Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-014
Nixon phone call with Ford on Supersonic Transport and SST
Wednesday, May 12, 1971 · 3:33 PM–3:34 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and House Minority Leader Gerald Ford discussed the precarious vote count regarding the Supersonic Transport (SST) funding bill in the House of Representatives. Following a narrow victory in a preliminary teller vote, the two reviewed legislative strategy and the potential need for presidential intervention to secure additional support. Nixon urged Ford to maintain his coalition and prepare to deploy extra votes if necessary, requesting an immediate update once the final results were tallied.
- Supersonic Transport
- SST
- House of Representatives
- Legislative Strategy
- Gerald Ford
- Congressional Voting
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On May 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone from 3:33 pm to 3:34 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-014 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 003-014
Date: May 12, 1971
Time: 3:33 pm - 3:34 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Gerald R. Ford.
The President conferred with unknown people.
President's schedule
[End of conferral]
Supersonic transport [SST] vote
-Vote in House
-Upcoming vote in House
-Strategy
-A possible letter from President
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-Time
-Ford's forthcoming call to President
-StrategyAlso recorded on May 12, 1971
- 003-012 3:27 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:27 pm.
- 003-013 3:27 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:27 pm and 3:33 pm.
- 003-015 3:34 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:34 pm and 3:56 pm.
- 003-016 3:56 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William L. Safire, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 3:56 pm to 4:01 pm.
- 003-017 4:10 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:17 pm.
- 003-018 4:17 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:17 pm.
- 003-019 4:17 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:17 pm and 4:24 pm.
- 003-020 4:24 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:24 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 003-014, May 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-014 (accessed October 11, 2026).