Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 7 › Conversation 007-140
Nixon phone call with Klein on wage-price freeze and economic policy
Sunday, August 15, 1971 · 11:03 PM–11:05 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Director of Communications Herbert G. Klein discuss the initial public and media reception to the President’s newly announced wage-price freeze. Klein reports that the policy is being viewed positively and argues that the psychological impact of the decisive action is the key to maintaining momentum. The two men review planned follow-up communications strategies, including upcoming television appearances by John Connally and briefings for journalists to sustain support for the administration's economic initiatives.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On August 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Herbert G. Klein talked on the telephone from 11:03 pm to 11:05 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 007-140 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 7-140
Date: August 15, 1971
Time: 11:03 pm - 11:05 pm
Location: White House Telephone
Herbert G. Klein talked with the President.
Wage-price freeze speech
-Klein's reaction
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Martin Hayden
-John S. (“Jack”) Knight
-Psychological effect
-Media coverage
-Television
-Haldeman
-John B. Connally press conference
-Columnists
-Bureau chiefs
-Paul W. McCracken
-American Broadcasting Company [ABC] presentationAlso recorded on August 16, 1971
- 007-141 11:05 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:05 pm and 11:07 pm.
- 007-142 11:07 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and George W. Romney talked on the telephone from 11:07 pm to 11:10 pm.
- 007-143 11:10 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:10 pm and 11:12 pm.
- 007-144 11:12 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Freeman F. Gosden, Jr. talked on the telephone from 11:12 pm to 11:14 pm.
- 007-145 11:14 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:14 pm.
- 007-146 11:15 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Pierre Rinfret talked on the telephone from 11:15 pm to 11:17 pm.
- 007-147 11:18 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:18 pm.
- 007-148 11:18 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:18 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 007-140, August 16, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/007-140 (accessed October 12, 2026).