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Conversation 031-037

TapeTape 31StartFriday, October 13, 1972 at 9:44 AMEndFriday, October 13, 1972 at 9:47 AMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Price, Raymond K., Jr.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AI Summary

President Nixon and speechwriter Raymond K. Price, Jr. discuss the drafting and refinement of various upcoming presidential speeches. The pair decides to remove references to marijuana and dangerous drugs from a crime policy draft to avoid unnecessary controversy. They also review the status of drafts concerning paternalism, veterans, agriculture, health, and education, while agreeing to defer a foreign affairs speech until the outcome of Vietnam peace negotiations becomes clearer.

SpeechwritingDrug PolicyDomestic PolicyVietnam WarPolitical Strategy
AudioNARA Description

On October 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:44 am to 9:47 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 031-037 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 31-37

Date: October 13, 1972
Time: 9:44 am - 9:47 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Raymond K. Price, Jr.

[See Conversation No. 797-3]

        Domestic issues
           -Crime and drugs
               -Price's memorandum
               -Marijuana issue
           -Education
               -Price's speech draft
           -Speech drafts
               -Paternalism, veterans, agriculture
               -Health

        Foreign affairs
            -Status of draft
                 -Timing of speech
                      -Vietnam
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Hello.
Ray Price.
Hello.
Sir, I saw your memorandum on the crime and drug thing, and I have no problem in taking it out.
As a matter of fact, in the event that you think it raises a problem, perhaps we just ought to leave out the dangerous drugs things, because, I mean...
Any smart person, I think, could just maybe ask the... Of course, my position on the marijuana has already been made.
Yes, you did.
But would you prefer to leave that out, too?
I mean, I could just put in the two things.
I think that might be better.
Just leave it out so we don't raise the question.
I think the position is just the matter.
Now, the rest is... Yeah.
So, all right, fine.
I'll work it over now for...
In terms of just getting the rough edges moved off and so forth and so on.
And...
How are you coming on education?
That's the next one.
I mean, how are you working on now?
We're just about to crank up on that, and that's one we hadn't gotten started on because there's been some question about whether we really should do one.
Oh, yeah.
I see.
There were some people who felt that it would be a good idea.
What about others?
We're well along, of course, on the paternalism list.
I'd be ready to throw, but... And we're working on the veterans ones.
The veterans, of course, right, right.
That's an easy one.
That's just, that's basically on a farm when we've got to have something for the farmer.
We've got an agriculture draft, which is a pretty good starting point.
We're going to work over on that.
And then I think one, a very high level one, you know, for the, toward the end is needed.
Let's see what other subsets we want besides education.
Well, one that we haven't started on, but we've been gathering a little stuff on, is a health one, which I think could be good.
Health.
as as possibilities it does yeah uh we've got the foreign uh the unfinished agenda in foreign affairs which uh yeah we had a draft on which we wanted to do a little more work on well i'll tell you with the with foreign affairs you really have got to i'd sort of put that on the back burner i know i would get it i'd have the draft but i put in the back burner because everything really hinges on
I mean, as long as Vietnam is being negotiated, you know, you don't know, nothing may happen.
That's the only subject people give a damn about.
And so that would come very late, that one, unless, okay.
All right, fine, Ray, thanks.
Sure, thank you.
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