Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 113 › Conversation 113-006

Nixon, Weinberger & Ash on 1974 Budget and Office of Management and Budget

Friday, January 26, 1973 · 12:09 PM–12:15 PM ET · Cabinet Room · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Weinberger, Caspar W. ("Cap"); Ash, Roy L.; Carlucci, Frank C., III; Malek, Frederic V.; Dwight, James S., Jr.; O'Neill, Paul H.; Dam, Kenneth W.; Morrill, William; Cohn, Samuel M.; Ink, Dwight A.; Rommel, Wilfred H.; Kohlberg, William H.; Taylor, David P.; Carlson, Jack W.; Haase, Walter W.; Shiskin, Julius; Crabill, Donald E.; Frey, James M.; Alger, Mark W.; Fischer, C. William; Veatch, Ellis H.; Young, John W.; Laitin, Joseph; Baldwin, Velma N.; Bradley, James; Taft, William H., IV; Yarbrough, Louise L.; Adkins, Roger; Heun, Howard; Hamm, William; Strait, Edward; Rotherham, James; McOmber, Dale R.; Modlin, C. Peter, Jr.; Modlin, C. Peter, Jr.; Clarke, Raymond; Strauss, George; Banks, Virginia; Pro, Florence; Fletcher, Mary; Woltz, Evelyn; Parker, Marilyn; Bethel, Isabelle; White House photographerConversation113-006 on Tape 113StartFriday, January 26, 1973 at 12:09 PMEndFriday, January 26, 1973 at 12:15 PMRecording deviceCabinet RoomSourceNixon Library record for 113-006 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon held a ceremonial gathering in the Cabinet Room with key staff from the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to sign the 1974 Budget Message. The meeting served primarily as an opportunity for the President to acknowledge the career civil servants in attendance, noting their years of service and the vital role they played in federal operations. Nixon shared lighthearted personal anecdotes about his own early work experience while distributing souvenir pens to those involved in the budget's development.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
sports artist, eh?
I was in law school in my second or third year.
I worked in the library
I always liked the smell of the book.
Ever work in the library?
That's where you go to do the old ones.
It'd be hateful.
I like the eyes.
Most of us have thought of the eyes just in the period.
Oh, I've got the eyes.
Now we've got the eye.
They're all kinds of things.
Those go.
And do I have to keep those?
And God go to leave them on the floor.
And I will present the canvas appropriately to the city.
The first one, of course, goes to Kat.
There he is.
I used to have been a saver, now I'm going to be a spender.
If we could get rid of that department, we could really balance the budget.
My Republican friend said to the President after the announcement was made, he said, well, I'm pretty surprised.
He said, I thought, of course, we were going to abolish that department if we won.
Okay, you're doing it with your own...
And we have our, as usual, our famous, I mean, our most devoted career citizen, Mr. Collins.
And let's see, Mr. Beecher.
I announced that right at my speech.
Thirty-eight years of service.
Thirty years of the way of being.
Thirty-one years.
When did you come with a gun?
Over 1934.
Over 1934.
That's the year I finished.
That's the year I finished.
Well, we wish we could pay you more, but you don't.
I'm proud.
Maybe next year, huh?
We've got to put a pay increase for what it will be next year.
We're going to put it first so we can solve all these other problems that might be a little left up there.
But we've got a Senate system.
We are going to be able to get a function of doing all the other things that you probably envision on your building work and so forth.
And it's very interesting not only to talk about what people do in various departments and power they have.
But I would probably suggest that the most powerful people is the governor in this room.
Now that being said, I'm going to say what I want you to do.
When you go home tonight and you see your wife or your husband sitting in the presence of him, you are among the most powerful people.
Thank you very much.
Unless you have some words you want to say.
We have a souvenir pen for everyone.
I will take a formal tribute to you at a later time, but I feel it very need to come.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On January 26, 1973, during the signing of the 1974 Budget Message to Congress, President Richard M. Nixon and Caspar ("Cap") Weinberger, Roy L. Ash, Frank C. Carlucci, III, Frederic V. Malek, James S. Dwight, Jr., Paul H. O'Neill, Kenneth W. Dam, William Morrill, Samuel M. Cohn, Dwight A. Ink, Wilfred H. Rommel, William H. Kohlberg, David P. Taylor, Jack W. Carlson, Walter W. Haase, Julius Shiskin, Donald E. Crabill, James M. Frey, Mark W. Alger, C. William Fischer, Ellis H. Veatch, John D. Young, Joseph Laitin, Velma N. Baldwin, James Bradley, William H. Taft, IV, Wilmer Hunt, Louise L. Yarbrough, Roger Adkins, Howard Heun, Edward Strait, William Hamm, James Rotherham, John Carey, Dale R. McOmber, C. Peter Modlin, Jr., Raymond Clarke, George Strauss, Virginia Banks, Terry Prevost, Florence Pro, Mary Fletcher, Evelyn Woltz, Marilyn Parker, Isabelle Bethel, White House photographer, and members of the press met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 12:09 pm to 12:15 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 113-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 113-6

Date: January 26, 1973
Time: 12:09 pm - 12:15 pm
Location: Cabinet Room

The President met with Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger, Roy L. Ash, Frank C. Carlucci, Frederic
V. Malek, James S. Dwight, Jr., Paul H. O’Neill, Kenneth W. Dam, William Morrill, Samuel M.
Cohn, Dwight A. Ink, Wilfred H. Rommel, William H. Kolberg, David P. Taylor, Jack W.
Carlson, Walter W. Haase, Julius Shiskin, Donald E. Crabill, James M. Frey, Mark W. Alger, C.
William Fischer, Ellis H. Veatch, John D. Young, Joseph Laitin, Velma N. Baldwin, James
Bradley, William H. Taft, IV, Wilmer Hunt, Louise L. Yarbrough, Roger Adkins, Howard Heun,
Edward Strait, William Hamm, James Rotherham, John Carey, Dale R. McOmber, C. Peter
Modlin, Jr., Raymond Clarke, George Strauss, Virginia Banks, Terry Prevost, Florence Pro,
Mary Fletcher, Evelyn Woltz, Marilyn Parker, and Isabelle Bethel; the White House
photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting

     1974 Budget signing ceremony
          -Quality of pens
          -Duke University Library
                -President’s employment
          -Distribution of pens
                -Weinberger
                      -Work on budget
                      -Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
                -Cohn
                -Veatch
                      -Office of Management and Budget [OMB] personnel
                      -Length of service
          -OMB’s role

     [General conversation/Unintelligible]

The President, et al. left at 12:15 pm

Also recorded on January 26, 1973

  • 843-016 10:34 AM · 2 min — Stephen B. Bull and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:34 am and 11:10 am.
  • 843-009 11:10 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Phyllis Galanti, Darlene Sadler, and Helene Knapp met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:10 am to 11:12 am.
  • 113-005 11:12 AM · 46 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and bipartisan Congressional leaders, including George P. Shultz, Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, Robert C. Byrd, Hugh Scott, Robert P. Griffin, John L. McClellan, Russell B. Long, Milton R. Young, Wallace F. Bennett, Carl B. Albert, Gerald R. Ford, John J. McFall, George H. Mahon, Wilbur D. Mills, Elford A. Cederberg, Herman T. Schneebeli, John D. Ehrlichman, Herbert Stein, William E. Timmons, Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Frederic V. Malek, Phyllis Galanti, Darlene Sadler, Helene Knapp, the White House photographer, and members of the press, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 11:12 am to 11:59 am.
  • 843-010 12:00 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:00 pm to 12:09 pm.
  • 843-011 12:15 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:15 pm and 12:21 pm.
  • 843-012 12:15 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:15 pm and 12:21 pm.
  • 843-013 12:21 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William E. Timmons, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:21 pm to 12:28 pm.
  • 843-014 12:28 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Adam Malik, and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:28 pm to 12:41 pm.

All 21 conversations from January 26, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 113-006, January 26, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/113-006 (accessed October 12, 2026).