Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 285 › Conversation 285-022

Nixon & Safire on Economic policy and Wage and price controls

Thursday, October 7, 1971 · 12:48 PM–12:51 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Safire, William L.Conversation285-022 onTape 285 (tape position 03:01:48–03:04:56)StartThursday, October 7, 1971 at 12:48 PMEndThursday, October 7, 1971 at 12:51 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 285-022 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and speechwriter William Safire consult on the phrasing of an upcoming public address regarding economic policy. They focus on refining language concerning wage and price controls to ensure the public understands these measures are temporary rather than a permanent feature of American life. Nixon emphasizes the political and economic necessity of framing the controls as a limited intervention that will be dismantled once inflationary pressures are resolved.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Yeah.
Yeah.
I have one thought that may be just a little bit of a problem.
Where we say what we will and will not do, the third point, we will continue to price and waive restraints until the inflationary pressures ease up.
and we will not have control over future life.
I think somebody could seize on it, ease up.
I think we better say, I'm brought under control, or something.
You get my point?
Until inflationary pressures are curbed.
No, not that.
Ease up is too soft.
They'll say, well, I don't give up.
I know that.
I know why you say he's, uh, but, uh, the compression air pressure is, I think, really a product of control is, uh, is what it is.
We've got it in here, but we will not make control the permanent feature of American life because they're using control here.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Hold on a minute.
...controls the permanent future of American life.
Now, I'm going to add something there on an ad-lib basis, not in the text, even though it will destroy your nice little balances you have here.
I'm going to say that we will not take control of the permanent future of American life when they are no longer needed.
We will get rid of them.
I think that needs to be said for reasons that are very, very fundamental because of my own education.
Yeah.
I mean, this time, when they are no longer needed, you will get rid of them.
And this thing is good to say.
The way that we reason this way, we will continue Christ's way to be transformed.
Because we said earlier, we're going to stay in this battle until we win.
Now, that's very strong.
But I want to also say, when they are no longer needed, we'll get rid of them.
Because the hardest thing we're going to have to do is get rid of these guys.
And also, there will come a time, it might even come before the election, when we're going to have to get rid of a lot of them.
On the ground, with no rent controls, we'd be stuck in houses.
Something could be stopping this, and this should be cool, and it's breaking down, and so on.
And then no longer need to look at it.
How do you say that?
Something like that.
I'll try to feel it.
Yeah, yeah, all right, all right.
Yeah, all right.
Let's see.
Let's see.
Come on.

NARA Description

On October 7, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:48 pm to 12:51 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 285-022 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 285-022
Date: October 7, 1971
Time: 12:48 pm - 12:51 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with William L. Safire.
[See Conversation No. 10-131]

Also recorded on October 7, 1971

  • 010-131 12:48 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire talked on the telephone from 12:48 pm to 12:51 pm.
  • 010-132 12:51 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:51 pm and 1:02 pm.
  • 285-023 12:51 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:51 pm and 1:02 pm.
  • 285-024 12:51 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 an unknown time between 12:51 pm and 1:02 pm.
  • 010-133 1:02 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 1:02 pm.
  • 010-134 1:02 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Marjorie P. Acker talked on the telephone from 1:02 pm to 1:03 pm.
  • 285-025 1:02 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Marjorie P. Acker met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:02 pm to 1:03 pm.
  • 010-135 1:03 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, Marjorie P. Acker, and William L. Safire talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:03 pm and 1:20 pm.

All 106 conversations from October 7, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 285-022, October 7, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/285-022 (accessed September 18, 2026).