Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 191 › Conversation 191-011

Nixon phone call with Shultz on Staffing and Economic Policy

Thursday, May 18, 1972 · 11:34 AM–11:37 AM ET · Camp David Hard Wire ·2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Shultz, George P.Conversation191-011 onTape 191 (tape position 00:35:35–00:38:04)StartThursday, May 18, 1972 at 11:34 AMEndThursday, May 18, 1972 at 11:37 AMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 191-011 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon advises George Shultz on the reorganization of his staff and the management of his new department, emphasizing the need for fresh perspectives and independent aides. Nixon encourages Shultz to recruit outside advisors, such as Milton Friedman, to foster new ideas and urges him to begin planning tax reform initiatives immediately rather than waiting for the next legislative session. The President grants Shultz broad autonomy to manage his team and administrative appointments as he sees fit.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Woods, please.

Yeah.

Yeah, I'll take it.

I'll take it.

Yeah, George.

Yeah, yeah.

Right.

You ought to bring in at least a couple of your own people.

You've got to have an aide that is your own.

Now, the one that impressed me that I thought was a particularly good, I like this Donnelly.

He's bright as a tack and he's a good salesman since he's new.

Of course, naturally, Walker and Booker you've got to keep.

But it's your judgment.

If you touch what you want to do, you go ahead and do it.

Well, the point is it's probably hard to get somebody to come for eight months.

That's all you can commit to at the moment.

But if you could get, I'd only suggest that if you could get, in order to get a conditional stroke into the thinking there and some new thinking, you know, get some of your friends like Milton Friedman and three or four others who will, you know, come in and counsel with you.

But that's what I, I just think you shouldn't go in there and sort of continue as it is.

You see my point?

Yeah, they see it.

They take on tax reform.

We wait until January to come up with something for tax reform.

And that means we're waiting two years, two sessions.

So you've got to start thinking about it now.

So I would have something done on the outside on that, maybe.

That's what I mean, things of that sort.

Right?

That's all right with me.

All right, fine.

If that's what you want, we'll do it.

Fine.

You just tell Butterfield or Hall or somebody to prepare them, and I'll sign them.

It's done.

You've got to just run the show the way you think is right.

All right, George.

NARA Description

On May 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 11:34 am to 11:37 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 191-011 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 191-11

Date: May 18, 1972
Time: 11:34-11:37 am
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President talked with George P. Shultz.

[See Conversation No. 131-32]

[End of telephone conversation]

Also recorded on May 18, 1972

131-031 11:24 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 11:24 am to 11:26 am.
131-032 11:34 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Camp David operator, and George P. Shultz talked on the telephone at Camp David from 11:34 am to 11:37 am.
131-033 11:37 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:37 am and 11:38 am.
191-012 11:37 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:37 am and 11:38 am.
131-034 11:38 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone at Camp David from 11:38 am to 11:42 am.
191-013 11:38 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 11:38 am to 11:42 am.
131-035 11:42 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 11:42 am.
191-014 11:42 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:42 am and 11:44 am.

All 90 conversations from May 18, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 191-011, May 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/191-011 (accessed September 18, 2026).