Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 10 › Conversation 010-087

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Economic policy and John Connally

Wednesday, October 6, 1971 · 2:54 PM–2:58 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation010-087 on Tape 10 (tape position 02:44:55–02:49:27)StartWednesday, October 6, 1971 at 2:54 PMEndWednesday, October 6, 1971 at 2:58 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 010-087 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman reviewed and adjusted the President’s upcoming schedule to better accommodate Secretary John Connally's preparations for a press conference and to optimize the format of Cabinet and legislative leader meetings. They decided to cancel an unproductive Friday session, opting instead to consolidate updates on the Cost of Living Council’s Phase Two policies and foreign policy summit preparations into a Tuesday afternoon block. Additionally, they coordinated a meeting with Senator Russell Long to discuss pending legislative business.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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I think we should reconsider that 8 o'clock Friday meeting for two reasons.
First, I think Connolly would have to be there, and I'd rather leave him free to get prepared for his press conference at noon.
The other, I mean, and this time we really don't need it for purposes of showing that we care and all that stuff, you know what I mean?
Right.
You want to remember that eight of the members of the Cabinet have sat in on the Cost of Living Council over this, on Monday and to Sunday and so forth.
Yeah.
And know all about it.
I have another thought in mind that what you could do would be to have the leaders at 3 o'clock and the Cabinet at 4 o'clock on Tuesday and
and let the cabinet take the first half hour to get a report on how we're doing on phase two, and then the second half hour to give them a little rundown on the summit thing.
You know, that's a hell of a big thing for them, and it gets them into points that are far more interesting.
How would that sound to you?
Okay, that's a good idea.
I'd rather think it is.
It covers more ground for them, too.
Well, you know, we just don't want those guys on the domestic side to just be talking about the miserable, dumb subjects.
And we can also give them a feel so that they go out and make their speeches about the man of peace and all that sort of stuff.
Yeah, they ought to get the line on how to handle that Tuesday thing anyway.
Sure.
Okay, so we put the leaders at 3 and the cabinet at 4.
That's fine.
Or should we say 4.30 for the cabinet, just to be sure?
4.30, yeah.
4.30, I think, is a little bit better.
Leaders will be out of there for sure by then.
Okay.
Okay, now we have to catch that Russell Long thing that I guess John talked to you about sometime apparently on Tuesday because his vote comes on Wednesday.
Okay.
Yeah.
Or his debate.
But we could do that.
His debate on what this tax or run or no.
Not that.
Well, something anyway.
I know I've got to see him in any event.
I've forgotten what it is.
That's all right.
I know I have to see him.
Well, catch him at...
Unless you want to do him on Monday.
No, no.
I think if we're going to prepare for that press thing, I ought to be prepared for it.
Well, we could do long at like 2.30 or something.
I don't want to be in too late in the day.
Well, let me think.
We have Morrow, don't we, on Monday anyway?
Yeah.
That's right.
You have to take a break there.
What time do you have Morrow?
We have him at 1130.
Do they think they can do long in a half hour?
Yeah.
Monday's a holiday.
He may not be around.
Well, let's offer him that.
But we could try it.
Offer him 11 o'clock, shall we?
Okay.
If he's around.
And then the other thing, on Tuesday we could have him at 4.30.
Well, we'll run him in maybe at 4.30 in the cabinet at 5.00.
Yeah, you can do the cabinet late, can't you?
They'll finish their day and come in at 5 o'clock.
Why don't you do that?
Or that's too late for them.
What the hell?
Make it 4.30 for the cabinet.
You do long at 4 o'clock.
Figure the leaders for an hour.
Yeah.
And if the cabinet gets delayed a little, it's all right.
Yeah, and then you go into your office.
You've got to have a little break there to clean out the cabinet room anyway.
Right.
four o'clock fine good that's the deal on tuesday yeah but i think you will agree that the friday thing is not really too i wondered about that with conley because it does yeah kind of clutter up his what clutters him up like me he's got to think and also it regard it doesn't the same thing you know we
We've got to watch against this repeating of patterns simply because we did it before.
There was a reason before, but I don't think there's a hell of a reason this time, do you?
Not nearly as much so, and there's a good reason to have them come in on Tuesday afternoon.
Right.
Okay, good.

NARA Description

On October 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 2:54 pm to 2:58 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 010-087 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 10-87

Date: October 6, 1971
Time: 2:54 pm - 2:58 pm
Location: White House Telephone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with the President.

[See Conversation No. 283-45]

     President's schedule
          -Meetings, October 8
                 -John B. Connally
                 -Cabinet
                      -Cost of Living Council [COLC]
                 -Legislative leaders
                 -Summit
          -Russell B. Long, October 11
          -Aldo Moro, October 11
          -Cabinet meeting
          -Legislative leaders meeting, October 12
          -Connally

Also recorded on October 6, 1971

  • 010-085 2:50 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:50 pm.
  • 010-086 2:50 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 2:50 pm to 2:52 pm.
  • 283-043 2:50 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 2:50 pm.
  • 283-044 2:50 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:50 pm to 2:52 pm.
  • 283-045 2:54 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 2:54 pm to 2:58 pm.
  • 010-088 2:59 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield talked on the telephone from 2:59 pm to 3:00 pm.
  • 283-046 2:59 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:59 pm to 3:00 pm.
  • 010-089 3:11 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:11 pm.

All 110 conversations from October 6, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 010-087, October 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/010-087 (accessed October 8, 2026).