Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 44 › Conversation 044-135

Nixon phone call with Cook on Veto and Domestic spending

Tuesday, April 10, 1973 · 3:46 PM–3:47 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Cook, Richard K.Conversation044-135 on Tape 44StartTuesday, April 10, 1973 at 3:46 PMEndTuesday, April 10, 1973 at 3:47 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 044-135 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon commends Richard K. Cook and Max Friedersdorf for their successful efforts in securing enough congressional support to sustain a presidential veto, viewing the outcome as a significant victory for the administration's domestic spending policy. The two discuss the effectiveness of key congressional allies and the contributions of Cabinet members Earl Butz, Caspar Weinberger, and James T. Lynn in recent legislative battles. Nixon expresses his intent to acknowledge the Cabinet's role in these legislative efforts during upcoming events.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.
Yes, sir, Mr. President.
Well, that was a great job.
I want you to know I tried to get Jerry.
I got your note for calls.
Oh, yeah.
Jerry's in Grand Rapids.
Oh, he's already left.
I did talk to Les and did talk to Wagoner, and they're tickled to death.
They are.
They're both coming back coming Thursday, and they're all pleased about that.
Thank you very much, sir.
Max Friedersdorf.
You and Max really did the job.
Yeah, we really did.
And it was a lot of fun.
I think this breaks their back.
You really do?
On domestic spending, yes, sir.
It's going to get them.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
I meant on that.
It's on the spending.
They're going to be, I suppose, our next big round will be on, who knows.
Well, we'll see.
We'll see.
We'll fight each battle every day.
One at a time, Mr. President.
Don't borrow any trouble.
I think, Dick, it'd be a good idea, don't you think, I've just been thinking about that.
I probably ought to have the domestic members of the cabinet there, too, because they worked on this, too, didn't they?
Earl Butts, particularly, Mr. President, he really hustled on this one.
I think he called about 25 members.
But now on this one, but on the vocational one, who hustled on that for you?
On voc rehab, well, we didn't really get... No, you didn't get that, but in the Senate who worked on that, let's see.
I think that was primarily Cap...
Cap worked hard on that.
I think Jimmy Lynn got in on that one.
I'll see that they're called.
Yes, sir.
Fine.
Thank you so much, sir.

NARA Description

On April 10, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Richard K. Cook talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:46 pm and 3:47 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 044-135 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 044-135

Date: April 10, 1973
Time: 3:46 pm-3:47 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Richard K. Cook.

[See also Conversation No. 426-40]

       Vote sustaining a veto
             -President's calls
                   -Gerald R. Ford
                          -Grand Rapids
                   -Leslie C. Arends
                   -Joe D. Waggonner, Jr.
             -Work done by Cook and Max L. Friedersdorf
                   -Domestic spending

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

             -Thursday afternoon reception
                   -Cabinet
                   -Earl L. Butz
                   -Vocational Rehabilitation Bill
                         -Senate
                         -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
                         -James T. Lynn

Also recorded on April 10, 1973

  • 044-133 3:45 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:45 pm and 3:46 pm.
  • 044-134 3:45 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:45 pm and 3:46 pm.
  • 426-039 3:45 PM · 19 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 3:45 pm and 3:46 pm.
  • 426-040 3:46 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard K. Cook met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:46 pm to 3:48 pm.
  • 044-136 3:49 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 3:49 pm to 3:50 pm.
  • 426-041 3:49 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:49 pm to 3:50 pm.
  • 892-015 3:54 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:54 pm and 3:56 pm.
  • 892-016 3:56 PM · 45 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George A. Goodling, Samuel L. Devine, White House photographer, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:56 pm to 4:42 pm.

All 81 conversations from April 10, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 044-135, April 10, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/044-135 (accessed October 5, 2026).