Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 46 › Conversation 046-049

Nixon phone call with Garment on Federal Election Reform Commission

Monday, May 14, 1973 · 9:40 PM–9:46 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Garment, Leonard; [Unknown person(s)]Conversation046-049 on Tape 46StartMonday, May 14, 1973 at 9:40 PMEndMonday, May 14, 1973 at 9:46 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 046-049 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Leonard Garment discussed the upcoming Federal Election Reform speech, specifically focusing on how to frame campaign finance proposals and secure bipartisan support. They debated the merits of including specific policy suggestions, such as limits on cash contributions, versus delegating those tasks to a reform commission. Additionally, Nixon directed Garment to ensure Press Secretary Ron Ziegler took a aggressive public stance against the Ervin Committee regarding ongoing financial allegations, aiming to discredit the committee's credibility.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Hello?
The garment, sir.
Hi, Len?
Yes, sir.
I think the thing, the speech is in good shape.
I looked it over, and you'll be there in the morning, and we'll let these guys listen.
They may add a few things that we may want to add to the thing or what have you, but I think it'll be in good shape.
I think it's a good move to make, too.
Yes.
I'm having dinner, as a matter of fact, right now with...
with some Democrats who want to support it.
Well, they should.
And they just—they wanted—their main point is Harry McPherson, who worked for Lyndon Johnson.
Yeah.
And he said—he was urging that
Uh, we come down heavy on the money side, and the need to, uh, that both parties suffer a terrible burden in raising all that damn money.
Yeah.
He was saying, he was giving all the experiences, all the, you know, the prat-kissing that has to go on, and you go crazy.
He said this is the thing that would really ring right.
If that's hit hard, he would get out and round up a lot of Democratic support, uh,
One thing that might be put in a speech that is going to be that no contribution in cash above $100 would be allowed.
How about putting that in there?
Well, I think we might put that in.
But the only problem about putting in specific proposals is that
It undercuts the idea of setting up a commission to make recommendations.
These are things to consider.
Restrictions on cash contributions.
That's right.
I think what should be emphasized is that these are problems that plague both political parties.
And one other point that was raised tonight in this discussion was the desirability of
of having a specific date when uh when there would be a response to uh whatever the commission proposes uh no i raised that because i know that that uh i think you struck that out of the dress no hello hello hello i'm on this phone here oh i think you bought a cigar man i'm sorry let's get off okay uh no we're off i know um i think that uh
That's one... All right, fine.
Well, we can... That sort of thing, you work out, you know, and perhaps we've got until Wednesday before we have to make the specific things, but let's...
They are.
The sense that I get from the Democrats and others around is that this is a real opportunity, including the one-term six-year issue.
And the four-year congressional.
Yeah, they're all interested in that.
And...
Oh, I think this is really worth it.
Names, I think, are important.
I know that you want some of those names floated.
Oh, I don't care.
I mean, I don't care what names come out in the end.
We'll get a lot of good names, but get them all, you know, we'll get good names before we get through here.
Well, that'll be very key.
Again, to this bunch, the way they see the whole thing will be the kind of people that the public members that are named to the commission, they sort of see that as...
Right, right.
Now, on the subject of the...
I don't know whether you realize...
what an opportunity this damnable thing about the billion dollars is.
I only said anything about it earlier and let them spin out the damn web.
I know, but nevertheless, no, you couldn't let that lie there, Len.
You couldn't let it lie there.
Tomorrow.
Huh?
And then we would have killed him tomorrow.
I know, but they haven't said anything.
Now listen, Urban and Baker both made half-assed little statements.
That's not enough.
They're, as I told Ziegler, tomorrow he's got to go on.
He's got to call on the full committee to
for a public apology and retraction, plus a demand that they investigate as to who is responsible and discharge the individual involved.
And you see what I mean, Len?
You've got to take the offensive on this because this is such a goddamn libelous, horrible thing, you know.
And it really illustrates this process.
Well, it illustrates it too.
You see, you can destroy the committee before it begins its hearings.
You've got to attack this committee.
Now, Dash doesn't understand this.
He isn't for a decent hearing.
You know that, and I know it.
Yeah, he's not even around now to take the call on this goddamn issue.
But the point is, that's all right.
That's all right.
You understand that tomorrow morning, this is to be a real tough statement on this, because this, I think, is a hell of an opportunity for us to discredit it in advance.
Okay.
Okay, Len.
We will.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On May 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Leonard Garment, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone from 9:40 pm to 9:46 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 046-049 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 46-49

Date: May 14, 1973
Time: 9:40 pm - 9:46 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the Leonard Garment.

     Federal Election Reform Commission
          -President’s Federal Election Reform speech
                -Bipartisan Congressional leaders meeting
                -Garment’s dinner companions’ opinion
                                               -28-

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                         -Support from Democrats
                         -Harry C. McPherson, Jr.
                               -Lyndon B. Johnson
                               -Fundraising
                    -Content
                    -Fundraising
                         -Cash contributions
                    -Commission proposals
                         -Bipartisan problem
                         -Response date

An unknown man joined the conversation at an unknown time.

     Interruption

The unknown man hung up at an unknown time.

     Federal Election Reform Commission
          -President’s speech
          -Term limit
                -President
                -House of Representatives
          -Membership
          -Ervin Committee
                -Story regarding the President’s finances
                       -Statements by Sam J. Ervin and Howard H. Baker, Jr.
                       -Ronald L. Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing, May 15
                -Samuel Dash

Also recorded on May 15, 1973

  • 046-043 9:15 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 9:15 pm to 9:22 pm.
  • 046-044 9:22 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:22 pm and 9:32 pm.
  • 046-045 9:32 PM · 15 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 9:32 pm.
  • 046-046 9:33 PM · 13 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 9:33 pm.
  • 046-047 9:33 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:33 pm and 9:40 pm.
  • 046-048 9:33 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:33 pm and 9:40 pm.
  • 046-050 9:47 PM · 7 min — Lawrence M. Higby and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 9:47 pm to 9:53 pm.
  • 046-051 9:55 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Herbert G. Klein talked on the telephone from 9:55 pm to 10:02 pm.

All 67 conversations from May 15, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 046-049, May 15, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/046-049 (accessed October 1, 2026).