Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 19 › Conversation 019-015

Nixon phone call with Connally on State of the Union and Monetary policy

Wednesday, January 19, 1972 · 4:39 PM–4:42 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Connally, John B.Conversation019-015 on Tape 19StartWednesday, January 19, 1972 at 4:39 PMEndWednesday, January 19, 1972 at 4:42 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 019-015 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417192349 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of the Treasury John B. Connally reviewed the draft of the upcoming State of the Union speech to refine its tone and specific phraseology. Connally provided editorial feedback, including the suggestion to include Canada alongside European nations and Japan when discussing monetary agreements. The pair also discussed the speech's low-key tone, specifically regarding campus unrest and foreign policy, agreeing that the language struck an appropriately subtle and effective balance.

Audio

Download MP3 · 4.1 MB

NARA Description

On January 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 4:39 pm to 4:42 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 019-015 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 19-15

Date: January 19, 1972
Time: 4:39 pm - 4:42 pm
Location: White House Telephone

John B. Connally talked with the President.

[See Conversation No. 315-24B]

     The President's forthcoming “State of the Union” speech
          -Phraseology
               -Monetary agreements
                      -Europe, Japan
                            -Canada

                -John D. Ehrlichman
                      -Connally
           -Tone
                -Campus unrest
                -Foreign policy
           -Change
                -Canada
                -Ehrlichman

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Mr. President, Secretary Connolly calling.
Hello, Mr. President.
Hi, John.
How are you?
I think it's a very excellent speech.
I have only three suggestions.
Yeah, just a minute.
I've got my copy out.
Okay, page... First page.
All right.
I suggest that you use some word other than the majesty.
All right.
I shall never forget that moment or any other just the word match.
Okay.
On page 13.
13.
Paragraph 2 at the bottom.
All right.
The historic monetary agreements we have reached will help meet it.
I'm just suggesting you leave out with the major European nations and Japan.
You're leaving out Canada.
We add the major European nations, Canada and Japan.
Good, I'll put it in.
You're exactly right.
I always think of Canada as a European nation, which is wrong.
The major European nations, Canada and Japan.
And then on page 21, I gave these to John Ehrlichman earlier, this particular one, on page 21, bottom paragraph 2.
Wait, hold just a minute.
My pages are not...
Okay, 21.
Under the leadership of the Secretary of the Treasury, it says, we have carefully reviewed...
I've changed that already.
I'll tell you what I said.
We are carefully reviewing.
That's good.
I thought that's...
When I saw I have carefully reviewed, I could see that the next question you'd get at a press conference would be, now what do you decide?
That's right.
Is that right?
Yes, sir.
That's all I have.
I think it's excellent.
I think it's very, very good.
Well, it says it's very low-key.
No, but I think it's good.
You like the tone, do you?
I sure do.
That's the important thing.
I sure do.
I think it's just the right touch because you remind them a bit, you jive them a bit, and yet you do it in a very adroit, subtle way.
You talk about the fact that they're not riots in the streets, that college campuses are the scenes of education, not battlefields.
Yet I say we don't point fingers at blame.
That's right.
And all through, I think you... How about the foreign policy part?
The foreign policy part's excellent.
That's about as short as you can put foreign policy.
I think the tone of it just couldn't be better.
That's good.
And those are the only changes I would... Good.
Well, it's interesting.
I had made the one already because I knew that would be, that that had to be changed.
And the Canada one, I'll just... Just add that one.
I'll just take care of it.
You don't have to call Hurley.
Because I'll make them on my own draft and that'll do it.
All right.
Good.
Fine.
Good.
Many thanks.

Also recorded on January 19, 1972

  • 019-012 3:43 PM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire talked on the telephone from 3:43 pm to 3:44 pm.
  • 019-013 3:58 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 3:58 pm to 3:59 pm.
  • 019-014 4:30 PM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 4:30 pm to 4:31 pm.
  • 019-016 4:42 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:42 pm and 4:46 pm.
  • 019-017 4:46 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 4:46 pm to 4:49 pm.
  • 019-018 5:06 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:06 pm and 5:17 pm.
  • 019-019 5:17 PM · 44 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Walter R. Tkach talked on the telephone from 5:17 pm to 5:18 pm.
  • 019-020 6:30 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:30 pm and 7:02 pm.

All 34 conversations from January 19, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 019-015, January 19, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417192349). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-015 (accessed November 9, 2026).