Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 27 › Conversation 027-034

Nixon phone call with Shultz on Labor relations and Robert W. Packwood

Friday, July 21, 1972 · 1:47 PM–1:53 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Shultz, George P.Conversation027-034 on Tape 27StartFriday, July 21, 1972 at 1:47 PMEndFriday, July 21, 1972 at 1:53 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 027-034 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of Labor George Shultz discussed the political fallout from Senator Robert Packwood’s recent public comments regarding stalled legislation aimed at curbing transportation strikes. Nixon expressed concern that Packwood felt undermined by the administration’s shifting legislative strategy and requested that Shultz speak with the Senator to clarify the administration’s position. Shultz agreed to meet with Packwood to emphasize the need for a new approach to reforming the Railway Labor Act, while Nixon planned to use an upcoming press conference to publicly reframe the administration's stance on the issue.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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I have Secretary Shultz for you now, Mr. President.
Hello.
George, I noticed the little flap with the tackwood on the crippling strikes thing.
I was wondering if you thought it well of it.
You, of course, know him well.
You might have a talk with him.
As I understand it, I don't like the impression that
that we sort of brought, you know, pulled the rug out from under him.
As I understand it, it's the provision of the bill that we're talking about, not just the whole approach.
Isn't that really what we're talking about?
Or do you know what I'm referring to?
Well, I was a little surprised to see that announcement in the paper.
But as I understand it, what we're saying is that I didn't know it was going to be done, but I don't have any major problem that we can see for the balance of this year.
And nevertheless, the problem of possible crippling strikes still exists.
And we're going to make another effort at
thinking through the approach and trying to get industries to to work on some kind of a collective bargaining approach to it similar to the way the construction industry is going to work on their problems and a lot of different angles to them I'd be glad to talk to Dan with Packwood and just give him my view of it leaving aside all of the questions about
what the teamsters may think and others may think.
I think it's a good idea to sit down and make another effort with the transportation industry.
Maybe we'll come out exactly where we came out this time.
Anyways, they will be adjourned.
Your point, and we discussed it Monday, was that you thought this was something we should do, as I understand it.
You thought that the provision was one that we simply weren't going to get through, and so we had to try a new approach.
Wasn't that about what it is or what?
Well, as...
or the only way of uh of getting it through was to have a crisis of some kind and that would have sailed through now we're not going to have a crisis this year we're not going to have a crisis so let us make another effort to see if there isn't a way to redesign this railway labor act which everybody admits is crazy
get industry participation and see if we can get something that would be supported all around and maybe actually get something passed.
I think what happened, I don't know, I haven't got the blow-by-blow, but apparently Silberman was the one that talked to him about it and gave him the impression that we changed our signals or something of that sort, and he tied it to the Teamster thing, of course.
Well, as a matter of fact, we had made our decision, you know, as you...
before that that is of course we informed them of it and you discussed it with Meany too but and I'm perfectly happy with it myself I just don't want him to be
be out if you feel that you could talk to PEC would it might be worthwhile you could I would sit down and I would I'd say now look let's understand this is only coincidental you won't believe it but and say we'd like to we're trying to work on another piece of legislation that we can get some support for so we can get something through because lacking a crisis we can't get this even if we could have got it through the senate
we would never have gotten it through the house with the house coming up for election right now right that's right i'm going to have a press conference on monday afternoon on the budget
to budget results.
Right, right.
We'll be open for questions across the board, and I can see that I get a question on this and try to put it into that perspective.
Yes, I wish you would.
If you could do that, that would be very helpful also.
Okay.
But in the meantime, I think it would be helpful in view of the fact that Peck, he was carrying the bill and had stepped out on a limb and then got it sought out from under him, that you might say, look, we would welcome your...
I didn't think we needed to have that announcement yesterday because we had it all set.
How did it come to be announced?
I don't know where that came from or how it came.
I was startled to read it in the papers.
When we talked on Monday, that is just something that would be done in the course of events over a few weeks, and I didn't think we were going to walk out and announce something.
Right.
I see.
It's necessary.
Everybody was happy just the way it was.
Actually, no action was going to be taken in the Senate at this time in any event.
Yeah.
Well, that's a funny thing.
Well, in any event, I think if you would have a talk with him, it would be helpful.
All right.
I mean... We have that...
For 4 p.m. this coming Friday.
Uh-huh.
Fine.
Fine.
4 p.m. Friday.
Right.
Friday.
Okay.
All right.
That's fine.
All right.
Good.
Thank you.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On July 21, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz talked on the telephone from 1:47 pm to 1:53 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 027-034 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 27-34

Date: July 21, 1972
Time: 1:47 pm - 1:53 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with George P. Shultz.

     Labor relations
         -Robert W. Packwood's statement on legislation
                 -Strikes
                      -Shultz’s possible talk with Packwood
                      -Provisions of bill
                          -Announcement in newspaper
                          -Possible strikes
                               -Collective bargaining
                                    -Construction industry
                          -Possible meeting between Shultz and Packwood
                          -Transportation industry
                               -Teamsters Union
                          -Chances of passage
                                 -Crisis
                          -Railway Labor Act revision
                          -Lawrence H. Silberman's talk with Packwood
                               -Teamsters
                                    -Shultz's talk with George Meany
                          -Shultz's possible meeting with Packwood
                          -Chances of passage
                          -Shultz's July 24, 1972 press conference
                               -Budget
                          -July 20, 1972 announcement
                          -Passage of legislation
                          -Schedule

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  • 750-003 3:11 PM · 49 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:11 pm to 3:12 pm.
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All 35 conversations from July 21, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 027-034, July 21, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/027-034 (accessed October 2, 2026).