Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 9 › Conversation 009-086

Nixon phone call with Keeler on Economic Policy and Import Surcharge

Sunday, September 19, 1971 · 7:02 PM–7:07 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Keeler, William W.Conversation009-086 on Tape 9 (tape position 02:21:18–02:26:19)StartSunday, September 19, 1971 at 7:02 PMEndSunday, September 19, 1971 at 7:07 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 009-086 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417189791 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon reached out to William W. Keeler to express gratitude for his public support of the administration’s economic package, particularly regarding investment tax credits and the deferral of federal pay raises. Nixon emphasized the necessity of these policies to curb union wage demands and countered pressure from foreign nations to eliminate the import surcharge. To bolster Treasury Secretary John B. Connally against media criticism, Nixon requested that Keeler personally contact Connally to convey his continued support for the administration's firm trade stance.

Audio

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NARA Description

On September 19, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and William W. Keeler talked on the telephone from 7:02 pm to 7:07 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 009-086 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 9-86

Date: September 19, 1971
Time: 7:02 pm - 7:07 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with William W. Keeler.

     Economic policy
         -Keeler's support
         -Edward J. Dwyer
         -Tax measures
         -Federal pay raises
              -Labor unions
         -Congressional action
              -Lower income
         -John B. Connally
              -Return from Europe
              -Call from Keeler
              -Washington Post
              -New York papers
              -Position on import surcharge
                     -Europeans
                     -Japanese
              -Call from Keeler
                     -Support

     Jane Fonda
          -Henry Fonda

     Keeler's location

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 13% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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?
Yeah.
Hello?
Bill?
I wanted to thank you for your, I've just been at Camp David looking over the things that have happened the last week or so, and to thank you for your support of our economic package and also your ads and so forth that you run.
And just let me say it's good to have a good Indian on our side.
Right.
How's everything going?
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
We had the meeting there.
Right.
Right.
But on the tax thing, Bill, it's very important because not only the tax measures, but also the matter of our move to defer the government pay raises for six weeks.
Because both of those, if you let the government go hog wild, that means that that's going to encourage all the labor unions to ask for more.
So we've got to set an example.
And then on the tax thing, of course, the development credit, you know, the investment credit risk.
They're trying to demagogue about that, but it's absolutely essential for the future.
We're getting excellent help, actually.
We're going to make it, actually.
You'll hear a lot of gunfire and this and that.
But in the end, they're going to go along with it.
They may add something to the package we don't want.
In other words, provide more and more for lower-income people that will make a budget problem, but it will not be too bad.
I think it will win.
Connolly's just back from Europe.
He took a very strong stand, which I had urged him to, about, you know...
Right, right.
One thing.
Yes.
Well, let me suggest something.
You just got back.
Just pick up your phone and call him on the phone.
Because, you know, he was remarking the Washington Post.
These other people were sort of climbing on him in the New York papers because he didn't give in on the, you know, the Europeans and the Japanese want us to get rid of this import surcharge right away and go back to the old system.
Well, we're not going to do it because it's wrong.
Don't you agree?
I mean, we've got to look after our own interests.
Right.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, sure.
And now we don't want to be, we're not trying to do them in.
We just want what's ours.
But if you could, tomorrow morning, perhaps, if you would just, you know, I'd mean a lot to Conley, not that he's a strong man, but I think it'd be good if he knew that fellows like you were supporting him.
And, you know, these liberals in the press, they take after us, but
But if he knows you're a Spartan, he'll appreciate it.
Yeah.
Right.
Jane.
Yeah.
My goodness.
What in the world is the matter with Jane Fonda?
I feel so sorry for Henry Fonda, who's a nice man.
Yeah.
Well, she really is.
She's a great actress, and she looks pretty, but, boy, she's often on the wrong track.
Well, are you in New York right now?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, as a matter of fact, we stayed at Pierre from time to time when we go up there now.
Well, good luck and thanks a lot for your help.
And, uh, right.
Good to talk to you.

Also recorded on September 19, 1971

  • 009-082 6:40 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:40 pm and 6:54 pm.
  • 009-083 6:54 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 6:54 pm to 6:56 pm.
  • 009-084 6:56 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:56 pm and 6:58 pm.
  • 009-085 6:58 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Edward W. Brooke talked on the telephone from 6:58 pm to 7:00 pm.
  • 009-087 7:07 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:07 pm and 9:55 pm.

Cite this conversation

Conversation 009-086, September 19, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417189791). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/009-086 (accessed November 2, 2026).