Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-080

Nixon phone call with Ford on SALT and ABM

Thursday, May 20, 1971 · 11:50 AM–11:53 AM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ford, Gerald R.Conversation003-080 on Tape 3 (tape position 01:43:12–01:44:37)StartThursday, May 20, 1971 at 11:50 AMEndThursday, May 20, 1971 at 11:53 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-080 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417188405 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Representative Gerald Ford discussed the political fallout of the administration’s recent Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) announcement, noting that it successfully neutralized criticism from J. William Fulbright and congressional “doves.” Nixon emphasized that this diplomatic breakthrough was only possible because of the administration's firm stance on the antiballistic missile (ABM) program. Ford reaffirmed his support and committed to ensuring the passage of the necessary ABM authorization and appropriation measures in the House.

Audio

Download MP3 · 1.0 MB

NARA Description

On May 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford talked on the telephone from 11:50 am to 11:53 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-080 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-080

Date: May 20, 1971
Time: 11:50 am - 11:53 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Gerald R. Ford.

[See Conversation No. 502-011A]

     President's Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] announcement
          -Effect on J. William Fulbright and the "Doves"
          -President's meeting with Congressional leaders, May 18, 1971
                 -Peter H. Dominick
          -Ford's response
          -The "Hawks" position on antiballistic missile [ABM]
                 -Importance

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Hello.
Yes, Mr. President.
Hello.
Ford on the line, sir.
Yes, Mr. President.
Hello, Jerry.
I just thought, just one little thing.
Were you amused by how Fulbright and the others were so quiet today?
Yes, yes.
Wasn't that, that really bowled them over, didn't it?
They had the rug pulled right out from underneath them.
Yeah.
uh they don't really realize what hit them you know well they do you know here's the very thing i tried to tell you know you you can see now why i was taking the line i did in the leadership meeting and was being so hard on dominic and others because you know i was trying to tell these guys look fellows we're doing things but i can't tell you what because i knew at the leadership meeting tuesday we were going to have this cherry see my point well i think i read into the language some very encouraging developments
I won't press it, but I can't help but feel that.
Oh, it is.
Anyway.
And we just, just these boys, let me tell you, you tell all of our more hawkish friends down there that had they not stood for ABM, and if they do not continue, and that is we wouldn't have any deal now.
The chance for the most important negotiation since World War II has been made possible by the fact that we voted ABM.
It's as cool as that.
Well, we'll get it through the House, both authorization and appropriation.
Don't worry about that.
Good deal.
All right, Mr. President.

Also recorded on May 20, 1971

  • 502-009 10:09 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:09 am to 10:12 am.
  • 058-005 10:15 AM · 58 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and bipartisan Congressional leaders and staffers, including William P. Rogers, Melvin R. Laird, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, Gerard C. Smith, Henry A. Kissinger, Clark MacGregor, William E. Timmons, Ronald L. Ziegler, Herbert G. Klein, John A. Scali, Hugh Scott, Allen J. Ellender, J. William Fulbright, John C. Stennis, Margaret Chase Smith, George D. Aiken, Robert P. Griffin, Milton R. Young, Robert C. Byrd, Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, [Thomas] Hale Boggs, Leslie Arends, William S. Mailliard, Frank T. Bow, F. Edward Hébert, Gerald R. Ford, Dr. Thomas E. ("Doc") Morgan, Thomas P. ("Tip") O'Neill, Jr., and George H. Mahon, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 10:15 am to 11:05 am.
  • 502-010 11:10 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:10 am and 11:18 am.
  • 502-011 11:18 AM · 28 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, Henry A. Kissinger, Stephen B. Bull, Gerald R. Ford, Rose Mary Woods, and Mark I. Goode met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:18 am to 11:59 am.
  • 502-012 12:05 PM · 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), John A. Scali, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:05 pm to 12:48 pm.
  • 003-081 12:31 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John A. Scali talked on the telephone at 12:31 pm.
  • 003-082 12:31 PM · 34 sec — the recording device engaged at an unknown time between 12:31 pm and 12:36 pm, but the conversation appears to be blank.
  • 003-083 12:36 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 12:36 pm to 12:39 pm.

All 54 conversations from May 20, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-080, May 20, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417188405). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-080 (accessed November 2, 2026).