William L. Gifford
William L. Gifford served in the Nixon administration in several capacities, primarily focusing on legislative affairs. He began as a Special Assistant for Legislative Affairs at the Department of Labor. He later moved to the Office of Management and Budget and by 1973, he was appointed to a leadership role in legislative affairs at the Department of the Treasury, a position he held through the end of the administration.
When Gifford is on the tapes
What Gifford talks about on the tapes
Vietnam War 2Federal Budget 2Defense spending 2Congressional relations 2White House staff 1White House communications 1Welfare Reform 1Wage and price controls 1Veto strategy 1Unemployment 1Taxation 1Taiwan 1
Conversations (10)
President Nixon met with his Cabinet Committee on Executive Reorganization to coordinate strategy for the administration's departmental restructuring proposals. The discussion focused on overcoming bureaucratic resistance, navigating complex Congressional committee jurisdictions, and addressing concerns regarding constituency-based programs like the Rural Electrification Administration. To advance these reforms, Nixon directed his Cabinet members to personally engage with key Congressional leaders and exert stricter control over their respective bureaucracies to ensure support for the legislative agenda.
President Nixon met with a large contingent of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) staff in the Cabinet Room for a ceremony regarding the signing of the Fiscal Year 1973 Budget Message. During the brief visit, the President expressed his appreciation for the intensive labor and dedication the staff contributed to the budgetary process. The discussion focused on acknowledging the team's professional efforts and coordinating the logistics for the formal bill-signing event.
President Nixon met with Vice President Agnew and Republican congressional leaders to discuss strategy regarding his recent speech on Vietnam and the administration's upcoming FY 1973 budget. The President and Henry Kissinger briefed the attendees on the Vietnam peace negotiations, emphasizing that the U.S. had made comprehensive offers while denouncing North Vietnamese intransigence and political maneuvering. Economic advisors, including George Shultz and Herbert Stein, presented the administration's fiscal plans, highlighting the importance of balancing the budget while supporting a transition to a peacetime economy through controlled spending and wage-price stabilization. Participants agreed on the necessity of maintaining a firm stance on defense and economic policy to solidify public support and improve the administration's negotiating leverage.
On March 23, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and members of the Cost of Living Council, including John B. Connally, Herbert Stein, Donald H. Rumsfeld, J. Philip Campbell, Peter G. Peterson, James D. Hodgson, George W. Romney, George P. Shultz, Gen. George A. Lincoln, Virginia H. Knauer, Arthur F. Burns, James W. McLane, Albert E. Abrahams, Joseph Mullaney, Marvin H. Kosters, Richard B. Cheney, James Connor, Richard J. Alfultis, Donald Smith, Clark MacGregor, William L. Gifford, Charles R. Perry, and the White House photographer, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 3:02 pm and 3:56 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 096-004 of the White House Tapes.
General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. convened a meeting with administration officials, including representatives from the State Department, Department of Defense, and the NSC, to establish strict coordination protocols for public communications following a potential arms limitation agreement in Moscow. Participants were instructed to centralize all public statements and congressional briefings through White House channels to ensure consistency and to minimize unauthorized commentary until the President returned. The group also discussed creating target lists of supporters and preparing rationale papers to manage public and legislative reception of the agreement once it was officially announced.
President Nixon met with New York political and business leaders, including Nelson Rockefeller and John Volpe, to discuss federal mass transit grants and funding for new subway cars in New York City. The conversation expanded into a wide-ranging policy discussion covering international relations, the defense budget, and the procurement of military hardware like the F-14 fighter jet. In the final portion of the meeting, Nixon and John Ehrlichman reviewed legislative priorities, specifically focusing on welfare reform, the higher education bill, and political strategy regarding the 1972 presidential campaign against George McGovern.
President Nixon met with a large group of Republican Congressional leaders to coordinate legislative strategy and discuss the administration's economic record ahead of the upcoming election. The conversation focused on countering Senator George McGovern's economic proposals, with the President and his advisors emphasizing that the administration's policies had fostered recovery, reduced inflation, and increased civilian employment. Key action items included distributing briefing materials to counter Democratic attacks, pushing for a government spending ceiling to avoid future tax increases, and planning strategy for upcoming votes on controversial appropriation bills and foreign aid legislation.
President Nixon met with Republican Congressional leaders to discuss the critical need for a $250 billion federal spending ceiling to combat inflation and prevent the necessity of tax increases. The participants strategized on how to manage the upcoming House vote on HR 16810, expressing concern that Democratic leadership was pushing irresponsible, expansive spending bills—including massive social welfare and Social Security packages—that threatened the administration's fiscal goals. The President emphasized that passing the spending cap was a vital political and economic tool to hold Congress accountable and establish a framework for the 1974 budget, while also providing leverage for future presidential vetoes.
On October 12, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, and Senate Republican leaders, including Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, James E. Smith, Hugh Scott, Robert P. Griffin, Norris Cotton, Peter H. Dominick, Robert J. Dole, Wallace F. Bennett, John G. Tower, John D. Ehrlichman, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Ronald L. Ziegler, William E. Timmons, Thomas C. Korologos, William L. Gifford, Wallace H. Johnson, the White House photographer, and members of the press, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 9:06 am and 8:48 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 108-002 of the White House Tapes.
President Nixon met with Yen Chia-Kan and other Republic of China representatives to discuss the economic progress, political development, and regional security concerns of Taiwan. The conversation covered Taiwan's agricultural and industrial growth, as well as the necessity of continued U.S. military support and diplomatic coordination. Additionally, Nixon updated the delegation on the difficult status of Vietnam peace negotiations, emphasizing his intent to secure a favorable settlement that maintains American credibility in Asia.