The President Calling | American RadioWorks

by Stephen Smith and Kate Ellis

Three of America's most compelling presidents - Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon - bugged their White House offices and tapped their telephones. They left behind thousands of secretly recorded conversations, from momentous to mundane. In this documentary project, American RadioWorks eavesdrops on presidential telephone calls to hear how each man used one-on-one politics to shape history.

All the President's Bugs
An overview of secret White House taping.

Read the full transcript of the hour-long documentary.

The President Calling book and CD set is available for purchase.

John F. Kennedy

JFK was the first president to secretly tape his calls on a regular basis. The recordings demonstrate Kennedy's ability to charm and -- sometimes -- the limits of his power to persuade.

Learn more about Kennedy's tapes, or about this story:

Mississippi Crisis

Lyndon B. Johnson

Johnson's favorite office tool was the phone. The 9,500 calls Johnson secretly taped are a revealing record of his character and presidency.

Learn more about Johnson's tapes, or about these stories:

Richard M. Nixon

Richard Nixon taped more conversations than any president in history. The recordings show an astute political strategist, an isolated man and a doomed president.

Learn more about Nixon's tapes, or about these stories:

Choosing Rehnquist

Bombing for Peace

Watergate Firings

CREDITS

Producers: Stephen Smith and Kate Ellis
Editor: Deborah George
Coordinating Producer: Sasha Aslanian
Project Coordinator: Misha Quill
Web Manager: John Pearson
Web Production Supervisor: Michael Wells

Web Producer: Ochen Kaylan
Managing Editor: Stephen Smith
Executive Producer: Bill Buzenberg
Production Assistance: Sarah Fazio, Ellen Guettler,
Sarah Lancaster, Phoebe Larsen,
Inna Ponomarenko, David Shreve,
Patrick McGrath, and Tennessee Watson

Major funding for American RadioWorks comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.