Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 16 › Conversation 016-044

Nixon phone call with Connally on Office of Economic Opportunity

Wednesday, December 8, 1971 · 10:52 AM–10:55 AM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Connally, John B.Conversation016-044 on Tape 16 (tape position 01:25:23–01:29:11)StartWednesday, December 8, 1971 at 10:52 AMEndWednesday, December 8, 1971 at 10:55 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 016-044 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Treasury Secretary John B. Connally spoke to coordinate their schedules for upcoming meetings, including a session with the French and a pre-meeting consultation between Connally and Henry Kissinger. Nixon informed Connally of his decision to veto the Office of Economic Opportunity legislation, citing ideological opposition to the bill's expansive child care provisions. The two also discussed the recent state visit of Brazilian President Emilio Garrastazu Medici, praising his leadership style and the economic stability of his administration compared to other Latin American nations.

Audio

Download MP3 · 5.2 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello.
Secretary Connolly, Mr. President.
Yeah.
Hello.
Yes, sir.
John, as Bob probably told you, I think tomorrow is probably a better time.
All right.
I think the closer we can be to the period when we go off there to meet those, the French would be better.
All right.
And you can have a chance to, we should get our signals and know what we're going to talk about.
All right, sir.
That's fine.
Yeah, go ahead.
I'm going to meet with Henry in the morning at 11, too.
He and I have talked on the phone this morning, and we'll have a chance to discuss it over here, then.
That's fine.
Whatever you'd like.
Only one thing coming up that's only tangential as far as you're concerned, but I think you should know.
I'm going to veto that OEO thing.
The reason I'm doing it is, and they'll have to get a continued resolution.
It has in it, and you probably haven't studied it, it has in this a provision for
a very, very broad child care center thing.
And we have, of course, in our HR1, a provision for child care centers for working mothers.
In other words, if people want to get the hell off of welfare and put their kids in child care centers, we provide for that.
This, however, just adopts it as a general principle, the child care centers.
And I have basically a philosophical hang-up on that.
I just don't believe it.
I mean, I think if you ever start down the
the road of having the state raise the kids and giving giving mother whether they work or not the option of that it's bad you see yes now uh do you have any thoughts about it no i don't have any i don't have any disagreement on that i think that's uh i think it's a very sound position it's a uh i haven't studied that over you no no of course not of course not there's so many but they there'll be a little flack on it it seems to me that it's uh though that uh it's a it was a close vote in the house and it's uh it's one of those things where
A lot of people will think that we ought to, that we're not being kind to children, but there's just got to be, it seems to be, some place where you stop as far as the state is concerned.
Oh, I think that's right.
And if people want to get disturbed about it, they will.
I'm sure they will.
That's right.
He had a nice party there, didn't he?
Well, they are nice people.
He's a strong man, you know.
He's a good-looking fellow.
You know, he reminds me somewhat of DeGaulle.
Yeah.
Actually, he has some of DeGaulle's...
attributes.
You know, he's quiet and he doesn't mix up many words, but boy, he's an activist kind of a fellow.
You know, some of the, basically many people object to Brazil because he is a military man and he runs a tight shop.
But the reason they've had this fantastic rate of growth and a relatively low for any Latin American country inflation
is that he has run that kind of a shop.
The investment is pouring down into that country, they tell me.
Don't you?
Isn't that what you hear?
Yes, sir.
Oh, then Brazil's doing damn well.
No question about that.
And the other Latin American countries, those that are taking the so-called Democratic line and the rest, they're having a hell of a time because they can't give any guarantees of any stability if people come down there.
That's right.
So I've taken his line all the way.
I think that's great.
Well, I think they deserve it.
That's right.
That's right.
And they are the country there.
I mean, 100 million of them, they're going to make or break the place.
Now they're on the way.
They sure are.
I don't think he's going to let them have an election until about 75.
I don't care if you go on until 80.
Oh, yeah, or 85.
That's right.
Okay, John, see you tomorrow.
But as I say, this will give us both a chance to think a little.
All right.
I just want to get your guidance on it.
All right.

NARA Description

On December 8, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 10:52 am to 10:55 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 016-044 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 16-44

Date: December 8, 1971
Time: 10:52 am - 10:55 am
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

The President talked with John B. Connally.

     President’s schedule
           -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
          -Forthcoming meeting with Connally, December 9, 1971
                -Forthcoming meeting with the French

     Connally’s schedule
          -Forthcoming meeting with Henry A. Kissinger
     Office of Economic Opportunity [OEO]

          -Bill
                  -President’s forthcoming veto
                        -Child care centers
                              -House Resolution [HR] 1
                        -President’s view
                  -House vote
                  -Public view of veto

     White House dinner, December 7, 1971
          -[Emilio Garrastazu Medici]
               -Similarities to Gen. Charles A.J.M. deGaulle
               -Leadership style
                    -Brazil
                           -Growth rate
                           -Inflation
                           -Investment
                    -Latin America
                           -Democracy
                           -Stability
                    -Brazil
                           -Elections
                                 -Timing

Also recorded on December 8, 1971

  • 632-005 10:50 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:50 am and 10:52 am.
  • 632-006 10:52 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:52 am to 10:55 am.
  • 016-045 10:55 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 11:03 am.
  • 016-046 10:55 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 11:03 am.
  • 632-007 10:55 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 11:03 am.
  • 632-008 10:55 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 11:03 am.
  • 016-047 11:03 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 11:03 am to 11:05 am.
  • 632-009 11:03 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:03 am to 11:05 am.

All 76 conversations from December 8, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 016-044, December 8, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/016-044 (accessed October 18, 2026).