Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 37 › Conversation 037-159

Nixon, Ehrlichman & Bull on Cabinet meeting and George P. Shultz

Monday, March 19, 1973 · 5:54 PM–5:55 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation037-159 on Tape 37StartMonday, March 19, 1973 at 5:54 PMEndMonday, March 19, 1973 at 5:55 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 037-159 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417195449 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon, John Ehrlichman, and Stephen Bull coordinated a last-minute cancellation of a scheduled Cabinet meeting. The participants decided to issue a formal memorandum the following morning to notify Cabinet members of the change and the underlying rationale. Furthermore, they arranged for Treasury Secretary George Shultz to provide a briefing on the international monetary situation the following week to ensure leadership was properly informed.

Audio

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NARA Description

On March 19, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 5:54 pm to 5:55 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 037-159 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 37-159

Date: March 19, 1973
Time: 5:54 pm-5:55 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Stephen B. Bull.

       President's schedule
              -Cabinet meeting

John D. Ehrlichman talked with Bull. The President can be heard in the background.

       Cabinet meeting
              -Change in schedule
                     -Memorandum
              -George P. Shultz
                     -Arrival
                     -Briefing
                             -Treasury Department
                             -International monetary situation
                     -Dictation

       President's schedule
              -California
                                            - 109 -

                             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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yeah yes sir steve bill we are uh we're going to change the cabinet thing that's uh i'll give you i'll listen john i'll talk to you john i'll talk to you about it all right steve we'll send a memo to the cabinet um first thing in the morning and advise them that uh we are not going to have it and that we're going to arrange and and tell them the reasons why
I'll dictate that when I get back to the office.
All right, sir.
It'll go out over your signature then?
And then, well, I don't know.
We'll see about that.
But in any event, then we'll arrange with George when he gets here Friday to brief them on the world monetary situation at the Treasury early the following week.
He'll be notified on that.
All right, sir.
So I'll dictate something as soon as I get back.
All right, fine.
And then, hold on just a second.
And we'll hold the following schedule in advance and let them know from California.
All right, sir.
Okay.
Thank you very much.

Also recorded on March 19, 1973

  • 037-155 4:59 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:59 pm.
  • 037-156 4:59 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:59 pm and 5:03 pm.
  • 420-021 4:59 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 4:59 pm.
  • 420-024 5:03 PM · 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John W. Dean, III, Richard A. Moore, and John C. Stennis met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:03 pm and 5:41 pm.
  • 037-157 5:05 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John C. Stennis talked on the telephone from 5:05 pm to 5:07 pm.
  • 037-158 5:07 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:07 pm and 5:54 pm.
  • 037-160 5:55 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and 8:34 pm.
  • 037-161 5:55 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and 8:34 pm.

All 32 conversations from March 19, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 037-159, March 19, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417195449). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/037-159 (accessed November 3, 2026).