Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 939 › Conversation 939-001

Nixon & Bull on Air Force One and Diplomatic credentials

Wednesday, June 13, 1973 · 9:10 AM–9:22 AM ET · Oval Office · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; [Unknown person(s)]Conversation939-001 on Tape 939StartWednesday, June 13, 1973 at 9:10 AMEndWednesday, June 13, 1973 at 9:22 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 939-001 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Stephen Bull and other staff to coordinate logistics for upcoming travel, including a trip to Illinois and an appearance with Mrs. Dirksen. They discussed scheduling for a diplomatic credentials ceremony, the selection of high-profile passengers for Air Force One, and the need to manage various administrative appointments. The conversation focused on balancing the President's public appearances with his internal preparations for a speech on the economy.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Would you please get the, uh, uh, oh, you get a cigarette.
I really got the word right today.
What is it?
How many have you got?
A second, sir.
What do you need?
Well, I don't get it yet, but what is it?
We have to be there tomorrow.
I'll see if you can move it before you go to one of those districts.
If you already know, I probably told you about it a few months ago.
I don't think it's anywhere near there, sir.
I'll see if I can get it to California.
All right.
All right.
I'm doing it.
It's getting out of the way.
Let's see what we can do, sir.
I don't want to get him out of the way.
I've got to have some time after all this to prepare my things for Chicago City.
I just want to get him out of the way tomorrow.
That's all I'm going to do.
That's all I'm going to do.
That's all I'm going to do.
That's all I'm going to do.
That's all I'm going to do.
That's all I'm going to do.
That's all I'm going to do.
Why do they have black credentials?
Because the situation in the house can be done at 1.30, 7 a.m. That's an awkward hour.
We do it at 1.30, 7 a.m. We'll have to close the house.
Sure, it's a late night.
This is 16, 7 a.m. You can hear it many times in the morning.
All right.
I'm very good at watching.
Thanks.
And then we go to the bill, and I'm going to have to leave.
It's 8, 9, 15.
No, excuse me.
7, 9, 15, 5, 6.
We've got a lot of Congressmen.
Yes, Senator, apparently Senator Baker is going to accept the adult invitations, right?
Don't put too many of our people, like the, like the Corallo, which isn't that much on the board, and put more of the big shots on the board, like a Laird should be on, if he's willing.
And Laird is, well, he's going to be back on Thursday.
Well, I hate it because what I meant is they're big shots, and they say I have to talk to big shots.
Otherwise, I'll have to talk to them.
I'm going to have to talk to them too.
We may end up using two planes to carry some of the aggression tests, because we frequently get a backup plane that follows you when you have a new test, aggression test, on the backup plane.
Good chance to have a major test.
excepting the fish.
You know, the only key is to get in line.
I don't know what time it's all on, I think.
You get out there at 11 o'clock, speak for, I mean, I'm going to give 15 minutes.
15 minutes.
15 feet.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
You and Mrs. Dirksen unveil the cornerstone, you speak, and that was it for it.
There is an option on the way back.
Take Mrs. Dirksen.
Dr. Roberts, a house in Fairfield County where a gay group had a 96-year-old girl next to me sitting on the porch.
Hi.
How do you do?
Hi.
Sure.
Good to meet you, sir.
Oh, sure, sure, sure.
Of course you do.
Good.
Dr. Warren?
Yes, sir.
Good.
Thank you, sir.
Before I see you on the tape, I have to say we're ready to come in.
Come in, all six of you.
Ron asked if he could delay about 10 minutes.
He's right here.
I'm meeting with Len Garland.
He said he'd be right here.
All right, bye.
Hey, Garland's free.

NARA Description

On June 13, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:10 am and 9:22 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 939-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 939-1

Date: June 13, 1973
Time: Unknown between 9:10 am and 9:22 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen Bull. Discontinuities appear in the original recording.

     President’s schedule
           -Ronald L. Ziegler
           -Diplomatic credentials ceremony

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 9:10 am.

     President’s schedule
           -Ziegler

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 9:22 am.

     President’s schedule
           -Forthcoming speech on the economy [?]
           -Diplomatic credentials ceremony
                 -Number
                         -India
                         -Announcement
                                -Ziegler
           -California
           -Diplomatic credentials ceremony
           -Trip to Illinois
           -Diplomatic credentials ceremony
                 -Time
                         -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
           -Trip to Illinois
                 -Air Force One passengers
                         -Howard H. Baker, Jr.
                         -Thomas C. Korologos
                                              -2-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                               Conversation No. 939-1 (cont’d)

                       -Melvin R. Laird
                       -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
                       -Laird
                       -Haig
                       -Congressmen and guests
                             -Plane
                       -Baker
                       -Key Biscayne
                       -Timetable
                       -Pekin, Illinois
                       -Louella (Carver) Dirksen
                             -Mother [Lillie Carver]
           -Florida
           -Haig, Ziegler

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 9:10 am.

     President’s schedule
           -Haig
           -Ziegler’s schedule
                 -Leonard Garment, J. Fred Buzhard, Jr.
           -Haig

Bull and the unknown man left.

Also recorded on June 13, 1973

  • 939-002 9:22 AM · 47 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., William E. Timmons, and Nellie L. Yates met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:22 am to 10:10 am.
  • 939-004 10:10 AM · 34 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:10 am and 4:32 pm.
  • 040-063 10:15 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:15 am and 11:22 am.
  • 445-001 10:15 AM · 1 hr 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Raymond K. Price, Jr., Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft, unknown person(s), White House operator, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:15 am and 11:33 am.
  • 040-064 11:22 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 11:22 am to 11:26 am.
  • 040-065 11:26 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:26 am and 11:33 am.
  • 445-002 11:26 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:26 am and 11:33 am.
  • 445-003 11:33 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:33 am to 11:36 am.

All 95 conversations from June 13, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 939-001, June 13, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/939-001 (accessed October 9, 2026).