{"conversationCode":"081-001","tapeNumber":81,"conversationNumber":1,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-081-001","startDateTime":"1971-10-22T14:38:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-10-23T03:59:00.000Z","startDate":"22-Oct-1971","startTime":"10:38 AM","endDate":"22-Oct-1971","endTime":"11:59 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Pay Board and Price Commission; Boldt, George H.; Weber, Arnold R.; Gordon, Kermit; Siciliano, Rocco C.; Day, Virgil B.; Bassett, Robert; McCollum, Leonard F.; Biaggini, Benjamin F.; Meany, George; Abel, I[lorwith] W.; Woodcock, Leonard; Smith, Floyd E. (\"Red\"); Smith, Floyd E. (\"Red\"); Fitzsimmons, Frank E.; Grayson, C. Jackson (\"Dan\"), Jr. (Dr.); Scranton, William W.; Queenan, John William; Coleman, William T., Jr.; Whitman, Marina von Neumann; Newman, J. Wilson; Lanzillotti, Robert F.;","description":"On October 22, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and members of the Pay Board and Price Commission, including George H. Boldt, Arnold R. Weber, Dr. Neil H. Jacoby, William G. Caples, Kermit Gordon, Rocco C. Siciliano, Virgil B. Day, Robert Bassett, Leonard F. McCollum, Benjamin F. Biaggini, George Meany, I[lorwith] W. Abel, Leonard Woodcock, Floyd E. (\"Red\") Smith, Frank E. Fitzsimmons, Dr. C. Jackson (\"Dan\") Grayson, Jr., William W. Scranton, John William Queenan, William T. Coleman, Jr., Marina von Neumann Whitman, J. Wilson Newman, and Robert F. Lanzillotti, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:38 am and 11:59 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 081-001 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"CAB","recordingDevice":"Cabinet Room","latitudeEstimated":38.8975,"longitudeEstimated":-77.0374,"chronCode":"Cabinet","chronRelease":"Cabinet Room Release","chronReleaseDate":"16-Oct-1997","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 081-001\n\nDate: October 22, 1971\n\nTime: Unknown between 10:38 am and 11:59 pm\n\nLocation: Cabinet Room\n\nGeorge H. Boldt met with Arnold R. Weber, Dr. Neil H. Jacoby, William G. Caples, Kermit\nGordon, Rocco C. Siciliano, Virgil B. Day, Robert Bassett, Leonard F. McCollum, Benjamin F.\nBiaggini, George Meany, I[lorwith] W. Abel, Leonard Woodcock, Floyd E. (“Red”) Smith,\nFrank E. Fitzsimmons, Dr. C. Jackson (“Dan”) Grayson, Jr., William W. Scranton, John William\nQueenan, William T. Colman, Jr., Marina von N. Whitman, J. Wilson Newman, and Robert F.\nLanzillotti\n\n[Recording begins while the conversation is in progress]\n     National economy\n           -Pay Board\n           -Price Commission\n           -Inflation\n           -Price Index\n           -Wage-price freeze\n                 -Weber\n[Breaks in conversation]\nThe President entered at 10:52 am\n     Greetings\n     National economy\n          -Government regulation\n                -Office of Price Administration [OPA]\n                -Initiation of Pay Board and Price Commission\n                -Voluntary support\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n                 -Effect of controls\n                 -Public support for wage-price freeze\n                 -Controls and sanctions\n                 -Success or failure\n                 -White House support\n\n     The President’s previous meeting with Republican women\n          -End of Vietnam War\n               -Comparisons\n               -Long-term peace initiatives\n                     -[Thomas] Woodrow Wilson and League of Nations\n                     -United Nations [UN]\n          -Importance of United States’ relations with Union of Soviet Socialist Republics\n               [USSR] and People’s Republic of China [PRC]\n          -Foreign policy\n          -Threat of nuclear war\n          -Challenge of peace\n               -Paavo Nurmi\n                     -Running strategy\n\n     World situation\n         -Germany, Japan\n         -Europe\n         -People’s Republic of China [PRC]\n         -Taiwan\n         -Singapore\n         -Hong Kong\n         -USSR\n         -US, Western Europe, Eastern Europe/Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR],\n                People’s Republic of China [PRC], China\n         -Latin America, Africa\n         -US government\n                -Competitiveness\n                     -Economy\n\n     National economy\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n             -The President’s August 15, 1971 speech\n             -High tariffs\n             -Roles of Pay Board and Price Commission\n\nThe President left at 11:09 pm\n\n     Conclusion of the meeting\n\n[Recording is cut off while the conversation is in progress]\n\nBoldt, et al. left at an unknown time before 11:59 pm","filename":["081-001-splice.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Pay Board and Price Commission","Boldt, George H.","Weber, Arnold R.","Gordon, Kermit","Siciliano, Rocco C.","Day, Virgil B.","Bassett, Robert","McCollum, Leonard F.","Biaggini, Benjamin F.","Meany, George","Abel, I[lorwith] W.","Woodcock, Leonard","Smith, Floyd E. (\"Red\")","Smith, Floyd E. (\"Red\")","Fitzsimmons, Frank E.","Grayson, C. Jackson (\"Dan\"), Jr. (Dr.)","Scranton, William W.","Queenan, John William","Coleman, William T., Jr.","Whitman, Marina von Neumann","Newman, J. Wilson","Lanzillotti, Robert F."],"prevCode":"080-003","nextCode":"081-002","tapeTranscriptFile":"081a.mp3,081b.mp3","transcript":[{"start":0.41,"end":14.03,"text":"I thought it might be worthwhile to begin by commenting briefly on the question of where are we as the pay boards and credit unions are now coming into the picture."},{"start":16.46,"end":33.97,"text":"There are, I think, clearly indications that the rate of inflation, for example, was announced approximately three months ago, as I recall, and it showed a tenth of a percent rise."},{"start":34.09,"end":42.66,"text":"But I think the more interesting thing is that approximately 4,000 non-food commodity prices priced"},{"start":45,"end":67.11,"text":"or the usual index, 80,000% of the prices remained unchanged, and 6% went down, or in other words, 93% of all of the 4,000 prices either remained unchanged or declined, 8% went up, and much of the rise in the 210, which is part of the statistical scenario, could be explained by the question"},{"start":73.39,"end":98.73,"text":"factors as some of the highest indexes in the price index are not actually priced every month, such as college tuitions, which are priced once a year, and first came into the index in September, or I think more prices went up some because they are hot and cold, that's because the surcharge could be faster and so on."},{"start":98.81,"end":102.73,"text":"So at least there is a trend here that has been, I think,"},{"start":103.19,"end":108.96,"text":"The freeze itself, the waste price freeze itself has been well accepted."},{"start":109.12,"end":114.06,"text":"In fact, I think it has been generally fairly well brought."},{"start":114.08,"end":121.69,"text":"This is a tribute to a man who has become an elder statesman with that operation, Art Weber."},{"start":129.48,"end":149.77,"text":"And my question was about one of the great challenges of public service in this century."},{"start":149.79,"end":151.93,"text":"So I started around ."},{"start":159.1,"end":159.9,"text":"Good to see you."},{"start":159.92,"end":160.28,"text":"Good to see you."},{"start":180.33,"end":181.29,"text":"First of all, thank you, Mr. President."},{"start":181.31,"end":182.29,"text":"You thought you were playing up to me."},{"start":182.31,"end":182.71,"text":"Well, of course."},{"start":182.73,"end":184.29,"text":"I said that it's the Golden Gate Women's Federation."},{"start":184.31,"end":186.69,"text":"I said, having one woman here, that's a better rate than the American Bargain of Women."},{"start":186.71,"end":187.19,"text":"I said, how are you?"},{"start":187.21,"end":187.63,"text":"I said, how are you?"},{"start":205.47,"end":207.17,"text":"I appreciate it."},{"start":207.29,"end":208.01,"text":"Mr. Grayson?"},{"start":208.03,"end":209.55,"text":"Yes, how are you?"},{"start":210.21,"end":211.49,"text":"Good to see you."},{"start":211.53,"end":213.19,"text":"Good to have you here."},{"start":214.87,"end":215.4,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":215.5,"end":218.96,"text":"I do not, President."},{"start":219,"end":220.04,"text":"Good to see you."},{"start":220.16,"end":224.88,"text":"How are you?"},{"start":225.18,"end":225.88,"text":"Good to see you."},{"start":225.94,"end":228.52,"text":"Mr. President, we just got started."},{"start":228.66,"end":231.72,"text":"And, yes, you and I, it won't take long."},{"start":238.75,"end":239.91,"text":"The will, I'm trying to say, is a very unusual one."},{"start":239.93,"end":240.55,"text":"They're saying, how many days?"},{"start":261.08,"end":272.73,"text":"So I wanted to say to you, to this group, that first, to express appreciation for your taking this time."},{"start":272.9,"end":289.18,"text":"I can also say from long experience, not only in government, but in humans,"},{"start":290.8,"end":295.69,"text":"the old OPA, beginning of the war."},{"start":295.79,"end":301.53,"text":"This is a thankless job, but an armistice report."},{"start":301.65,"end":319.76,"text":"I decided to begin my own evacuation by making an admission of something that many of you will hear, and this is absolutely something that you cannot deny."},{"start":321.63,"end":335.7,"text":"One of the analysis waiting for the price to be made and the answers to the committee, et cetera, et cetera."},{"start":335.88,"end":343.83,"text":"I am the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the,"},{"start":349.09,"end":353.07,"text":"We can make it not fussy and very certain."},{"start":353.09,"end":358.97,"text":"But the way to make it not fussy and very certain is to have a system of absolute control throughout the economy."},{"start":360.01,"end":368.32,"text":"And rather than having basically a system which will have the need and the sort of compliance"},{"start":369.42,"end":390.58,"text":"and a system that depends upon existing government personnel for the most part, and the police system, and a system that depends primarily upon massive public and voluntary support, you may go, or speaking of a massive office of controls for wages and prices."},{"start":390.73,"end":393.25,"text":"What would that cost?"},{"start":393.35,"end":395.49,"text":"Well, it would cost the person money."},{"start":397.32,"end":401.25,"text":"at least 50,000 new patients."},{"start":401.31,"end":418.5,"text":"But the cost that concerns me the most, and the reason we've taken this road, is the cost that we would be involved in."},{"start":424.58,"end":427.57,"text":"taking this, what I believe is this"},{"start":428.53,"end":454.66,"text":"a vibrant, potentially powerful economy of ours, and putting it in a straitjacket, and slandering its capability for growth and the like, and then ran into a situation where we would be such damage to it, or on the other side of the coin, that people"},{"start":455.71,"end":463.2,"text":"that become so used to controls that they might resign themselves to continue."},{"start":463.22,"end":466.08,"text":"Let me start at the other end of the discussion."},{"start":466.18,"end":474.39,"text":"If there's anything I believe very, very strongly is the future of this country lies not in the group of more hard government controls or less."},{"start":477.69,"end":486.65,"text":"And so having said that, if you were to poll a majority of the people today, a majority would be for wage controls and price controls."},{"start":486.67,"end":497.78,"text":"As a matter of fact, the majority very strongly supported the wage price breach when I announced it, because they thought, well, it's gonna stop the rise of the cost of living, so they fought."},{"start":497.96,"end":499.38,"text":"That is true, this is the beginning."},{"start":500.9,"end":524.5,"text":"But when we look at what happens to controls, our own experience in this country, the experience abroad, we all have to reach the conclusion that the rigid, regimented government control route is not the best route for this country if we want to continue to expand to lead the world in our economy."},{"start":526.1,"end":528.22,"text":"So consequently, we have set this one."},{"start":529.08,"end":532.04,"text":"on a basis where we do have sanctions."},{"start":532.16,"end":537.11,"text":"Understand as you know, we have asked the Congress for sanctions."},{"start":537.27,"end":541.51,"text":"But we do have a price commission, a wage board that we expect to do a job."},{"start":542.39,"end":553.88,"text":"But also set up on the basis where we hope that over a period of time, we can move away from the control system."},{"start":554.96,"end":561.88,"text":"And two, an economy that can operate without a form of freedom."},{"start":562.84,"end":570.87,"text":"So having set that goal, I want to say that that makes your job all the more hard, all harder."},{"start":571.83,"end":581.98,"text":"It's very easy really to take a system where every I and a is is done and every T is crossed, but when you know"},{"start":583.1,"end":584.72,"text":"We have all the rules and regulations."},{"start":584.86,"end":589.61,"text":"When somebody asks you questions in one of the areas, you don't do this whack and so forth."},{"start":589.68,"end":594.25,"text":"Or you've got enough personnel and police and so forth around the country to be careful."},{"start":594.27,"end":595.81,"text":"It's that simple."},{"start":595.83,"end":598.05,"text":"A bunch of clerks can do it."},{"start":598.15,"end":599.83,"text":"And a bunch of top clerks."},{"start":599.93,"end":602.43,"text":"But a system like this is very different."},{"start":602.45,"end":607.83,"text":"A system like this requires, which requires men, women, and"},{"start":609.06,"end":626.38,"text":"the program will fail if we have to rely too much on the compliance as far as government is concerned."},{"start":626.42,"end":634,"text":"If we have to rely too much on the sanctions of government, then in my view,"},{"start":634.6,"end":637.14,"text":"And this will fall on its own weight."},{"start":637.16,"end":663.34,"text":"So what you need to come down to is your responsibility as you mentioned before to take this very, very difficult assignment, look at some objectives, make them realistic, and then proceed to find a way to implement those objectives without the installation of massive controls."},{"start":665.29,"end":677.7,"text":"Now, I would like to tell all of you that getting you to serve in the force, that you were the only ones we had."},{"start":677.8,"end":679.56,"text":"It's not true."},{"start":680.14,"end":682.36,"text":"In fact, we wanted all of you."},{"start":682.38,"end":682.76,"text":"You were asked."},{"start":683.38,"end":689.6,"text":"But I can tell you that there are many people in this country, officers, executives, the rest, who didn't have the guts."},{"start":691,"end":691.66,"text":"to take this on."},{"start":692.74,"end":693.72,"text":"I'm afraid it might not work."},{"start":694.92,"end":712.84,"text":"For that reason, I just want to say that I appreciate the fact that around this table we have to stand and know that this is a difficult problem, and know that it's necessary for the country, which we're going to have an economy without this burial of inflation that destroys all the goals we have."},{"start":714.79,"end":718.74,"text":"We know that, and we have to take the assignment on public business."},{"start":718.98,"end":728.64,"text":"I think if I could speak, if I had total backing from the White House, or if I had total backing from whatever, that may be able to contribute."},{"start":728.8,"end":730.98,"text":"I will, of course, be here."},{"start":731.06,"end":733.85,"text":"You will be the customer, the counsel."},{"start":734.01,"end":736.49,"text":"I will, from time to time, of course,"},{"start":737.31,"end":754.69,"text":"Whatever the case may be, I do realize that you, and particularly those who have accepted the responsibilities of the chairman of both districts, have given a great sacrifice"},{"start":755.67,"end":767.7,"text":"great risk, the reputation you have, and you all have fine reputations, are on the line, and that I am most grateful for, and the country will be most grateful for."},{"start":768.32,"end":784.65,"text":"Looking down the road, I just spoke to a group of women in Sheridan Park, very interested in many things, bees, all the great ideals, and this motivates all of our people to"},{"start":787.98,"end":790.94,"text":"war also must be addressed."},{"start":791.2,"end":802.73,"text":"And I made this point that we're in a very interesting and to use almost a cliche word, historic period in our war policy."},{"start":803.21,"end":809.03,"text":"We're ending a war that's going to come in a long history."},{"start":809.05,"end":813.47,"text":"But we're doing something that we haven't done adequately after the other wars that we've had."},{"start":814.38,"end":818.61,"text":"We are looking far down the road in attempting to build the peace."},{"start":819.95,"end":832.99,"text":"In Paris, like we said, Wilson tried to after World War I and failed because of lack of cooperation and response from both sides."},{"start":833.01,"end":843.87,"text":"And then after World War II, we had the United Nations, but too many hopes were raised for an organization that could never be solved, felt no great powers from a submitted state to a hundred and fifty soldiers."},{"start":845.1,"end":846.64,"text":"And so therefore, that is important."},{"start":846.7,"end":858,"text":"But since the United Nations, since World War II and all those great hopes, the United States has had two wars, one in Korea and one in Vietnam."},{"start":859.88,"end":863.92,"text":"So when you finally come down to it, we have to look at the power structure in the world."},{"start":863.97,"end":865.85,"text":"We continue to support the United Nations."},{"start":865.93,"end":871.13,"text":"We work with our friends in Europe and our friends in Latin America and our friends in Africa."},{"start":871.15,"end":878.81,"text":"But where the game is going to be determined is what happens between the United States and the Soviet Union today and the next media future."},{"start":878.83,"end":886.52,"text":"And looking further down the line between the United States and the Soviet Union and the other great superpower, mainly China."},{"start":887.52,"end":889.14,"text":"That's why I'm taking the trip to China."},{"start":889.22,"end":892.56,"text":"That's why I'm taking the trip to the Soviet Union."},{"start":892.58,"end":906.16,"text":"These are those trips are going to mean that after the United States, Americans, Russians, and Chinese, particularly our leaders, who might all agree on everything, we have great differences, philosophical differences, historical differences, that will never be resolved."},{"start":907.02,"end":908.78,"text":"We're destined to be competitors."},{"start":910.69,"end":918.75,"text":"and making what it is to compete without war, only between ourselves and the simulating one of our swords."},{"start":918.86,"end":925.32,"text":"And so, we're in this period of time where there's still a great deal, of course, of danger."},{"start":926.51,"end":931.3,"text":"But Larry, I think we can say that the easiest problem is ending the one war."},{"start":931.34,"end":934.1,"text":"Can we come to the more difficult problem?"},{"start":934.82,"end":938.72,"text":"Problems in the relationship between the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union."},{"start":939.06,"end":940.54,"text":"Can we have an agreement on Europe?"},{"start":940.57,"end":942.27,"text":"Can we have an agreement on living arms?"},{"start":942.33,"end":947.27,"text":"Can we have an agreement to find cool off committees and all these things?"},{"start":947.29,"end":951.55,"text":"And further on the line, between the United States and China."},{"start":951.57,"end":954.74,"text":"On all of these fronts, I can only say that"},{"start":956.2,"end":977.31,"text":"that there's no greater hope than there's been at any time in this century, mainly because great forces are propelling, for different reasons in some instances, and for the same reasons in others, that same reason being the fear of a nuclear confrontation that each nation has toward talking rather than fighting."},{"start":979.33,"end":985.59,"text":"Once that happens, let us suppose in the last third of this century we've had, and what we have not had,"},{"start":986.28,"end":992.76,"text":"and any generation in this century a period of peace for the United States."},{"start":992.93,"end":994.69,"text":"What does it mean?"},{"start":994.71,"end":998.25,"text":"It will be the greatest challenge this country has had since it began."},{"start":1000.35,"end":1004.63,"text":"Let me try it if I can in terms of sports."},{"start":1004.95,"end":1013.46,"text":"I just don't want to be a sportsman, you know, football, baseball, bowling, you name it."},{"start":1013.5,"end":1014.82,"text":"I've tried it all, failed it all."},{"start":1014.84,"end":1016.5,"text":"I also follow track."},{"start":1016.52,"end":1020.16,"text":"A few of you around this table are old enough to remember the 1924, 1928 Olympics."},{"start":1020.52,"end":1024.79,"text":"You remember Paolo Nermi, the great Finnish winner."},{"start":1025.97,"end":1028.15,"text":"He was never beaten."},{"start":1029.77,"end":1033.87,"text":"He never broke four minutes, the miner."},{"start":1033.89,"end":1035.89,"text":"The reason he never broke four minutes, he didn't have any competitors."},{"start":1036.53,"end":1037.63,"text":"He used to run with the worst match."},{"start":1038.57,"end":1042.09,"text":"And that was before, when they had Ravage."},{"start":1042.21,"end":1056.16,"text":"And now all great four-minute miners, they got one guy who turns out in his first quarter, another runs the second quarter, another runs the third quarter, and as a result, they press themselves beyond what they thought were the barriers to human endurance, to run 3.53, 3.52, 3.55."},{"start":1056.54,"end":1057.88,"text":"Sort of a team."},{"start":1058.26,"end":1058.68,"text":"Here's Ernie."},{"start":1059.59,"end":1061.45,"text":"Probably could have been the first man to break four minutes."},{"start":1062.71,"end":1068.58,"text":"But he ran at the wristwatch, and he tightened the saws."},{"start":1068.6,"end":1070.83,"text":"And it still did very well, so let it be."},{"start":1070.9,"end":1072.73,"text":"He ran four or three of them was his best time."},{"start":1074.5,"end":1084.71,"text":"The United States, in a sense, since World War II, up until four or five years ago, maybe even up until now, has been running with a wristwatch."},{"start":1084.81,"end":1087.91,"text":"Nobody really could compete with us after World War II."},{"start":1087.93,"end":1089.53,"text":"We were still pre-eminent for it."},{"start":1089.57,"end":1092.57,"text":"Who would have dreamed that the Russians and the Japanese"},{"start":1094.02,"end":1099.58,"text":"But we're processing as we stand in World War II, and now the Army, too, makes their competitors in the free world, which they are."},{"start":1100.06,"end":1104.2,"text":"Who would have dreamed that Europe was so divided after World War II?"},{"start":1104.26,"end":1105.84,"text":"Now, probably, it's going to get together."},{"start":1105.88,"end":1115.57,"text":"You're going to have 300 million people, the greatest, most powerful trading bloc in the world, just looking further down the road, looking at the"},{"start":1117.19,"end":1125.49,"text":"Whatever we want to say about the Chinese economy, it is not, at the present time, particularly important because it produces only one half of the Japanese economy."},{"start":1126.6,"end":1142.35,"text":"About 750 million Chinese, if you've ever been to Taiwan or Singapore, or if you've ever been to Hong Kong, can see what Chinese people can do as the world opens up, and as they meet, they're going to be enormous competitors."},{"start":1143.77,"end":1146.73,"text":"Needless to say, the Russians will be, even with their lousy systems."},{"start":1147.85,"end":1150.05,"text":"So here's the new world that we're in now."},{"start":1150.09,"end":1151.85,"text":"This is just the United States of America."},{"start":1151.89,"end":1155.07,"text":"There are five runners in this race in the great industrial revolution."},{"start":1155.11,"end":1156.71,"text":"There's the United States."},{"start":1156.77,"end":1158.65,"text":"There's the 300 million people in Western Europe."},{"start":1159.81,"end":1162.35,"text":"There are the 300 million people in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union."},{"start":1163.45,"end":1166.97,"text":"There are 50 million people looking ahead, 750 million people in China."},{"start":1167.23,"end":1168.91,"text":"And there's Japan."},{"start":1169.67,"end":1170.59,"text":"Those are the great runners."},{"start":1170.87,"end":1171.25,"text":"That's all."},{"start":1172.43,"end":1176.07,"text":"Black America's important, Africa is, and so forth, but that's where you're going to work."},{"start":1177.89,"end":1180.21,"text":"Now what does that all mean to us?"},{"start":1180.25,"end":1186.3,"text":"What it means is that the United States at this time, at this time, can't afford to be fat."},{"start":1187.14,"end":1188.4,"text":"We can't afford to be inefficient."},{"start":1189.1,"end":1190.8,"text":"We can't afford to be uncompetitive."},{"start":1191.6,"end":1195.76,"text":"That is one of the reasons why we have to get at this depressionary problem."},{"start":1195.82,"end":1197.74,"text":"We have to get at the way it's caused spiral."},{"start":1197.77,"end":1201.55,"text":"We've got to get at the problem of inhibitions."},{"start":1201.97,"end":1204.43,"text":"We've got to get at the problem of government."},{"start":1204.45,"end":1206.69,"text":"That's one of the reasons why reorganization of government."},{"start":1207.57,"end":1211.19,"text":"Government is the most significant organization in the country today."},{"start":1211.21,"end":1213.28,"text":"I know, because I head the government."},{"start":1213.6,"end":1213.96,"text":"It's lousy."},{"start":1213.98,"end":1215.18,"text":"It's terrible."},{"start":1215.48,"end":1217.12,"text":"And that's one of the reasons we're trying to reform it."},{"start":1217.16,"end":1219.85,"text":"The law of business is in addition to it."},{"start":1219.88,"end":1221.79,"text":"The law of labor is in addition."},{"start":1223.17,"end":1223.93,"text":"And at this time,"},{"start":1224.48,"end":1234.66,"text":"If the United States, in the kind of a race that we're in economically, is not dead and strong and vigorous and efficient, others are going to pass us by."},{"start":1234.7,"end":1238.17,"text":"Oh, I know there are many who will say, forget it."},{"start":1239.41,"end":1240.55,"text":"We don't worry about that."},{"start":1240.63,"end":1242.77,"text":"We still go all around ourselves."},{"start":1242.81,"end":1245.45,"text":"Many welcomed my August 15th speech for the wrong reason."},{"start":1245.67,"end":1251.54,"text":"They said, listen in, Craig, we're going to have a 10% switch, and we're trying to ease the burden of return, but we won't be able to compete with this anymore."},{"start":1253.93,"end":1255.43,"text":"We can build war on ourselves."},{"start":1255.79,"end":1256.65,"text":"We can have courtesies."},{"start":1257.37,"end":1258.35,"text":"We can make them permanent."},{"start":1258.61,"end":1263.42,"text":"We can say that the low cost of bras cannot compete with the United States and are not going to be allowed to again."},{"start":1264.06,"end":1269.18,"text":"But any nation that builds its wall around itself ceases to be a great nation."},{"start":1269.22,"end":1270.44,"text":"We've got to stay in the race."},{"start":1271.6,"end":1272.84,"text":"So this brings me back."},{"start":1272.86,"end":1277.71,"text":"I'm about to talk to where we are right now in the value of the work."},{"start":1278.69,"end":1281.29,"text":"Your work is a lot bigger than simply"},{"start":1282.24,"end":1298.91,"text":"this wage or price for it, and you're gonna be mad in the press and say, oh, this is fuzzy, why did they come up with that, why did they do that?"},{"start":1298.99,"end":1306.68,"text":"But in this very difficult period, you can do, I don't know where to see it, is there a, I'm sorry, a more difficult place to come from."},{"start":1306.86,"end":1311,"text":"You can not, you can make a contribution to,"},{"start":1312.92,"end":1322.4,"text":"You can make that contribution in such a way that we can continue to have a strong, free American economy."},{"start":1322.62,"end":1325.64,"text":"This is really worthwhile."},{"start":1325.82,"end":1329.35,"text":"So I'm simply saying to you, the job is tough."},{"start":1329.55,"end":1331.87,"text":"It's sandwiched with good material."},{"start":1331.99,"end":1333.41,"text":"And I'm glad you did."}],"transcriptBoundary":{"start":0,"end":1345,"startMethod":"llm-alignment","endMethod":"llm-alignment"},"transcriptConfidence":"high","transcriptSource":"bigtape","originalFilename":["081a.mp3","081b.mp3"],"spliceSource":{"spliceType":"bigtape","sourceFiles":["081a.mp3"],"cutStart":0,"cutEnd":1346.5,"adjustedStart":0,"adjustedEnd":1346.5,"boundaryMethod":"llm-alignment","confidence":"high","splicedAt":"2026-09-18T14:10:18.304Z"},"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon met with members of the newly formed Pay Board and Price Commission to discuss the administration's strategy for curbing inflation through the wage-price freeze. Nixon emphasized his preference for a system reliant on voluntary public support rather than the rigid, expansive government controls characteristic of the Office of Price Administration. He thanked the board members for their service and sacrifice, acknowledging that their mission to stabilize the economy without long-term government intervention presented a significant challenge. The President also contextualized these domestic economic efforts within his broader foreign policy agenda, highlighting the importance of managing relations with the Soviet Union and China to maintain global peace.","topics":["Pay Board","Price Commission","Inflation","Wage-price freeze","Economic policy","Foreign policy"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T07:51:45.969Z"},"topicSlugs":["pay-board","price-commission","inflation","wage-price-freeze","economic-policy","foreign-policy"],"audioDurationSec":1347,"audioFiles":[{"file":"081-001-splice.mp3","bytes":21544609,"durationSec":1346.51,"bitrate":128002,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T14:10:18.304Z","transcriptPrev":{"segments":127,"replacedAt":"2026-09-18T05:42:05.116Z"},"findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:48.232Z","transcriptGapSeconds":54,"transcriptGapShare":0.04,"transcriptQuality":"incomplete","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/081-001-splice.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/081-001","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/81/conversation-081-001","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}