Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-023

Nixon phone call with Ford on Supersonic transport (SST)

Wednesday, May 12, 1971 · 4:30 PM–4:32 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ford, Gerald R.Conversation003-023 on Tape 3 (tape position 00:25:11–00:27:34)StartWednesday, May 12, 1971 at 4:30 PMEndWednesday, May 12, 1971 at 4:32 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-023 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417188293 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Representative Gerald R. Ford discussed the successful 201-197 House vote to revive the Supersonic Transport (SST) program. The two leaders strategized on how to maintain momentum for the upcoming Senate vote, specifically identifying key Democratic swing votes and potential lobbyists like George Meany. Nixon committed to personally contacting Senator John Sherman Cooper while planning to recognize the House members who supported the administration's position.

Audio

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NARA Description

On May 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford talked on the telephone from 4:30 pm to 4:32 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-023 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-023

Date: May 12, 1971
Time: 4:30 pm - 4:32 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Gerald R. Ford.

     Supersonic transport [SST] vote
          -Tally
          -President's talk with William E. Timmons

            -President's possible letters to supporters
            -Democrats
                  -Edward P. Boland
                  -John McFall
            -Morale in House
            -Upcoming Senate vote
                  -Alan Cranston, John V. Tunney, David H. Gambrell
                  -Clinton P. Anderson
                  -Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
                  -John Sherman Cooper
                        -President's role
                  -An unnamed Floridian [Lawton M. Chiles, Jr.?]
                  -Hubert H, Humphrey
                        -George Meany's role
                  -Compared to previous vote
                        -Humphrey
            -Cost figures
                  -Effect
            -Future House-Senate conference action
            -Future Senate action

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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Congressman Ford, sir.
Hi, Mr. President.
Well, you made it.
201-197.
That's great.
That's great.
And tell me, we've got some guys that really stuck their necks out.
Well, I'll tell you, if you would, I just got a hold of Timmons, and I said to get us a list.
I'll get a few notes down there so that, you know.
It would be very helpful.
Now, who was the fellow that helped you mainly in the Democratic side?
Eddie Boland.
Boland.
And John McFaul of California.
Mm-hmm.
They were the ones that really did the job for us.
Yeah, yeah.
How do the fellows feel?
Oh, they feel great.
Even the ones that were against us agree we put a real shot in the arm.
Yeah, but is the spirit good on it, Jerry?
Yeah, nobody's unhappy.
The ones that lost know we put on a good fight.
Yeah.
And, well, it turned it around.
Now on the Senate side, you've got people working on them already, I suppose.
I haven't started there yet.
Yeah, I know.
But I think Cranston and Tunney and Gambrow.
And Gambrow.
They're the keys.
Yes, sir.
Well, I think with Anderson, Scoop ought to be able to switch him around.
There's one.
Right.
And I'm going to try Cooper myself just on a personal basis.
That could be two.
But whether you get one of those other three and that
fellow from Florida.
Somebody ought to get to him.
And another, can't George Meany switch Hubert around?
He's always very flexible.
Well, particularly in view of the fact that it's a different...
I'll tell you, if there's any way you can describe this as a different vote than the other one.
See my point?
Right.
Now, if you can figure out a way to do that, I think you could get Hubert switched.
Well, there are some cost figures that persuaded some of our guys.
Is that right?
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, I congratulate you.
That was a really...
courageous job and and it'll have far far-flung repercussions if we can even regardless of what happened but at least it goes to conference now doesn't it right they have to take it to conference and when it goes to conference the house isn't going to yield is it i don't think so but if we could win over the senate boy we're back on the back okay jerry thank you for calling mr president

Also recorded on May 12, 1971

  • 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.
  • 003-021 4:24 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:24 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • 003-022 4:24 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:24 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • 499-001 4:29 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, David M. Kennedy, and Peter G. Peterson met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:29 pm and 5:27 pm.
  • 003-024 4:32 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:32 pm and 5:28 pm.

All 37 conversations from May 12, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-023, May 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417188293). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-023 (accessed November 1, 2026).