{"conversationCode":"045-131","tapeNumber":45,"conversationNumber":131,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-045-131","startDateTime":"1973-05-02T13:53:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1973-05-02T13:54:00.000Z","startDate":"2-May-1973","startTime":"9:53 AM","endDate":"2-May-1973","endTime":"9:54 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Connally, John B.; Nixon, Richard M. (President);","description":"On May 2, 1973, John B. Connally and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 9:53 am to 9:54 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-131 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":"5.5","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part V","chronReleaseDate":"21-Aug-2013","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 45-131\n\nDate: May 2, 1973\nTime: 9:53 am - 9:54 am\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nJohn B. Connally talked with the President.\n\n[See also Conversation No. 909-8]\n\n*****************************************************************\n[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]\n\n     Connally’s press conference\n          -Party affiliation\n\f                                             -84-\n\n                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM\n\n                                                            Conversation No. 45-131 (cont’d)\n\n[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]\n*****************************************************************\n\n     Watergate\n          -President’s speech","filename":["045-131.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Connally, John B.","Nixon, Richard M. (President)"],"prevCode":"045-130","nextCode":"045-132","transcript":[{"start":1.01,"end":1.63,"text":"Hello."},{"start":2.07,"end":2.65,"text":"Mr. President."},{"start":3.35,"end":3.73,"text":"Hello, John."},{"start":3.75,"end":4.25,"text":"How are you?"},{"start":4.53,"end":5.05,"text":"I'm fine."},{"start":5.07,"end":8.98,"text":"I just want you to know I've called a press conference this morning at 11 o'clock, Mr. President."},{"start":9.06,"end":14.26,"text":"I'm going to announce my formal change of affiliation to the Republican Party."},{"start":14.9,"end":19.45,"text":"Well, that's very, very courageous, and I just hope it doesn't hurt you."},{"start":19.49,"end":21.93,"text":"Well, it doesn't make a difference if it does."},{"start":22.25,"end":24.41,"text":"I just want you to know that."},{"start":24.43,"end":28.54,"text":"You're a brave man, and I'm very proud of you, and by golly..."},{"start":28.52,"end":36.45,"text":"Let me say, as you know, John, what really makes a man is having a little fight, and we have our share, don't we?"},{"start":36.71,"end":38.09,"text":"Yeah, we sure as hell do."},{"start":38.41,"end":41.6,"text":"We've had quite a good reaction from the talk the other night."},{"start":41.62,"end":42.26,"text":"Well, you should have."},{"start":42.28,"end":44.78,"text":"It was a hell of a fine speech, as I told you the other night."},{"start":44.8,"end":45.79,"text":"Well, you were very kind."},{"start":46.01,"end":48.47,"text":"Well, I sure appreciate it, and give him hell, will you?"},{"start":48.49,"end":49.01,"text":"All right, sir, I will."},{"start":49.05,"end":49.41,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":49.85,"end":49.93,"text":"Bye."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"John B. Connally informs President Nixon of his intent to hold a press conference to formally announce his party affiliation change to the Republican Party. Nixon praises Connally's courage and aligns their shared political resolve against ongoing adversity. The two also briefly acknowledge positive public feedback regarding the President's recent televised address concerning the Watergate scandal.","topics":["John B. Connally","Republican Party","Party affiliation","Watergate","Political strategy"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T07:12:19.256Z"},"topicSlugs":["john-b-connally","republican-party","party-affiliation","watergate","political-strategy"],"audioDurationSec":57,"audioFiles":[{"file":"045-131.mp3","bytes":1812480,"durationSec":56.51,"bitrate":256604,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:20:02.712Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:44.628Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/045-131.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-131","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/45/conversation-045-131","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}