Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 37 › Conversation 037-003

Nixon phone call with Usery on Philadelphia strike and Labor relations

Wednesday, February 28, 1973 · 8:42 AM–8:43 AM ET · White House Telephone · 58 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Usery, Willie J., Jr.Conversation037-003 on Tape 37StartWednesday, February 28, 1973 at 8:42 AMEndWednesday, February 28, 1973 at 8:43 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 037-003 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417195153 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon calls Assistant Secretary of Labor Willie J. Usery, Jr. to commend his successful mediation of the Philadelphia strike. The President also expresses appreciation for the collaboration with Secretary of Labor Peter J. Brennan and Philadelphia Mayor Frank L. Rizzo, noting the political value of maintaining support among the city’s labor unions. Nixon instructs Usery to convey these congratulations to Brennan and the Mayor, while explicitly declining to call the Mayor himself to avoid anticipated requests for federal funding.

Philadelphia strike
Labor relations
Willie J. Usery Jr.
Peter J. Brennan
Frank L. Rizzo
Political strategy

Audio

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NARA Description

On February 28, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Willie J. Usery, Jr. talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:42 am and 8:43 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 037-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 37-3

Date: February 28, 1973
Time: 8:42 am-8:43 am
Location: White House Telephone
                                                 -2-

                             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY

The President talked with Willie J. Usery, Jr.

[See Conversation No. 865-6A]

       Philadelphia strike
              -Congratulations
              -Peter J. Brennan
                      -Frank L. Rizzo
                             -Hardhats
                             -Support for President
                             -President’s possible call
                                    -Funding

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 Assistant Secretary Willie Osorino.

Right.

All right.

Hello.

Bill?

Yes, sir.

I just want to congratulate you on the Philadelphia strike.

Well, thank you, Mr. President.

That's very nice of you.

That was a fine job, and I appreciate it.

You tell Pete Brennan that I called, too, will you?

I certainly will.

Because I know he was interested in it very much.

Sure, and...

I was not only glad at the strike, but I think we made friends by ourselves with the mayor.

Everyone was quite grateful.

You kept in touch with my hard-hat mayor.

Oh, yeah.

We spent some time together.

I enjoyed it very much, and I spent some time talking about you.

Fine, fine.

Thank you.

Yeah, you can...

It'd be a good thing.

I don't want to give him a call because I don't want him...

Brace me for some money, but when you're chatting with him, you can tell him I called and thought that he and you and everybody deserved congratulations for settling.

I sure will.

All right, Bill.

Thank you very much, sir.

Also recorded on February 28, 1973

037-004 8:43 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:43 am and 9:01 am.
865-007 8:43 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:43 am and 9:01 am.
865-008 8:43 AM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:43 am and 9:01 am.
865-009 8:43 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:43 am and 9:01 am.
037-005 9:01 AM · 54 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Roger E. Johnson talked on the telephone from 9:01 am to 9:02 am.
865-010 9:01 AM · 56 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Roger E. Johnson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:01 am to 9:02 am.
037-006 9:02 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:02 am and 12:30 pm.
865-011 9:02 AM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:02 am and 9:12 am.

All 48 conversations from February 28, 1973 →

Nixon phone call with Colson on Unemployment figures and Vietnam War July 2, 1971 · 7 min
Nixon, Haldeman & Bull on POWs and Political fundraising February 16, 1973 · 17 min
Nixon, Woods & Kissinger on Frank L. Rizzo and Walter H. Annenberg November 3, 1971 · 1 min
Nixon phone call with Rizzo on 1972 Presidential Election November 8, 1972 · 2 min
Nixon & Usery on Steel industry and Labor negotiations August 3, 1971 · 1 min
Nixon & Butterfield on Winton M. Blount and Cabinet meetings June 27, 1971 · 2 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 037-003, February 28, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417195153). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/037-003 (accessed November 2, 2026).