Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 15 › Conversation 015-089
Nixon, Connally & MacGregor on Economic policy and George Meany
Monday, November 22, 1971 · 12:19 PM–12:24 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min
AI Summary
President Nixon, Clark MacGregor, and Charles Colson confer with Secretary of the Treasury John Connally to praise his recent press conference performance regarding the national economy. The participants evaluate Connally's messaging strategy, specifically debating the effectiveness of his remarks concerning George Meany and organized labor. The conversation also briefly addresses external complications, including a news bulletin regarding India's attack on East Pakistan that threatened to overshadow the administration's economic narrative.
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Transcript (AI-generated)
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Hello?
Yes, sir.
Well, our crew around here should give you an A again.
Well, that's good.
And they thought you were a little soft on Meany.
Really?
Yeah, a little soft.
I didn't want to hit him, too.
That was great.
But we also were, I was particularly pleased, too, with the positive things you said on the economy.
You really reamed that home.
The housing and the automobiles and so forth, and it's all moving in the right direction.
I was, I really felt... Well, that's the reason I had all of that in the opening statement, so we could be sure to get it in.
Well, that was the point, that you led right off with it and got that.
And it's pretty hard.
I just hope they write that part, too.
Well, I hope they will.
But they heard it.
At least a lot of movers and shakers heard that part.
They were able to tune in at the noon, you know, the guys up around Wall Street, and so forth, and Spring Street, and so forth, and so on.
And strangely enough, a lot of old ladies and old men will hear it.
The mail from old people is incredible on these noon appearances.
Yeah, but that's right.
Out across the country, they're retired people, and boy, they're a very important audience.
Well, they are a very important audience.
90% of the mail comes from those kind of people.
One thing that has happened, incidentally, as I was interrupted on it,
that they interrupted your thing to say that India, there was a report that it attacked East Pakistan.
So that may have the effect, unfortunately, of hypoing that issue.
Henry just came in and gave me a report on it during your broadcast.
They didn't interrupt it long.
They only took about a minute out of it.
I hope you feel good because I know how much effort these are and how much emotional strain they are, but you seem to enjoy it.
I don't enjoy it.
I don't enjoy it.
You know how much effort and strain it is.
Now listen, I got both McGregor and Colson here.
I'll see which one.
Do you want to say anything to the secretary?
Here's McGregor.
How you doing?
John, that was great.
Thank you, sir.
What I liked particularly, the positive things about the economy, of course, were helpful as well.
We agree with the president.
You were awful soft on George Maney.
I mean, words like arrogance and boorishness, you know, those are such timid words.
Well, he deserves it.
He deserves every bit of it.
It was particularly helpful, I think, John, although I'm certainly no authority in this area, for you to point out that you had some 80 million workers and that organized labor only speaks for about a fourth of them.
That's right.
I wanted to make that point, that he doesn't speak for all the working people, and we're not going to sabotage a program that helps all the people just on his behalf.
And the final wind-up or the last question, when you said whether it's the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, when they've got good candidates, good issues, a good program, they get the campaign contributions.
But this thing is no respecter of any political party.
It has to do with the political system.
That's right.
Good and most helpful to us, John, in our battle system.
It won't change the vote.
It'll just create an issue.
But at least it'll help create an issue.
Oh, well, thanks a million.
You were most helpful.
All right.
Just a minute.
I just want to know what you're going to do for Encores.
Well, goddamn you.
You just forget that I exist.
You move around trouble and everybody I know.
I'll tell you, that phrase that the business community is out of step with the consumer, I've heard that out of step phrase before.
That's what they are.
That was a smash hit.
It really was.
On all counts.
They come through all right.
John, I imagine there's an awful lot of squirming and wriggling going on in Miami right now.
Well...
I wanted to hit him.
I didn't say anything I didn't mean.
You didn't really hit him.
You just roughed him up a little bit.
That's good.
Isn't that the Texas expression?
Well, that's right.
I wanted to rough him up.
Just touch him up a mite.
Yeah, that's right.
Beautiful job, John.
Thank you, Jack.
Beautiful.
Yes, sir.
NARA Description
On November 22, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, John B. Connally, Clark MacGregor, and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 12:19 pm to 12:24 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 015-089 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 15-89
Date: November 22, 1971
Time: 12:19 pm - 12:24 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with John B. Connally.
Reaction to Connally's press conference
-George Meany
-Economy
-Audience reaction
-Wall Street businessmen
-Retired people
-News bulletin
-India's attack on East Pakistan
-Henry A. Kissinger
*****************************************************************
[Previous National Security (B) withdrawal reviewed under MDR guidelines case number
LPRN-T-MDR-2012-005. Segment declassified on 05/28/2015. Archivist: MAS]
[National Security]
[015-089-w001]
[Duration: 27s]
Reaction to John B. Connally’s press conference
-News bulletin
-India’s attack on East Pakistan
-US response
-Stop economic assistance to India and Pakistan
-The President’s disapproval of attack
-John B. Connally’s opinion of India
*****************************************************************
Reaction to John B. Connally’s press conference
-John B. Connally's state of mind
Clark MacGregor talked with Connally at an unknown time.
Reaction to John B. Connally’s press conference
-Meany
-Representation of labor
-Campaign financing
Charles W. Colson talked with Connally at an unknown time.
Reaction to John B. Connally’s press conference
-Business community
-Consumer
-Meany responseAlso recorded on November 22, 1971
- 015-085 10:56 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Clark MacGregor talked on the telephone from 10:56 am to 10:57 am.
- 015-086 11:00 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:15 am.
- 015-087 11:15 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 11:15 am to 11:16 am.
- 015-088 11:16 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:16 am and 12:19 pm.
- 015-090 12:45 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 1:30 pm.
- 293-021 12:45 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 1:30 pm.
- 015-091 1:30 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Clark MacGregor talked on the telephone from 1:30 pm to 1:32 pm.
- 015-092 1:32 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:32 pm and 1:42 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 015-089, November 22, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/015-089 (accessed October 1, 2026).