Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 57 › Conversation 057-004
Nixon, Fassen & Mitchell
Friday, May 14, 1971 · 10:37 AM–11:04 AM ET · Cabinet Room · 1 hr
Audio
This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.
Listen to the full tape segment
part B, 4:26
057a.mp3
057b.mp3
NARA Description
On May 14, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and representatives of five major senior citizens' organizations, including Fred Fassen, William L. Mitchell, Thomas G. Walters, Ashby Smith, Garson Meyer, Marcelle G. Levy, Geneva Mathiasen, Nelson H. Cruikshank, Rose A. Nathenson, Matthew DeMore, James Carbray, Katherine Pearce, Elsie E. Green, James D. Hodgson, Elliot L. Richardson, John A. Volpe, George P. Shultz, Richard C. Van Dusen, Dr. Arthur S. Flemming, John B. Martin, and Leonard Garment, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 10:37 am to 11:04 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 057-004 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 57-4
Date: May 14, 1971
Time: 10:37 am - 11:04 am
Location: Cabinet Room
The President met with Fred Fassen, William L. Mitchell, Thomas G. Walters, Ashby Smith,
Garson Meyer, Marcelle G. Levy, Geneva Mathiasen, Nelson H. Cruikshank, Rose A.
Nathenson, Matthew DeMore, James Carbray, Katherine Pearce, Elsie E. Green, James D.
Hodgson, Elliot L. Richardson, John A. Volpe, George P. Shultz, Richard C. Van Dusen, Dr.
Arthur S. Flemming, John B. Martin, and Leonard Garment
Cabinet Room
-Furnishings
-[Thomas] Woodrow Wilson
-Visitors
-Furnishings
-Theodore (“Teddy”) Roosevelt
-Visitors
-President’s meeting on government reorganization, North Atlantic Treaty
Organization [NATO], labor, business
The elderly
-President’s relatives
-Mother, father, aunt
-Importance
-Asian civilizations
-Public opinion
-Social services
-President’s views
-Flemming
-Cabinet service in Dwight D. Eisenhower administration
-Meeting agenda
-Fassen’s position [American Association of Retired Persons]
-Government programs
-Social Security
-Health care
-President’s proposed programs
-Medicare and Medicaid, health maintenance organizations
-Housing
-Taxes
-Transportation
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL STAFF
Show the rest of the log (132 more lines)
-Needs
-Council on Aging
-Flemming’s role
-White House Conference on Aging
-Richardson
-Council on Aging
-Studies
-Preparation of papers
-Flemming’s staff
-Walters’ position [National Association of Retired Federal Employees]
-Smith’s position
-President’s program
-National Association of Retired Federal Employees’ position
-Flemming
-Needs
-Finances, transportation, and housing
-Health coverage
-Federal retirees
-Ages
-Finances
-Administration policy
-Flemming
-President’s relatives
-Walters’ mother
-Needs
-Finances
-Health care
-Medicare
-Federal retirees
-Smith
-Social Security
-Meyer’s position [National Council on Aging and White House Task Force on
Aging]
-Definition and numbers
-Possible national policy
-White House Task Force on Aging
-Development of government programs
-Social Security
-Medicare
-Possible national policy
-Public acceptance
-Legislation
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL STAFF
-Needs
-Unknown man’s position [President of National Council of Senior Citizens]
-Flemming
-Unknown man’s acquaintance
-Letter to President from National Council of Senior Citizens
[Recording was cut off and resumed at an unknown time]
-White House Conference on Aging
-Needs
-Finances
-Social Security increases in 1969 and 1971
-President’s veto threats
-Riders
-Ways and Means Committee vote
-Administration position
-Richardson
-Republicans and Democrats
-Medicare
-President’s proposals
-Private insurance industry
-Housing
-Housing Act
-Department of Housing and Urban Development
-Employment past retirement age
-Social Security
-Senior Aides program
-Transportation
-Consumer and legal protection
-Government organization
-Administration on Aging [AOA]
-Foster Grandparents program
-Health care
-Private insurance industry
-Richardson
-Allotments
-Administration proposals
-Social Security
-Cost-of-living increases
-Labor contracts, productivity
-House Resolution 1
-George Meany
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL STAFF
-National Retired Teachers Association
-Needs
-Government organization
President’s schedule
-Rose Garden meeting with Volunteers for Foreign Aid [Advisory Committee on
Voluntary Foreign Aid]
-Uses of Rose Garden
-Tricia Nixon’s wedding
-Churches
-Red Cross
-Private efforts
The elderly
-Administration efforts
-Needs
-Finances, other domestic programs
-Richardson, Shultz, Hodgson, Van Dusen, Romney, Volpe
-Transportation
-Public and private
-Steps, buses, escalators
-Improvements
President’s schedule
-Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid
The elderly
-Flemming, Martin
-Cabinet’s concern
Presentation of gifts by President
-Cufflinks
-Patricia R. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Presidential seal pin
-Stephen B. Bull
The elderly
-Administration’s concerns
[General conversation/Unintelligible]
The President, et al. left at 11:04 amTranscript (AI-generated)
No transcript is available yet for this conversation.
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- 499-010 10:00 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:00 am to 10:05 am.
- 499-011 11:04 AM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:04 am and 11:08 am.
- 499-012 11:20 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:20 am and 11:30 am.
- 499-013 11:20 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:20 am and 11:30 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 057-004, May 14, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/057-004 (accessed November 2, 2026).