Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 8 › Conversation 008-072

Nixon phone call with MacGregor on Congressional Relations

Thursday, September 9, 1971 · 2:05 PM–2:08 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); MacGregor, ClarkConversation008-072 on Tape 8 (tape position 02:39:26–02:42:04)StartThursday, September 9, 1971 at 2:05 PMEndThursday, September 9, 1971 at 2:08 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 008-072 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Clark MacGregor discuss the highly positive congressional and public reception following the President's recent address to Congress. MacGregor reports that key Republican leaders expressed strong support for the speech's bipartisan tone and legislative proposals, particularly regarding revenue sharing and welfare reform. The two also coordinate the logistics and attendee lists for upcoming White House sessions with labor, business, agricultural, and congressional leaders.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Mr. McGregor, sir.
Yeah.
There you are.
Hello.
Mr. President.
How are your congressional boys?
Well, just fine.
Les Aaron said, quote, excellent, real good, one of the very best speeches the president's ever made.
He threw down a real challenge to the American people and to the Congress.
The people will accept it.
I'm not so sure about Congress.
That's what Les had to say.
Jerry said it was just magnificent.
Bob Griffin was up in the TV gallery saying in substance the same thing.
His staff read to me a fairly lengthy statement, a definitive statement that Bob had made, saying that the Congress has got to respond to the bipartisan overtures, nonpartisan overtures made by the President, and the program is absolutely sound and must be enacted quickly.
I've got calls in for John Rhodes and John Anderson and Bill Brock and Bob Dole and a few others, but they're all busy up in TV galleries or being interviewed by the press.
That's great.
Keep them right up there.
We got advanced copies, Mr. President, to the loyal people at about 20 minutes to 12, 20 or 25 minutes to 12.
So they had a chance to think about it and prepare responses, and their responses were all absolutely first-rate.
Good.
Gosh, I thought it was good.
And let me say, sir, it was such a...
I'm honored to sit with Mrs. Nixon and with Tricia and Ed.
I was thrilled.
I've been around here a while, and I've heard a few presidents speak to Congress, but I tell you, it was like the first time I'd ever been there.
It was a thrill for me, sir.
Yeah, I nodded up there once.
Oh, it was good.
It was darn good.
I had very pleasant audiences with Ray Price.
I'm glad you had the things to say about revenue sharing and welfare reform that you did.
Yeah, we got that.
That'll help us very much.
They won't do anything.
They may on revenue sharing, but welfare reform, they'll do a little, but not much.
I said to Bill Timmons, I bet the President isn't surprised where he got his biggest applause, and that is...
After we've emptied our pockets to the world for 25 years, it's time we took care of number one.
That's what they want.
Oh, boy.
Right.
They sure do.
It was absolutely great, Mr. President.
Well, keep them cheered up.
I hope I haven't.
We will.
And I hope I haven't invited too many people.
uh... the congressional group put to the fourth of your your sessions first labor then business and agriculture then congress but we followed the mansfield suggestions but expanded some because with labor business and agriculture being uh... uh... heard by you we thought we ought to have the chairman ranking republican on those respective committees that's friday isn't it yep we go friday sir thank you mr president

NARA Description

On September 9, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Clark MacGregor talked on the telephone from 2:05 pm to 2:08 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 008-072 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 8-72

Date: September 9, 1971
Time: 2:05 pm - 2:08 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Clark MacGregor.

[See Conversation No. 278-13]

     The President's recent speech to Congress
          -Reactions
               -Congress
                      -Leslie C. Arends
                            -Quoted
                                 -American people and Congress
                      -Gerald R. Ford

                    -Robert P. Griffin
                          -Staff
                                -Statement
                                      -Non-partisanship
               -MacGregor's telephone calls
                    -John J. Rhodes
                    -John B. Anderson
                    -William E. Brock, III
                    -Robert J. Dole
                    -Interviews
         -Advance copies
               -Timing
               -Reactions
         -Seating
               -MacGregor
               -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon, Tricia and Edward R.F. Cox
         -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
         -Revenue sharing
         -Welfare reform
         -MacGregor's talk with William E. Timmons
               -Applause
                    -World
                          -US aid

    The President's schedule
         -The President's sessions
              -Congress
                     -Labor
                     -Business
                     -Agriculture
                     -Congress
                     -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
                     -Chairman and ranking Republicans
                          -Respective committees
              -Date

Also recorded on September 9, 1971

  • 008-071 2:03 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:03 pm and 2:05 pm.
  • 278-012 2:03 PM · 9 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 2:03 pm and 2:05 pm.
  • 278-013 2:05 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Clark MacGregor met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:05 pm to 2:08 pm.
  • 008-073 2:08 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:08 pm and 2:11 pm.
  • 008-074 2:08 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:08 pm and 2:11 pm.
  • 278-014 2:08 PM · 11 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 2:08 pm and 2:11 pm.
  • 278-015 2:08 PM · 4 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 2:08 pm and 2:11 pm.
  • 008-075 2:11 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 2:11 pm to 2:12 pm.

All 58 conversations from September 9, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 008-072, 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/008-072 (accessed October 9, 2026).