Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 008-109
Date: Sunday, September 12, 1971 at 10:05 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Lewis, Hobart D.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/008-109
National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/645078889 (NAID 645078889)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Mr. President, Mr. Hobart Lewis is returning your call.
[0:08] Oh, yeah, fine.
[0:08] There you are.
[0:09] Hello, Hobart, how are you?
[0:10] Well, fine, fine.
[0:12] I'm down here in Washington with the Advisory Commission.
[0:14] Yes.
[0:16] Well, I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate your doing that job.
[0:19] It's a thrill to do it, and your staff is terrifically helpful.
[0:24] Well, we couldn't do it without you heading it up, and...
[0:29] That's a good twist.
[0:43] It's particularly important when we come to the second phase, you see.
[0:53] 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.
[1:17] That's right.
[1:17] That's right.
[1:18] Well, that's fine.
[1:18] Great.
[1:19] Great.
[1:20] That's great.
[1:26] That's great.
[1:27] So far, yeah.
[1:28] 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.
[1:38] Then you have to make some exceptions, and then it breaks.
[1:41] But all in all, the public support is...
[1:49] Yes, the dignity of work.
[2:04] I'm sure it's always been the other theme of what are we going to give you.
[2:13] Yeah.
[2:13] Right.
[2:18] Oh, you are?
[2:19] Yeah, yeah, good.
[2:22] Tough, tough.
[2:24] We have to handle them very firmly.
[2:26] Of course, we've got to have them as friends, but it's right.
[2:29] It's a delicate problem.
[2:32] That's right.
[2:34] That's right.
[2:35] Well, I hope I do appreciate it.
[2:37] I will keep you from your briefing.