Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 117
Nixon White House Tape 117 (March 6, 1973 – March 9, 1973)
5 conversations · Cabinet Room · about 5 hr 26 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Lynn, Cole, Agnew, Rogers
President Nixon met with representatives from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities to address concerns regarding the administration's urban policies and pending federal budget cutbacks. The mayors, led by figures like Roman S. Gribbs and Richard G. Lugar, expressed anxiety over the transition to new funding models, specifically highlighting urgent needs for summer youth employment programs and the impact of the Better Communities Act. In response, administration officials including James T. Lynn clarified the status of transitional funding and the Public Employment Program, while the President urged local leaders to maintain a broader fiscal perspective and suggested a collaborative process to resolve specific community-level issues.
President Nixon met with members of the National Security Council and other senior officials to discuss the strategic balance of power between the U.S. and the USSR, specifically in anticipation of the SALT II negotiations. The discussion focused on the impact of qualitative and quantitative disparities in throw-weight, bombers, and MIRV technology on U.S. and Soviet first- and second-strike capabilities. Nixon emphasized the importance of maintaining an appearance of strategic equivalence to preserve the confidence of U.S. allies and domestic support, directing his team to refine their negotiating strategy without rushing into a premature moratorium on weapons testing.
An unidentified individual instructs an associate named Dick regarding logistical arrangements for a meeting. The discussion centers on the use of a vehicle and coordination with the Secretary of Commerce to facilitate a meeting at David M. Kennedy’s office. The conversation concludes with a directive to expedite the process involving an individual identified as Mr. Latimer.
In this Cabinet Room meeting, Mustafa Khar, Aziz Ahmed, and Sultan Mohammed Khan engaged in a comparative discussion with an American official regarding the structural nuances of the United States and Pakistani governments. The conversation focused on constitutional frameworks, the division of power between central and provincial authorities, and the functional organization of the Cabinet and National Security Council. Participants explored historical lessons from the U.S. Civil War and federalism to better understand the challenges of balancing regional autonomy with national unity as Pakistan navigated its own constitutional development.
President Nixon and his Cabinet met to launch a strategic public relations campaign, titled the Presidential Spokesmen program, aimed at pressuring Congress to support his budget priorities and oppose spending-heavy legislation. Nixon urged his officials to frame the budget debate not as a constitutional conflict, but as a direct choice between the economic interests of the 'New American Majority' and the fiscal irresponsibility of the opposition. The session included briefings on foreign policy, defense spending, and law enforcement, emphasizing the need for administration spokesmen to maintain a positive, disciplined narrative while avoiding defensive posturing on 'false issues.'