Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 43 › Conversation 043-081

Nixon phone call with Timmons on Congressional relations and Presidential veto

Wednesday, February 14, 1973 · 2:59 PM–3:04 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Timmons, William E.Conversation043-081 on Tape 43StartWednesday, February 14, 1973 at 2:59 PMEndWednesday, February 14, 1973 at 3:04 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 043-081 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417194873 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and William Timmons coordinate the guest list and scheduling for an upcoming congressional reception designed to shore up political support ahead of a pending presidential veto on REAP legislation. Nixon directs Timmons to adopt a more generous criteria for Republican attendees, suggesting they overlook past defections for members who might still be persuaded to support the administration. Conversely, they agree to exclude outspoken critics who have consistently opposed the White House, while strategizing on how to manage relationships with members who have recently signaled a desire to return to good standing.

Audio

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NARA Description

On February 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and William E. Timmons talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:59 pm and 3:04 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 043-081 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 43-81

Date: February 14, 1973
Time: Unknown between 2:59 pm and 3:04 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with William E. Timmons.

[See Conversation No. 412-5]

       Congressional reception
            -Timing
                  -Presidential veto
            -Attendees
                  -The President’s view
                        -Republicans
                  -Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
                  -Edward J. Gurney, Howard H. Bakery, Jr.
                  -Southern Democrats
                  -Support for the President
                  -Phil M. Landrum
                        -Vietnam War
                  -Charles H. Percy, Mark O. Hatfield, William B. Saxbe
                  -Robert Taft, Jr.
                  -Saxbe
                  -Revenue sharing
                  -Clifford P. Case
                  -Charles McC Mathias
                  -Richard S. Schweicker
            -Timing
                                               -45-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                          Conversation No. 43-82 (cont’d)

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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Hello.
Mr. President, Bill Timmons.
Bill, with regard to that reception for the congressman and so forth, you feel that it should be next week, right?
I think the timing would be good, Mr. President, because we're going to have probably a veto on REAP off in a couple of weeks, and I think this sort of stroke session would be helpful in holding the guys in line.
Yeah.
In terms of time...
We could do it perhaps Thursday or Wednesday, either one.
Either day would be great, and I think something like 530 to 7 would be just right.
530 or 7 on Thursday, right, right, right.
Okay.
Okay.
Let me ask you, on your list, can you suggest that
I'd like you to tilt, as far as Republicans particularly are concerned, pretty much, pretty liberally, you know?
Okay.
Don't be too rough on people that may have strayed away a couple of times, you know what I mean?
All right, sir.
We can, the list that we submitted earlier allowed one defection.
Yeah.
We can take a look at it, giving them two or three.
Well, depending upon, in other words, particularly depending upon people that are
We're going to need, is my point.
Yes, sir.
I don't know.
You take a fellow like Weicker.
Is he on the list or not?
Yes, he is.
Yes, sir.
He would be invited.
It's important that he come.
Mm-hmm.
But you see, I think that... Gurney and Baker would be there, too.
Oh, that's easy for those two, I know.
But I think Weicker should for other reasons.
Mm-hmm.
but there may be other people that we have, you know, come at a problem with, even on the Democratic side, that you'd want to...
I mean, where you've got Southern Democrats, why... That's right.
In other words, you've got some people that are very strong for me personally.
That's right.
An example is Phil Landrum of Georgia, who has led us on many things, but jumped ship a couple of years ago on the Vietnam War.
Yeah.
And he is excluded from the list, but... Yeah, I'd have him.
One that we won't include, yes.
I think I just have him on basis of...
I mean, we just... And when you mention the fact that they've had support, that doesn't go to embarrass him, is it?
No, uh-uh.
Huh?
No, sir.
He supported the policy early in the first two years and then just got fed up and jumped ship on us.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And of course you can pick up some people like that who may have
made very good statements afterwards, you know, that would help.
I don't think, for example, that you can have a Percy, don't you agree?
I don't agree.
He has never been with us, and has been vocal in his opposition, and same with Hatfield and people like that.
Not Hatfield, and I don't think you can have Saxby either.
I don't either, although his voting record, of course, is good, but his public statements were intemperate.
The one statement was so far that it would be a little embarrassing, I think.
On the other hand, I think you should have Taft, don't you think so?
Yes, I do, and he's been pretty good on this issue.
Yeah.
And, of course, we'll have Saxby to church service or something like that.
He's been sending some signals.
We, of course, put him in deep freeze, and he's working through some of the departments saying, how can I get back in the good graces of the White House?
So it's working.
That's right.
We don't want to appear to be...
This group, we say, well, we're just, and the way you explain it to the other members, say, look, we're revenue sharing.
The president has groups of people down.
He has them who are particularly interested in a subject and who have support.
That's right.
Now, we would not bring a Case or a Mathias or a Schweiker, those people who have never been with us on the issue.
You can't do that.
Because that would not be fair to the guys that stood up.
That's right.
And the guys that stood up wouldn't like it, but the damn either.
That's right.
So that's the way I'd look at it.
We'll rework the list.
We'll rework it and be fairly generous on it.
All right, and maybe Wednesday or Thursday of next week.
One of the two days.
I think I told them Thursday today, but you don't think Thursday's... Would Wednesday be better?
I don't think it makes a lot of difference.
They'll be back from the Lincoln recess, and they almost have to spend a full week here.
I think.
So either night would be all right.
Wednesday might be a little safer for some of the guys that may be trying to leave early.
Oh, well, hell, they can't leave.
If they're invited, that's enough.
All right, fine.
Right on.
Thank you.

Also recorded on February 14, 1973

  • 043-078 2:38 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:38 pm.
  • 043-079 2:38 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 2:38 pm to 2:39 pm.
  • 043-080 2:39 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:39 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 412-004 2:39 PM · 11 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 2:39 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 412-005 2:59 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William E. Timmons met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:59 pm to 3:04 pm.
  • 043-082 3:04 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:04 pm and 5:06 pm.
  • 412-006 3:04 PM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:04 pm and 4:05 pm.
  • 412-007 3:04 PM · 1 hr 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, and White House photographer met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:04 pm and 4:05 pm.

All 59 conversations from February 14, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 043-081, February 14, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417194873). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/043-081 (accessed November 15, 2026).