On December 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Wilbur D. Mills talked on the telephone from 10:01 am to 10:06 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 016-018 of the White House Tapes.
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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.
Mr. President, that was Congressman Wilbur Mills.
Yeah.
Yes, I'm ready.
All right.
Hello.
Good morning, sir.
How are you this morning?
Feeling fine.
Let me tell you why I called you.
I thought that there was a lousy story in the paper this morning to the effect that Mills had finally had to cave in to pressure from this and that and on and so forth.
I want you to know I don't look at it that way at all.
It seems to me that what is happening here
And I've told everybody around this shop, I'm just going to go in and meet with the representatives of governors and mayors and county officials, that the Ways and Means Committee and the chairman, we have to work together on this thing.
We've had to give on some things, and you gave on some things, and in the end, we've given some relief.
Is that a proper line?
Because I think, Wilbur, we just mustn't have this idea that this is a fight between the administration and the Congress, because, frankly, we don't have the votes down there, to be very candid with you.
You've got the votes, and you know it.
Well, why don't you add this to in talking to them?
Look what H.R.
1 does for the state's $1.6 billion savings.
And my health program that I've advanced to the Congress provides another $1.8 billion savings.
Right.
How many more of these bills do you want, giving you relief?
Right, right.
All right, I'll hit H.R.
1 and the health one, too.
Good.
This does concentrate, as you know, on cities and counties.
Yeah, I know.
I thought that the $1.8 that's in here plus the $1.8 in your health program really will pass up and give them that much relief.
plus 1.6 in HR1 ought to be enough.
That's more than the revenue sharing proposal gave them.
Now, on the revenue sharing thing, what is the prospect on that now?
I'm going to put it, unless you ask us in your message to take something up ahead of it, and, of course, it's too early to tell you yet.
I know one of you are mine.
I want to put it the first thing up and then go immediately into executive session when we dispose of that.
That'll be great.
You mean you'd put it on the first... Oh, yes, after January 1st.
Good, good, and that'll get it out of the way.
What do you think...
I haven't really followed the Senate because I knew we had to wait now, so what's going to happen over there, Wilbur, do you know?
Russell told me in this conference that they were going to have the H.R.
1 on the floor in February or March next year for a vote.
But what will he do with revenue sharing, you think?
They'll take revenue sharing.
They will?
Well, the thing is, let me just be quite direct.
I was told, Johnny Burns, that I thought that you and me, you just did a terrific job on
I mean, that Christmas tree that came over from the Senate, the way you fellows handled that was beautiful.
But the point is, can you do the same thing here in the event the Senate adds a lot of goodies here on revenue sharing?
It may come back, you'll never recognize the baby.
Look, Mr. President, they've been very, very cooperative with me all these years.
On conference committees?
Oh, sure they have.
When John and I stand together, they give in.
Well, two, they've got responsible people that will stand with you here.
Well, there's not a more responsible person anywhere than Carl Curtis or Talmadge of Georgia.
First class.
Wallace Bennett.
Bennett's sick, you know.
He is, but he'll probably be back.
Yeah, it's just ulcers.
I think he'll be back, yeah.
So we can handle it.
Right.
Well, let me say this, that I want it clearly understood that we want to work with you.
You know that.
We understand.
I mean, after all, you've got to take your position.
We've got to take...
But I want to work with you on this thing, and if you find any of our people that are giving any trouble on this, that we're getting out of line, you let me know or have Johnny or somebody.
Will you do that?
I'll do it, and I may bring up one other matter.
Sure.
I leaned over backward much to the concern of my own Democratic Party on this tax bill.
Yes, I understood.
Jerry Ford was mentioning that to me this morning.
There's a lot of pressure about it, and you've got access to other ways
stopping it if you want to do it in the future.
yeah i just hope we don't have any motion to recommit involved i see your point yeah uh well what would a motion let me ask what would a most recommit do it would just uh i don't know i think i can hear it all right yeah i just don't think we have a big fight on it yeah i think we can work that out okay just have a straight motion to recommit i'll get the word uh i'll get back to you this afternoon okay fine but that's your advice is it you say no okay all right well many thanks and uh
Ted Agnew has just met with all these fellows out in Hawaii, you know, and they were extremely pleased, and he may be in touch with you about it.
We can call it whatever we want to call it, but we'll get money to the cities and counties where they get money.
Right, right.
Okay.
Thanks a lot.
Bye.
Bye.