Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 16 › Conversation 016-055

Nixon phone call with Flemming on White House Conference on Aging

Wednesday, December 8, 1971 · 3:40 PM–3:42 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Flemming, Arthur S.Conversation016-055 on Tape 16 (tape position 01:56:06–01:58:54)StartWednesday, December 8, 1971 at 3:40 PMEndWednesday, December 8, 1971 at 3:42 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 016-055 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon calls Arthur S. Flemming to commend his successful management of the recent White House Conference on Aging and to discuss the administration’s legislative agenda. The conversation focuses on the newly submitted pension reform message, specifically addressing pension vesting and tax-deductible individual retirement plans. Nixon instructs Flemming to publicly emphasize their close communication and alignment on these domestic policy initiatives as he continues to advocate for the administration’s views in future meetings.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello.
Mr. President, I have Dr. Arthur Fleming for you.
All right.
All right.
Hello.
Hello, Arthur.
Mr. President, how are you?
Well, I tell you, I want you to know that after just considering everything, I think you handled that aging thing with great mastery, and we're most grateful to you for keeping the lid on and
and having it come out as well as it did.
Well, I appreciate that very, very much.
I have a skillful operator, and you know that.
Well, it was great to have the opportunity, and I'm delighted to have the opportunity of working with you on the follow-through now.
We just sent, incidentally, the pension message down today.
Good, good.
The vesting of pensions, which, of course, is not of great interest to people that are already retired, but it is for the future, and it's an awfully good idea.
That's right.
And in the meetings I held, they always brought that up, too.
They've got it on their minds.
Not only the vesting of pensions, but it provides opportunities, of course, for people.
The great 60% that aren't in any plans, or 40%, whatever it is, an opportunity to, an encouragement through the income tax deduction route, to buy their own pensions.
That's right.
Ought to be done.
I met with about 1,200 older persons in Los Angeles yesterday.
Did you?
Yes, sir.
And your speech really got through.
We're on the offensive.
There isn't any question about that.
And I think we can stay on it now until November, and that's what I'll be trying to do, everything I can to make sure that that happens.
Well, I want you to be, you know what I mean, wherever...
However, often we get the talk remains to be seen because, as you know, Russia and all these countries and China and Russia and all that.
You just take a few liberties and say that you talk to me quite regularly and that you know you're reflecting my views and et cetera, et cetera.
Will you do that?
But I will.
I'll be happy to.
And I'm the president who said that any time I said this in the speech, that we have this commitment and that if they want to gain anything to me, they tell you, you get it to me.
Okay?
Okay.
Yes, sir.
I certainly will operate that.
And, of course, that's true, too.
As you know, we've got through the whole domestic council set up and so forth.
We've rammed this stuff through.
But having said these things, we'll now include them in the budget and so forth.
Good.
And you can, for example, when the budget message comes out, you can refer to the fact that all the things we had in the speech are in there.
Right.
And George Schultz, I'm sure, will see to that.
Right.
Okay.
I'll work just that way.
All right.
It'll be great to work with you.
Good to talk to you.
Fine.
Thank you so much.
And thanks for all your help.
I'm just delighted to do it.
We need those old firehorses in there, you know.
Well, I'm happy to be around.
You're not part of the over-the-hill gang.
No, no.
Thanks a lot.

NARA Description

On December 8, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Arthur S. Flemming talked on the telephone from 3:40 pm to 3:42 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 016-055 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 16-55

Date: December 8, 1971
Time: 3:40 pm - 3:42 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Arthur S. Flemming.

[See Conversation No. 307-20]

     President’s appreciation
          -[White House Conference on Aging, November 28 - December 2, 1971]
                -President’s message to Congress on a pension preform program, December 8,
                      1971
                      -Vesting
                      -Income tax deduction

     Fleming’s schedule
          -Meeting in Los Angles
          -Impact on President's speech

     Fleming’s efforts
          -President’s support
          -President’s schedule
                -Peoples Republic of China [PRC], Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
          -Reflection of President’s views
                -Consultation with the President
                -President’s message to Congress on pension reform [?]
                -Domestic Council
                -Budget message
                      -President’s message to Congress on pension reform [?]
                      -George P. Shultz

Also recorded on December 8, 1971

  • 016-054 3:39 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:39 pm.
  • 307-019 3:39 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 3:39 pm.
  • 307-020 3:40 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Arthur S. Flemming met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:40 pm to 3:42 pm.
  • 016-056 3:43 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 3:43 pm to 3:44 pm.
  • 307-021 3:43 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:43 pm to 3:44 pm.
  • 016-057 3:44 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:44 pm and 3:46 pm.
  • 307-022 3:44 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:44 pm and 3:46 pm.
  • 307-023 3:44 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:44 pm and 3:46 pm.

All 76 conversations from December 8, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 016-055, December 8, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/016-055 (accessed October 12, 2026).