Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 10 › Conversation 010-086

Nixon phone call with Ehrlichman on Busing and Constitutional Amendment

Wednesday, October 6, 1971 · 2:50 PM–2:52 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation010-086 on Tape 10 (tape position 02:42:15–02:44:55)StartWednesday, October 6, 1971 at 2:50 PMEndWednesday, October 6, 1971 at 2:52 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 010-086 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and John Ehrlichman discuss the growing political pressure to address federal busing mandates, noting that the issue has become a significant concern in states like Michigan and Tennessee. They deliberate on potential legislative responses, including the possibility of a constitutional amendment versus other policy interventions during upcoming House debates on school aid. The conversation concludes with a directive for Ehrlichman to continue coordinating with John Mitchell to finalize a strategy by the end of the week.

Audio

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NARA Description

On October 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 2:50 pm to 2:52 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 010-086 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 10-86

Date: October 6, 1971
Time: 2:50 pm - 2:52 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

[See Conversation No. 283-44]

     Alexander P. Butterfield's schedule

     John D. Ehrlichman's call

The President talked with Ehrlichman between 2:51 pm and 2:52 pm.

[See Conversation No. 283-44]

     Busing

          -John N. Mitchell
          -Robert J. Dole
          -Robert P. Griffin
               -Michigan
          -Tennessee
          -Constitutional amendment
          -House of Representatives debate
               -Emergency school aid money
          -Detroit
               -Judge
          -Constitutional implications
          -Mitchell

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

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Yeah?
Uh, Mr. Filder feels away from his desk for five minutes.
Okay, fine.
All right.
Did you have Mr. Ehrlichman calling?
Yes, I do.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Hello, John.
Yes, sir.
I was just calling you to, uh, on a reminder, I talked to Mitchell and, uh, Dole on the way back and, uh, on the busing and, uh, you know, general school thing.
And, uh, I just wanted to emphasize the, uh, the point that seems to be quite clear that
we're probably reaching time and we're going to have to not just say something, but do something.
I don't know what, but you, of course, have heard the report on Griffin, how he's even diddling around with the Constitutional Amendment of all people.
And of course, it's the thing that's saving him in Michigan.
But I want you to know that I have to mention it to Mitchell and you should be working on it, too, in your shop.
There isn't any question I could tell from meeting those people over there.
that when you get out among the people in the hustings there, that's a hell of an issue, you know.
Tennessee, Michigan.
The constitutional amendment route
opens up a Pandora's box because of all of the other constitutional amendments that are hanging fire.
And so we're trying to find our way around that.
There's going to be a big floor debate in the House now on the billion and a half emergency school aid money.
And it may be that we get a chance to jump in there.
sure so we'll watch for it and then uh we'll be coming to you after you get through thursday with your uh yeah that of course deals only with that uh with that phase of it the amendment on that point right it really gets down to a pretty basic thing that uh you look at that detroit decision and that crazy judge out there and everything it just really really really really it seems as if we've we ought to consider more something else i don't know but uh
Don't rule out the constitutional code.
Oh, I don't at all.
I think we just have to understand the implications.
We'll be ready to talk to you about it.
That's the problem.
They're treating it like a traffic code, you know.
There's nothing at all over the place.
But when you get clear of your Thursday night speech, we'll be ready to talk to you on it.
Well, I don't know if Mitchell's ready yet.
He said he was still working on it.
Yeah, we had a long meeting with him on Monday on it.
Yeah.
And there's still some work to do, but I think we can be ready by the end of the week probably.
Fine.
Fine.
Okay, John.
Very good.
Bye.

Also recorded on October 6, 1971

  • 010-085 2:50 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:50 pm.
  • 283-043 2:50 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:50 pm.
  • 283-044 2:50 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:50 pm to 2:52 pm.
  • 010-087 2:54 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 2:54 pm to 2:58 pm.
  • 283-045 2:54 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:54 pm to 2:58 pm.
  • 010-088 2:59 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield talked on the telephone from 2:59 pm to 3:00 pm.
  • 283-046 2:59 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:59 pm to 3:00 pm.
  • 010-089 3:11 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:11 pm.

All 122 conversations from October 6, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 010-086, October 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/010-086 (accessed November 1, 2026).