Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 7 › Conversation 007-062

Nixon phone call with Stennis on Conference report and Legislative strategy

Wednesday, August 4, 1971 · 1:56 PM–1:59 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Stennis, John C.Conversation007-062 on Tape 7 (tape position 02:29:49–02:31:25)StartWednesday, August 4, 1971 at 1:56 PMEndWednesday, August 4, 1971 at 1:59 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 007-062 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon called Senator John C. Stennis to offer birthday greetings and coordinate strategy regarding a pending conference report. The two discussed the political necessity of publicly endorsing the report to protect the administration's negotiating position. Nixon committed to bolstering Stennis's efforts in the Senate by issuing a formal letter and tasking Press Secretary Ronald L. Ziegler with publicizing the White House's approval.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Hello.

Senator Stennett.

Yes.

John?

Yes, Mr. President.

Well, a little bird told me that you had a birthday.

Oh, yeah.

I just wanted to congratulate you and tell you that, boy, I hope you're around for 100 years.

Well, thank you very much.

I hope we can go that long down the road together.

Believe me, the Senate needs you, the country needs you.

Another thing, too, I had a little meeting with the press today, and they did not ask about the conference reports, but I'm going to have...

You have already gotten my message that I approved the conference report, that it would not be harmful to the negotiating position.

And if you want, I'll have Ziegler say that tomorrow morning to the press, too.

Would that be at all helpful or not?

Well, I really think it will.

All right.

Also, if you would like, I'll send a letter down on it.

Would that be better?

Which would you prefer?

Well, I'd send a letter to you saying that I've examined the conference to you.

Maybe I guess you would.

Well, I think that if you could do that, I think it'd be quite helpful.

Should I send it to you and Abel, one to each, or is it really a Senate problem, isn't it, primarily?

Well, yes, it's a Senate problem.

All right.

That's where you're going to have the trouble.

Yeah, that's right.

All right.

And I certainly hope we can do something with it this before the week's out.

But if we miss that, we'll get it.

We'll get it when we get back.

Well, I'll get you a note down about the conference report.

Fine.

Well, anyway.

Fine.

And I thank you very much.

Fine.

And keep having those birthdays.

All right.

Okay.

You too.

Bye.

NARA Description

On August 4, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John C. Stennis talked on the telephone from 1:56 pm to 1:59 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 007-062 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 7-62

Date: August 4, 1971
Time: 1:56 pm - 1:59 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with John C. Stennis.

[See Conversation No. 554-6B]

     Birthday greetings

     Conference report
          -Meeting with the press
               -Approval

                     -Negotiating position
                     -Ronald L. Ziegler
                     -Letter to Stennis and F. Edward Hébert

Also recorded on August 4, 1971

554-002 12:27 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:27 pm and 1:43 pm.
554-003 12:27 PM · 60 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), and John B. Connally met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:27 pm and 1:43 pm.
554-004 12:27 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:27 pm and 1:43 pm.
554-005 1:43 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:43 pm to 1:55 pm.
554-006 1:55 PM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, White House operator, John C. Stennis, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:55 pm to 2:18 pm.
007-063 1:59 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:59 pm and 3:50 pm.
554-007 2:19 PM · 1 hr 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John B. Connally, Stephen B. Bull, George P. Shultz, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:19 pm to 2:55 pm.
554-008 2:56 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry J. Tasca, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:56 pm to 3:49 pm.

All 21 conversations from August 4, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 007-062, August 4, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/007-062 (accessed October 9, 2026).