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Conversation 148-010

TapeTape 148StartTuesday, October 10, 1972 at 8:52 PMEndTuesday, October 10, 1972 at 8:55 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Byrnes, John W.Recording deviceCamp David Study Table
AI Summary

President Nixon calls Congressman John W. Byrnes to congratulate him on a successful House vote regarding the debt limit expenditure ceiling. Seeking to maintain legislative momentum, Nixon outlines his plan to pressure Republican senators during an upcoming Thursday morning meeting to ensure a unified front. Byrnes and the President agree that securing a substantial vote is critical to strengthening their position in the subsequent House-Senate conference committee.

debt limitexpenditure ceilingRepublican Partylegislative strategyHouse-Senate conference
AudioNARA Description

On October 10, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John W. Byrnes talked on the telephone at Camp David from 8:52 pm to 8:55 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 148-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 148-10

Date: October 10, 1972
Time: 8:52 pm - 8:55 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with John W. Byrnes.

[See Conversation No. 219-12]

        House of Representatives
           -Vote on debt limit expenditure ceiling

        The President's schedule
            -Meeting with Republican senators
                -Timing
                -Scenario for debt ceiling conference
                     -Possible battle between Republicans and Democrats

                                       (rev. Oct-06)

                     -William V. Roth, Jr.
                     -The President’s view
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Hello?
Congressman Burns, sir.
Could we hear, please?
Hello?
Yes, sir, Mr. President.
Well, I just wanted to thank you for a great job you did today.
Oh, my goodness.
That was a hell of a vote.
It was.
Everything turned out great.
Right.
I'm as pleased as you are.
I'm going to have in the senators, you know, the Republican senators at least, Thursday morning at 9 o'clock.
And, you know...
I put their feet to the fire.
Huh?
I'd put their feet to the fire.
Oh, I will.
Now, will you have any guidance as to what we ought to do?
Tell them you'll let us know, and I'll have them there at 9 o'clock and work them over and tell them that this is a matter of... that the people that are going to be in that conference, they better damn well stand up.
Oh, hell, well, you know...
I think we'll put the heat on them, too, you know, as far as just accepting anything that doesn't have one.
I see.
You know.
Yeah, you can do that, can't you?
Well, we'll tell them what the hell.
In conference, even if they don't do anything, it's going to be in conference.
Yeah.
See?
Yeah, I see.
So what the Republicans can do, sure, they're going to have a battle from the Democrats.
Sure.
But at least strengthen the hand of those, and even if they lose.
They've got to put up a good Republican front so that in conference, on the House side, we can just lay a tomb and say, hell no, we're not going to take it without it.
Right.
Good.
But if they get a very poor support on the Republican side, then we're kind of put behind an eight ball in the conference to insist that...
Right.
Right.
We're going to have to have this ceiling in there.
But Roth is pushing hard over there.
He ought to be able to get 35, 40 votes, I think.
Well, the big thing is really the size of the vote.
I think they're probably going to have more trouble than we had in some respects.
Yes.
But the big thing is to just get a substantial vote so that we can go to the Madden conference.
Right, right.
I got the message.
And we'll let it cool a day, and then 9 o'clock Thursday morning, I'll put their feet to the fire.
Yeah.
Okay.
Okay.
All right.
Thank you.
Yeah, not at all.
Thank you.
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