Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 112 › Conversation 112-001

Nixon, Stein & Solomon on Economic Report and Council of Economic Advisers

Wednesday, January 31, 1973 · 12:00 PM–12:08 PM ET · Cabinet Room · 9 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Stein, Herbert; Solomon, Ezra; Whitman, Marina von Neumann; James, Frances; Bagovich, Dorothy; Boltz, Paul W.; Burnett, Mayme; Darroch, John D.; Fibich, Mary C.; Fletcher, Carolyn; Foss, Murray F.; Furlong, Catherine H.; Gatling, James W.; Gibson, William E.; Green, Cheryl L.; Hoffman, Ronald L.; Hook, Mary W.; Johnson, William A.; Kaminski, Elizabeth A.; Lafakis, Bessie M.; Lee, Patricia A.; Mayer, Leo V.; McMahon, Madge V.; Munro, David C.; Noll, Jean P.; Norman, Frank C.; O'Neill, June A.; Perna, Nicholas S.; Pilkerton, Joyce A.; Reid, Earnestine; Reilly, Linda A.; Rentfro, Natalie V.; Seevers, Gary L.; Segal, Lydia; Siegel, Bettye T.; Skidmore, Nancy F.; Sturniolo, Lillie M.; Tollison, Robert D.; Vogel, Robert C.Conversation112-001 on Tape 112StartWednesday, January 31, 1973 at 12:00 PMEndWednesday, January 31, 1973 at 12:08 PMRecording deviceCabinet RoomSourceNixon Library record for 112-001 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Herbert Stein and staff from the Council of Economic Advisers in the Cabinet Room to sign the 1973 Economic Report. The discussion touched upon the timing of the report's release in relation to Vietnam policy announcements and media coverage, specifically referencing reporting by Hobart Rowen. The meeting concluded with Nixon distributing pens and commemorative gifts to the attendees while offering lighthearted remarks about the staff's work on the report.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Well, these gentlemen have read it.
I tell you this is really interesting.
You always told me you'd later write to them and hurt them, you know.
What did you do?
You've been here, we've had hard times, haven't we?
Well, we are promoted to write to them.
That's one of the first things in our report this year.
I saw that.
It has to be.
You've covered these papers.
What do you think, sir?
How do you do our lives?
Really?
We're doing pretty well.
Well, we certainly have very good members.
We're going to need a bunch of them at 1.30 now.
Well, here you go.
I want you to know that I delivered my address yesterday because there was an announcement for police.
was made the day that we got to the exhibition.
Now I want to be sure that this was complete.
Now let me say, it was easy for us to do it because I usually learn that in weeks.
So we just said, well, the weeks are correct.
That's the way to get a front page story.
We've got a lot of good television.
You're all on TV.
I can't make up my mind.
I'm afraid that's me.
But there was this big headline in the Star last night, I think.
The president's a great year ahead of the president.
They don't need to say that.
I hope it's true.
Hobart wrote it.
You never know.
You read him and you read this.
Do they go to the same school?
I'm not really wrong.
I use this one so that you all can see.
These boards are huge.
See, you're the one who did this to me.
Well, Miss James, the unit is just the right thing to do.
Now, it should be, should I give it to these people.
Oh, I'm just letting you know that it's all from a failure.
Now it gets to you three.
Now we have something for everybody else.
Now I want to tell you what we're doing.
Because, now the question is, we just gave you these hands.
But, uh, it's only important.
But, uh...
Because, you know, and the budget, he said, you know, we don't have the money to get our license.
All right, get them.
He said, get out.
And we got used.
We didn't wait.
But it was such a bullish report that the three counselors came up with that.
And he said, you've done such a good job in seeing that the economy was so good.
Of course, we give all the credit.
We thought we could afford a little more for you.
There's been a new king, you know.
by our friends, what is that company?
And you have the old president, President Tracee, but this is President Tracee, taken right off the carpet, miniaturized.
And so that goes to every one of the ladies, and every one of the men.
The men, because of where you work, Tim.
I'm sure you have wives.
If you don't have wives, you've got secretaries.
Or girlfriends.
The only rule here is if you give it to your secretary or girlfriend and you have a wife, don't tell your wife.
Very wrong.
So that's because it's a good reason to afford these.
We're sending a bill tomorrow.
It's worth reading.
Well, there's a lot of interesting stuff in there.
You might read me the background, but... That's not a new event.
What's the first play going?
Well, next year we're going to have a picture of the new event.
Oh, yeah.
When are we going to start?
When are we going to start?
What do you have?
Something.
I'll give it to you in a minute.
It's not that bad.
Well, you're not in charge.
You're the man in charge.
You're the man in charge.
You're the man in charge.
You're the man in charge.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Well, I'll tell them.
How many people?
Alright.
We have, we need two original people who have the same name.
Okay, I already need one, and I don't know if that's a good idea.
I don't know if that's a good idea.
I don't know if that's a good idea.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On January 31, 1973, during the signing of the 1973 Economic Report to Congress, President Richard M. Nixon and Herbert Stein, Ezra Solomon, Marina von Neumann Whitman, Frances James, Dorothy Bagovich, Paul W. Boltz, Mayme Burnett, John D. Darroch, Mary C. Fibich, D. Carolyn Fletcher, Murray F. Foss, Catherine H. Furlong, James W. Gatling, William E. Gibson, Cheryl L. Green, Ronald F. Hoffman, Mary W. Hook, William A. Johnson, Elizabeth A. Kaminski, Bessie M. Lafakis, Patricia A. Lee, Leo V. Mayer, Madge V. McMahon, David C. Munro, Jean P. Noll, Frank C. Norman, June A. O'Neill, Nicholas S. Perna, Joyce A. Pilkerton, Earnestine Reid, Linda A. Reilly, Natalie V. Rentfro, Gary L. Seevers, Lydia Segal, Bettye T. Siegel, Nancy F. Skidmore, Lillie M. Sturniolo, Robert D. Tollison, Robert C. Vogel, Alice H. Williams, Dorothy L. Green, and the White House photographer met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 pm and 12:08 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 112-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 112-1

Date: January 31, 1973
Time: Unknown after 12:00 pm until 12:08 pm
Location: Cabinet Room

Herbert Stein met with Ezra Solomon, Marina von N. Whitman, Frances James, Dorothy
Bagovich, Paul W. Boltz, Mayme Burnett, John D. Darroch, Mary C. Fibich, D. Carolyn
Fletcher, Murray F. Foss, Catherine H. Furlong, James W. Gatling, William E. Gibson, Cheryl L.
Green, Ronald F. Hoffman, Mary W. Hook, William A. Johnson, Elizabeth A. Kaminski, Bessie
M. Lafakis, Patricia A. Lee, Leo V. Mayer, Madge V. McMahon, David C. Munro, Jean P. Noll,
Frank C. Norman, June A. O’Neill, Nicholas S. Perna, Joyce A. Pilkerton, Earnestine Reid,
Linda A. Reilly, Natalie V. Rentfro, Gary L. Seevers, Lydia Segal, Bettye T. Siegel, Nancy F.
Skidmore, Lillie M. Sturniolo, Robert D. Tollison, Robert C. Vogel, Alice H. Williams, and
Dorothy L. Green; the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting

******************************************************************************

[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 09/03/2019.]
[Unintelligible]
[112-001-w001]
[Duration: 1m 55s]

     General conversation

******************************************************************************

The President entered at 12:03 pm

     Signing of 1973 Economic Report
          -Timing of release
                -Vietnam announcement
                      -Henry A. Kissinger
          -Media coverage
                -Leaks
                -Publicity
                -Washington Star
                -Hobart Rowen
          -Distribution of pens
                -Presidential seal

           -Budget
                -Council of Economic Advisors [CEA]
                -1972 economy

     Presentation of gifts by the President
          -Anecdotes

     1973 Economic Report

******************************************************************************

[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 09/03/2019.]
[Unintelligible]
[112-001-w002]
[Duration: 2m 57s]

     General conversation

******************************************************************************

The President, Stein, et al. left at 12:08 pm

Also recorded on January 31, 1973

  • 845-001 12:08 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:08 pm to 12:10 pm.
  • 403-025 12:24 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:24 pm to 12:36 pm.
  • 043-008 12:34 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 12:34 pm to 12:36 pm.
  • 043-009 12:36 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 12:38 pm.
  • 043-010 12:38 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan talked on the telephone from 12:38 pm to 12:41 pm.
  • 403-026 12:38 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 12:38 pm.
  • 403-027 12:38 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:38 pm to 12:41 pm.
  • 403-028 12:41 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:41 pm and 2:40 pm.

All 86 conversations from January 31, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 112-001, January 31, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/112-001 (accessed October 12, 2026).