Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 38 › Conversation 038-019

Nixon phone call with Richardson on Defense budget and Base closings

Saturday, April 14, 1973 · 8:54 AM–8:56 AM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Richardson, Elliot L.Conversation038-019 on Tape 38StartSaturday, April 14, 1973 at 8:54 AMEndSaturday, April 14, 1973 at 8:56 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 038-019 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of Defense Elliot L. Richardson discussed a public relations strategy to counter criticism regarding recent military base closures. Nixon advised Richardson to quantify the long-term budgetary savings, framing the closures as evidence of a lean defense budget to pressure liberal critics who simultaneously demand defense cuts and the retention of local bases. Richardson agreed to implement this messaging strategy to highlight the hypocrisy of those opposing the administration's fiscal austerity.

Audio

Download MP3 · 4.5 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Hello.

Dr. Richardson.

Good morning, Mr. President.

Hi, Elliot.

Hi.

Isn't it, though, I hope you get out.

I noticed a story in, I think, the Times or something saying that Richardson, you know, had been coming in going to be a hero, closing all these bases, and then all of a sudden he's a bum.

A thought that occurred to me that I hope you will use directly.

Why don't you tote up from the Bureau of the Budget the cost of...

of retaining the 45 bases we're closing saying in effect that those who would open the bases would add three billion dollars or five billion dollars to the military budget or one billion and a half whatever it is my point maybe it's 800 million if you put in a round number in other words if you put it in terms of each piece you get murdered but if you put it in terms that you see with all this uh business let's cut the defense budget the point is that uh here

You guys can't have it both ways.

Absolutely.

I think that's a very good idea.

I don't know what the number is, but I'm sure that when you add 45, and that's it, I just wouldn't do it on an annual basis.

I'd say that it would... Well, 400 million.

Well, it's 400 million per year.

But if you...

But if you put it up...

Multiply it by, you know, five years.

Yeah, you could say $2 billion over the next five years.

Yeah.

Something like that, okay?

Yeah.

Well, you probably already said it, but I...

I think that's right.

I think in fact that it will help to underscore the fact that this really is a tight defense budget.

Right, right.

Right, and that's a very good way to get at it, to say, well, now this talk about this basis indicates that we are submitting a very lean budget.

We've closed 45 bases, and some of those, including some of the libs who have the districts, you know, the unilateral disarmers, they don't want their base closed.

Right.

They want their cake cooked.

Anyway, I just didn't want you to take the heat in their show.

I know you'll know how to kick them back a little.

Will you do that?

Yes, sir.

Thanks a lot for the call.

All right.

Have a good weekend.

Bye.

Thanks.

NARA Description

On April 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Elliot L. Richardson talked on the telephone from 8:54 am to 8:56 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 038-019 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 38-19

Date: April 14, 1973
Time: 8:54 am - 8:56 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Elliot L. Richardson.

[See also Conversation No. 428-19A]

     Weather

     Base closings
          -New York Times story
          -Savings in Defense Department budget
                                              -14-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 38-19 (cont’d)

                 -Bureau of the Budget
                 -Public relations strategy
                 -Liberals

Also recorded on April 14, 1973

038-016 8:44 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:44 am and 8:47 am.
038-017 8:47 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 8:47 am to 8:49 am.
428-016 8:47 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 8:47 am.
428-017 8:47 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:47 am to 8:49 am.
038-018 8:49 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:49 am and 8:54 am.
428-018 8:49 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:49 am to 8:54 am.
428-019 8:53 AM · 3 hr 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Elliot L. Richardson, Stephen B. Bull, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, John W. Dean, III, Henry A. Kissinger, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:53 am to 12:30 pm.
038-020 9:00 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:00 am and 10:49 am.

All 46 conversations from April 14, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 038-019, April 14, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/038-019 (accessed October 5, 2026).