13 pm and 3:12 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

       First anniversary of trip to People's Republic of China [PRC]
               -Pen

       President’s schedule
              -Hafez Ismail
              -Henry A. Kissinger
              -Representative from Saudi Arabia

       Bull’s calendar

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:12 pm.
                                               -2-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on February 21, 1973

  • 043-151 2:13 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:13 pm and 3:12 pm.
  • 860-001 2:13 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:13 pm and 3:12 pm.
  • 860-003 2:13 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:13 pm and 3:12 pm.
  • 043-152 3:12 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John C. Stennis talked on the telephone from 3:12 pm to 3:15 pm.
  • 860-004 3:12 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John C. Stennis met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:12 pm to 3:15 pm.
  • 043-153 3:15 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:15 pm and 3:26 pm.
  • 043-154 3:15 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:15 pm and 3:26 pm.
  • 860-005 3:15 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:15 pm and 3:23 pm.

All 88 conversations from February 21, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 860-002, February 21, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/860-002 (accessed October 11, 2026).