Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 8 › Conversation 008-069

Nixon phone call with Finch on Economic Policy and Welfare Reform

Thursday, September 9, 1971 · 1:48 PM–1:52 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Finch, Robert H.Conversation008-069 on Tape 8 (tape position 02:29:32–02:33:48)StartThursday, September 9, 1971 at 1:48 PMEndThursday, September 9, 1971 at 1:52 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 008-069 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Robert H. Finch discuss the positive reception of the President's recent address to Congress, noting the display of leadership and the enthusiastic reaction from members of Congress during an election year. They review the ambitious legislative agenda, which includes revenue sharing, government reorganization, welfare reform, and the new economic policy. A central focus of the discussion is the need to maintain political momentum and exert pressure on Wilbur Mills to ensure progress on the administration's economic and welfare initiatives before the November deadline.

Audio

Download MP3 · 5.9 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
I've never heard you give a speech as well.
We laid a hell of a lot in their laps.
My daughter, Tricia, would put it very well.
She said, you know, Daddy, she'd run back with us.
She said, economics is a terribly dull subject, but if you made it as interesting, I guess, as you could.
And more importantly, what came through was this great momentum of leadership.
Did you think that got through?
Well, and that was reinforced by the reaction of that house, my God.
Yeah, of course, they're supposed to react.
No, I know, but in an election year, they don't react that good usually, though.
Well, and when they're getting ready for an election, and hell, when...
When you'd finessed them as well as you had while they were out, I was a little more skeptical about what you might run into.
I just thought they were living better, and apparently that's what came over the tube.
I'm just talking to some of my staff here who watched it.
They said they got the good picture and strength, and it couldn't have been better.
Well, we really put the whole plate there.
You know, it must really irritate the hell out of them to put revenue sharing, government reorganization, welfare reform, and the new economic policy, do it all of this session.
Well, they should.
They ought to get up their ass and do it.
Well, the great thing going is the fact that Wilbur now, of course, he's got to keep these damn hearings going or try to.
on that part of it we gotta figure out ways to keep the heat to him until the 90 days runs until november 12th and and uh because he's got to have some way to fight back so he's an out of a spot right well it was a great exercise you know we had a a line of course you know the welfare reform is such a terrible problem but i thought it was well to really get in the work ethic there and i i hit that very hard for reasons
And the line that I developed that I think was pretty good is that let's get rid of a system that makes it more profitable for a man to go on welfare than to go to work.
That really sets it really up, doesn't it?
It does, and that's the only line you can take.
It's the only way that thing is going to float.
It's the only way it'll float.
But, no, I was just delighted.
Right there.
Try to get them going.
I think the main thing, Bob, is to keep the momentum.
That's the
deal and uh

NARA Description

On September 9, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Robert H. Finch talked on the telephone from 1:48 pm to 1:52 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 008-069 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 8-69

Date: September 9, 1971
Time: 1:48 pm - 1:52 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Robert H. Finch.

[See Conversation No. 278-9]

     The President's recent speech to Congress
          -Finch's reaction
          -Tricia Nixon Cox
                -Subject of economics
          -Leadership
                -House reaction
                      -Election year
          -Finch’s initial skepticism
          -Television appearance
                -Finch’s staff
          -Congressional reactions
                -Current session
                      -Revenue sharing
                      -Government reorganization
                      -Welfare reform
                      -New economic policy
                            -Wilbur D. Mills

                                -Hearings
                                     -90 day, November 12, 1971 deadline
          -Finch’s view
          -Content
               -Work ethic
                     -Welfare and work
          -Momentum

**********************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 50s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

**********************************************************************

Also recorded on September 9, 1971

  • 008-067 1:33 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and Manolo Sanchez talked on the telephone from 1:33 pm to 1:39 pm.
  • 008-068 1:39 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:39 pm and 1:48 pm.
  • 278-007 1:39 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:39 pm and 1:48 pm.
  • 278-008 1:39 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:39 pm and 1:48 pm.
  • 278-009 1:48 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Robert H. Finch met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:48 pm to 1:52 pm.
  • 278-010 1:52 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:52 pm and 1:58 pm.
  • 008-070 1:58 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 1:58 pm to 2:03 pm.
  • 278-011 1:58 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:58 pm and 2:03 pm.

All 58 conversations from September 9, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 008-069, September 9, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/008-069 (accessed October 23, 2026).