Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 15 › Conversation 015-091

Nixon phone call with MacGregor on Campaign financing and Legislative lobbying

Monday, November 22, 1971 · 1:30 PM–1:32 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); MacGregor, ClarkConversation015-091 on Tape 15 (tape position 03:01:37–03:03:18)StartMonday, November 22, 1971 at 1:30 PMEndMonday, November 22, 1971 at 1:32 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 015-091 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Clark MacGregor coordinated final lobbying efforts regarding an upcoming legislative vote on campaign financing. They discussed the tactical use of a potential presidential veto threat and the distribution of John Connally's recent press conference transcripts to sway Southern Democratic senators. The conversation concluded with a review of vote-pairing strategies, specifically targeting Senator John Stennis to ensure his opposition or a neutral pair, while emphasizing the need to retain Senator Jack Miller’s support.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Yes, Mr. President.
With regard to that vote this afternoon, I guess that now everything has been done that can be done, isn't it, what you say, as far as... You've got the word that you, of course, can use that...
you weren't shooting a blank with regard to the possibility of a consideration of veto, for example.
Yes, sir.
I don't know whether that would help any.
I don't know.
Maybe it would have the other direction.
Well, I pass it on to Senator Scott and Senator Griffin to use as they see fit.
And we're getting copies of the exact transcript of the questions and answers of the John Connolly press conference that relate to this issue and getting those up there.
Hopefully they'll be of some help with some of the Southern Democrats that we're working on, Spong and Allen, Jordan and so forth.
Good, good.
We think we're doing everything we can.
I think you are.
By God, we...
There's nothing...
I don't think there's anything we can do.
Now, Laird is working on Stennis, is he?
Yes, and...
Stennis, I think, is going to be all right.
Stennis has said it may be that I'll have to give a live pair to someone.
Well, give it to Munt.
Give it to Munt is what we're working on.
We're working on a Munt-Stennis pair.
Good.
But we'll use that as a fallback.
We want John's negative vote if we possibly can, but if we can't get it to... A live pair is... A live pair is the next best thing.
That's a half a vote.
But you're live.
And we may need that half vote.
We think we do.
It would be great to win one by one vote.
Oh, it would be, Mr. President.
Don't lose Miller.
Okay.
All right.
All right, Mr. President.

NARA Description

On November 22, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Clark MacGregor talked on the telephone from 1:30 pm to 1:32 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 015-091 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 15-91

Date: November 22, 1971
Time: 1:30 pm - 1:32 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Clark MacGregor.

[See also Conversation No. 293-24]

     Campaign financing
         -Possible veto
         -Hugh Scott
         -Robert P. Griffin
         -John B. Connally's press conference
         -William B. Spong, Jr.
         -James B. Allen
         -B. Everett Jordan
         -Melvin R. Laird
               -John C. Stennis
                    -Karl E. Mundt
         -Jack R. Miller

Also recorded on November 22, 1971

  • 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.
  • 015-089 12:19 PM · 4 min — 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.
  • 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.
  • 015-092 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.
  • 015-093 1:42 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 1:42 pm to 1:43 pm.
  • 015-094 1:43 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:43 pm and 2:25 pm.
  • 015-095 2:25 PM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Clark MacGregor talked on the telephone from 2:25 pm to 2:26 pm.

All 62 conversations from November 22, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 015-091, 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/015-091 (accessed October 1, 2026).