Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 8 › Conversation 008-111

Nixon phone call with Connally on Economic policy and Wage and price controls

Monday, September 13, 1971 · 1:15 PM–1:16 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Connally, John B.Conversation008-111 on Tape 8 (tape position 05:16:17–05:17:28)StartMonday, September 13, 1971 at 1:15 PMEndMonday, September 13, 1971 at 1:16 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 008-111 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon expressed his appreciation to Treasury Secretary John B. Connally for his effective presentation to a business group regarding the administration's economic policies. The two discussed the necessity of managing expectations among business leaders, emphasizing that wage and price controls initiated following the President's September 9 address to Congress were not intended to be permanent. Connally underscored the importance of securing political and business support while framing the temporary nature of these economic interventions.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Yeah.

Secretary Connolly, sir.

Yeah.

Hi, John.

Yes, sir, Ms. President.

I wanted to tell you, I appreciate your backing me up at that business group.

That was very salutary for them to hear what was possible because, you know, those fellows could sit there in a dream world sort of expecting us to go ahead and be able to control wages and so forth and so on, sort of ad infinitum.

That's right.

uh i think it's good for them to hear it because in the end whatever we do come up with we got to have their support sure do at the very least that's right very least well i i thought you did a very superb job in summarizing it and uh i was a little bit of a loss didn't know what else to do no but that's just good it's good for them to get the you see john they are not politicians but it's good for them to hear from you as a political man as to what the hell is possible and these guys uh

As you know, you were absolutely right.

Before we took this action, every businessman was saying, we've got to do something.

That's right.

A control agent.

That's right.

Now, of course, we moved, but they must be under no illusions that this crutch is going to be there forever.

That's right.

Okay.

All right, sir.

Thank you, sir.

NARA Description

On September 13, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 1:15 pm to 1:16 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 008-111 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 8-111

Date: September 13, 1971
Time: 1:15 pm - 1:16 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with John B. Connally.
     [See Conversation No. 571-1A]

     Economy
         -Business group
              -Connally’s talk
                    -President’s appreciation
              -Wage control
              -Support
              -President’s speech to Congress, September 9, 1971
              -Connally's talk
                    -Importance
                          -Political angle
              -Wage control
                    -Duration

Also recorded on September 13, 1971

570-011 8:04 AM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:04 am and 8:40 am.
073-006 10:42 AM — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:42 am and 3:07 pm.
570-012 10:42 AM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:42 am to 10:44 am.
571-001 12:37 PM · 1 hr 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Robert J. Dole, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., White House photographer, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), Manolo Sanchez, Alexander P. Butterfield, John B. Connally, White House operator, and Nelson A. Rockefeller met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:37 pm and 2:58 pm.
008-112 1:16 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:16 pm and 1:31 pm.
008-113 1:31 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Nelson A. Rockefeller talked on the telephone from 1:31 pm to 1:38 pm.
008-114 1:38 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:38 pm and 7:43 pm.
074-001 2:58 PM · 39 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the Commission on International Trade and Investment Policy, including John B. Connally, Maurice H. Stans, William P. Rogers, Peter M. Flanigan, Peter G. Peterson, Richard V. ("Dick") Allen, Albert L. Williams, Dr. Isaiah Frank, James H. Binger, Fred J. Borch, Dr. Courtney C. Brown, Gaylord Freeman, Richard N. Gardner, Dr. Antonie T. Knoppers, Dr. Stewart M. Lee, Edmund W. Littlefield, Charles F. Myers, Jr., Dr. Max Myers, Kenneth N. Naden, Alfred C. Neal, William R. Pearce, Dr. Dan Throop Smith, Leroy D. Stinebower, and George A. Stinson, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 2:58 pm and 3:45 pm.

All 26 conversations from September 13, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 008-111, September 13, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/008-111 (accessed October 12, 2026).