Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 010-135
Date: Thursday, October 7, 1971 at 1:03 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Acker, Marjorie P.; Safire, William L.; Nixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Acker, Marjorie P.; Safire, William L.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/010-135

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Just one minute.
[0:03] Please.
[0:04] Sapphire, please.
[0:05] Yes, sir.
[0:07] There you are.
[0:14] When you get half of it done, send it over and I can start reading it.
[0:19] Mr. Sapphire.
[0:19] Yeah, Bill.
[0:20] Yes, sir.
[0:21] Just a minute, Rose.
[0:22] Just a minute.
[0:22] Marge.
[0:23] Yeah.
[0:24] I think I should put in, and I'm not going to put it in the written text.
[0:28] I'm going to say it.
[0:29] But where we say, because it puts more balance into it, where we say that we are, we have just, we live in an inflation psychology.
[0:38] Everybody just assumes that prices will go up, you know?
[0:44] It's time for some price reduction psychology.
[0:50] When there are windfall prices, profits, prices should come down.
[0:57] That doesn't bother you, does it?
[0:59] Well, that's a nice quotable line for somebody that uses ammunition.
[1:05] Ammunition on windfall?
[1:07] Yeah.
[1:07] In other words, any good profits at all will be called windfall by whatever attacking it.
[1:15] The trouble is labor will get them.
[1:16] If we don't get it, then prices.
[1:18] Well, it may be.
[1:22] I'm afraid the whole thing is subject to that, though.
[1:26] But, well, maybe that just gives them one thing that they can't.
[1:29] I hate to give a little short, horrible line that they can use as a slogan.
[1:33] And we've got it in there, of course, that prices should come down, the policy of the price.
[1:38] But what the hell, maybe we better not put it as sharply.
[1:41] Okay.
[1:41] I would think a fuzzier presentation would be better.
[1:44] All right, fine.