Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 8 › Conversation 008-109

Nixon phone call with Lewis on Phase II and Wage and price freeze

Sunday, September 12, 1971 · 10:05 PM–10:08 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Lewis, Hobart D.Conversation008-109 on Tape 8 (tape position 05:13:03–05:16:11)StartSunday, September 12, 1971 at 10:05 PMEndSunday, September 12, 1971 at 10:08 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 008-109 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 645078889 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon spoke with Hobart D. Lewis to express appreciation for Lewis's leadership of the Business Advisory Commission. The two men discussed the challenges of transitioning from the 90-day wage and price freeze into "Phase II," emphasizing the critical need for public support and self-policing to curb inflation. They also touched upon the necessity of maintaining firm relations with labor groups while promoting themes regarding the dignity of work.

Audio

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NARA Description

On September 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Hobart D. Lewis talked on the telephone from 10:05 pm to 10:08 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 008-109 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 8-109

Date: September 12, 1971
Time: 10:05 pm - 10:08 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Hobart D. (“Hobe”) Lewis.

     Economy
         -Business Advisory Commission
              -The President's appreciation
              -President’s staff
              -George [Surname unknown]
              -Leonard Woodcock
              -Teamsters
              -Phase II
                    -90-day freeze
                    -Public policing
                         -Wage and price increases

                -Enthusiasm
                      -Henry E. Ford, II
                      -Fred J. Borch
                -Union membership
                -Freeze
                -Public support
                -John B. Connally's comment
                -Labor Day speech
                      -Work theme
                      -Herbert C. Hoover
                      -Welfare theme
                -Briefing
                      -Peter G. Peterson
                      -Japanese
                            -Trade

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 28s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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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.

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).

Mr. President, Mr. Hobart Lewis is returning your call.
Oh, yeah, fine.
There you are.
Hello, Hobart, how are you?
Well, fine, fine.
I'm down here in Washington with the Advisory Commission.
Yes.
Well, I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate your doing that job.
It's a thrill to do it, and your staff is terrifically helpful.
Well, we couldn't do it without you heading it up, and...
That's a good twist.
It's particularly important when we come to the second phase, you see.
When we get past the 90-day freeze, then it's going to have to depend on a great deal on public support, public policing, and a public attitude of holding down wage and price increases and so forth.
That's right.
That's right.
Well, that's fine.
Great.
Great.
That's great.
That's great.
So far, yeah.
That'll come down some as they begin to hurt a bit, but that's why the freeze can only last, you know, beyond a certain point, the freeze hurts too much.
Then you have to make some exceptions, and then it breaks.
But all in all, the public support is...
Yes, the dignity of work.
I'm sure it's always been the other theme of what are we going to give you.
Yeah.
Right.
Oh, you are?
Yeah, yeah, good.
Tough, tough.
We have to handle them very firmly.
Of course, we've got to have them as friends, but it's right.
It's a delicate problem.
That's right.
That's right.
Well, I hope I do appreciate it.
I will keep you from your briefing.

Also recorded on September 12, 1971

  • 008-101 5:31 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:31 pm and 5:33 pm.
  • 008-103 5:33 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 5:33 pm to 5:53 pm.
  • 278-032 5:33 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:33 pm to 5:53 pm.
  • 008-104 5:53 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:53 pm and 9:23 pm.
  • 008-105 5:53 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:53 pm and 9:23 pm.
  • 008-106 9:23 PM · 55 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John A. Scali talked on the telephone from 9:23 pm to 9:24 pm.
  • 008-107 9:24 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:24 pm.
  • 008-108 9:25 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 9:25 pm to 9:33 pm.

All 36 conversations from September 12, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 008-109, September 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 645078889). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/008-109 (accessed November 2, 2026).