Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-033

Nixon phone call with Mills on H.R. 1 and House Ways and Means Committee

Wednesday, May 12, 1971 · 5:45 PM–5:48 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Mills, Wilbur D.Conversation003-033 on Tape 3 (tape position 00:37:18–00:39:45)StartWednesday, May 12, 1971 at 5:45 PMEndWednesday, May 12, 1971 at 5:48 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-033 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417188313 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon called Representative Wilbur D. Mills to express his gratitude for the House Ways and Means Committee's progress on H.R. 1, a significant piece of welfare and tax reform legislation. The two discussed the legislative schedule for the bill, including plans for a closed rule and potential hurdles in the Senate. Nixon affirmed his commitment to personally lobby Senate leadership, characterizing the legislation as a collaborative partnership between the White House and the committee.

Audio

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NARA Description

On May 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Wilbur D. Mills talked on the telephone from 5:45 pm to 5:48 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-033 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-033

Date: May 12, 1971
Time: 5:45 pm - 5:48 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Wilbur D. Mills.

[See Conversation No. 499-002/498-001F

     H.R. 1
          -Mills’ House Ways and Means Committee's work
               -Elliot L. Richardson's statement to press
          -Possible Senate action
               -Russell B. Long
               -Conservatives

            -Upcoming House action
            -Tax provisions
            -John J. Rhodes
            -House-Senate conferees
                  -Jackson E. (“Jack”) Betts
                  -John W. Byrnes
            -Long and Wallace F. Bennett
                  -President's role
            -President's role and Mills’ role
                  -Richardson's statement

     Mills’ granddaughter

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Mr. President, I have Congressman Mills for you.
Thank you.
Hello.
I just wanted to tell you how pleased I was that the committee got H.R.
1 out today.
I know you've really been slaving on the thing, and I just want you to know how grateful I am.
made a little comment about it but uh saying that i had uh was how pleased we were but i wanted you to personally know how much i appreciate it i sure appreciate you calling me now we've got about 24 very fundamental reforms including what you recommended and what the committee's added there i think you're going to be very pleased with it tell me this uh with everything you've done well don't you really feel now that the the senate uh
I'm going to talk to Russell on those bills again, but this ought to cool some of that, get some of the conservatives in the Senate.
That's our hope, isn't it?
It's to get them back.
They were the ones that blocked it before.
Absolutely, and it's a much better bill than we had, to be very frank.
What's your prospectus in the House?
Well, we'll report it Monday, so it'll be an amendment to H-1.
We won't have to introduce clean bills.
And then the report itself will be filed by midnight, May the 26th.
May 26th.
We can take it up the first week or the second week in June.
And then you'll have, you don't have a closed rule on this, do you?
Oh, we will have.
Yes, sir.
Ah, good, good.
Yes, sir.
That's great.
That's great.
We've got tax provisions as well as... And you'll win.
Oh, yes.
Okay.
They'll give it to John and me.
Right, right.
And you'll have good conferees.
Oh, yes, sir.
All right.
Well, that's great.
All right.
Well...
On my part, I've already, as you know, had a talk with Russell Long and Wally Bennett, and I will personally work the Senate as hard as I can.
I've said publicly everywhere, and I'll continue to say it, that this is a partnership bill between the White House and the Ways and Means Committee.
You've been in on all of it.
That's right.
Approve all of it.
And there's all that you wanted, and you've taken some pages.
And basically, there's credit for all of us in it.
And that's the way I played it here.
I told Elliot, I said, now just go out there and say this is when we all work together on it.
And that's what he said.
I want to say it on the floor of the house when we get back.
Thanks a lot.
Yes, sir.
Give my best to that cute little granddaughter.
Any girl that comes in and says she loves me, I'm all for her.
Well, you don't forget her.
Okay.
I'll never forget you.
Okay.
Bye.

Also recorded on May 12, 1971

  • 498-001 5:33 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Frank T. Bow, Stephen B. Bull, White House operator, John B. Connally, and Wilbur D. Mills met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:33 pm and 6:03 pm.
  • 003-028 5:34 PM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Edward P. Boland talked on the telephone from 5:34 pm to 5:36 pm.
  • 003-030 5:37 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:37 pm and 5:41 pm.
  • 003-031 5:37 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:37 pm and 5:41 pm.
  • 003-032 5:41 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 5:41 pm to 5:45 pm.
  • 003-034 5:48 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:48 pm and 5:52 pm.
  • 003-035 5:52 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:52 pm.
  • 003-036 5:52 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:52 pm and 7:10 pm.

All 37 conversations from May 12, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-033, May 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417188313). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-033 (accessed November 12, 2026).