Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 269 › Conversation 269-026

Nixon & Butterfield on Cabinet meeting agenda and Veteran employment

Tuesday, August 3, 1971 · 1:40 PM–1:47 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation269-026 onTape 269 (tape position 05:24:36–05:31:02)StartTuesday, August 3, 1971 at 1:40 PMEndTuesday, August 3, 1971 at 1:47 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 269-026 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Butterfield met to coordinate the administrative agenda for an upcoming Cabinet meeting and manage various logistical scheduling matters. They deliberated on the inclusion of topics such as veteran employment and departmental reports from figures like the Vice President, while also discussing the strategic optics of a potentially divisive policy issue. The President ultimately declined a request to meet with Jack J. Dreyfuss, Jr. due to scheduling constraints.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 111.8 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 111.5 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 111.8 MB ·Download MP3 (part 4) · 29.1 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 05:24:36 into the tape and ends around 05:31:02.

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) ·JSON data · Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.

5:24:36It was really something.
5:24:37He got Galloway, the other company, chemical.
5:24:41Yeah.
5:24:41I was talking to him, and that was the only call I made to help, to help at all, to get a call out to Peter Cook.
5:24:50And then he got Rock.
5:24:53You feel that this is the best we can do with this?
5:25:01I think so.
5:25:02It's a pretty strong statement.
5:25:04It's a strong statement.
5:25:05It'll get a lot of visibility.
5:25:07It'll soften.
5:25:08It won't soften.
5:25:09It'll soften.
5:25:11We'll still have problems with library.
5:25:15What the hell?
5:25:19Of course, they want you to do this.
5:25:21They'll say,
5:25:23If I thought I'd put an end to the problem, I'd rush into it right now.
5:25:34I think it just prolongs the problem.
5:25:36I see.
5:25:44I don't know, you know, this is one where you've got as big a chance of being wrong as right.
5:25:50I just, I don't feel comfortable with it, but I just don't see any other way to go on.
5:25:54So we just pick a course and then just put balls out on it.
5:26:01Hope we're right.
5:26:05And I think we can reinforce this.
5:26:06I think Connelly can go down there.
5:26:09He could be going down to the ranch sometime.
5:26:11He could have a press conference while he's down there.
5:26:15And going up.
5:26:15Well, maybe he could stay over Monday and have a press conference.
5:26:18Oh, he comes to a few weeks.
5:26:19Oh, is he?
5:26:19Oh, wow.
5:26:20Well, he could background us on it.
5:26:21I'll talk to him about that.
5:26:25See if he's willing to do it.
5:26:31Because I think he understands the nuance of it.
5:26:35Well, I guess it's, I don't know.
5:26:41Strangely enough, the Constitutional Amendment may be the answer here.
5:26:47It really may be.
5:26:48It's a hell of a blunt instrument, but I just think that it's gone too far, and it's rich, and it's got to turn around some.
5:26:57The problem with it, of course, is that every district desk gets a free shot at it.
5:27:03Yeah, but he could have not even went out there.
5:27:14He could have devised his own plan, which in effect was good.
5:27:18He didn't adopt the HGW plan.
5:27:21And, uh, we're not criticizing him for not adopting KGW plan.
5:27:24That's what Costello says.
5:27:27Our field doesn't even like KGW plan.
5:27:28What we don't like is what he came up with, as president of Lamont.
5:27:32Thanks, man.
5:27:36Interracial experience.
5:27:37Yeah, all of them.
5:27:38Somebody over there this morning says, well, I can understand that.
5:27:42He says, you'd be tired after an interracial experience.
5:27:45You don't want to walk home from one of those.
5:27:49Good luck.
5:27:49All right.
5:28:03Yeah.
5:28:04Is there anything I have to do?
5:28:05No, go on.
5:28:06Hold everything up.
5:28:07Yeah, yeah.
5:28:08I'll get it.
5:28:08I'll sign it up.
5:28:09One minute.
5:28:11Yes, sir.
5:28:11I don't think...
5:28:12I don't remember this stuff.
5:28:13I just don't have your body.
5:28:15No, I don't know.
5:28:16The thing that I want to resolve, if I can, is this cabinet agenda for Thursday morning, because... Well, there's no chance.
5:28:28Well, there are only two options.
5:28:30One is problems with blue-collar workers when they mine senior baron.
5:28:37We're not sure yet.
5:28:38No, no, no, I'm not sure.
5:28:40And the other is having Jim Hudson report on what he's doing on veteran employment, which is something we thought about last time, too.
5:28:52Why don't you have the Vice President report?
5:29:01We're going to have old Kevin and these other guys, and Kenny.
5:29:07Have the vice president report to the security.
5:29:09Have Rocky say, we're going to do that.
5:29:12Rocky spent five months at the vice president's report.
5:29:19A couple of little things that Rob Finch has been trying to get Everington in to say.
5:29:38All right, fine.
5:29:44That's okay, that's fine.
5:30:08Okay, so I think that if Jack Dreyfuss is here with Takashi, he wants to know if you want to shake his hand.
5:30:15He just had lunch with Takashi.
5:30:18That's what I like to check with him.
5:30:25He's going to be here until about mid-afternoon, until he hears from me.
5:30:29Yes or no?
5:30:30Dreyfuss is not aware.
5:30:30Check it.
5:30:57I'd like to see him another time, but I can't do it today.
5:31:01I can't do it today.

NARA Description

On August 3, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 1:47 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 269-026 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 269-26

Date: August 3, 1971
Time: Unknown after 1:40 pm until 1:47 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

     President’s signature

     President's schedule
          -Forthcoming Cabinet meeting, August 5, 1971
                 -Agenda
                       -Blue collar employment
                       -James D. Hodgson
                             -Veteran employment
                       -John D. Ehrlichman
                       -Vice President
                       -Participants
                             -David M. Kennedy
                             -Elliot Richardson
                       -Vice President's trip to Africa
                       -William P. Rogers
                       -Robert H. Finch
                       -George P. Shultz
                             -Civil service grades
          -Jack J. Dreyfuss, Jr.
                 -Gen. Walter R. Tkach
          -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
          -Tkach
                 -Pierre E. Trudeau

Butterfield left at 1:47 pm.

Also recorded on August 3, 1971

  • 269-027 1:47 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 3:40 pm.
  • 269-028 1:47 PM · 37 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 3:40 pm.
  • 269-029 1:47 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 3:40 pm.
  • 269-030 1:47 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 3:40 pm.
  • 269-031 1:47 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 3:40 pm.
  • 269-032 1:47 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 3:40 pm.
  • 269-033 1:47 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 3:40 pm.
  • 269-034 1:47 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 3:40 pm.

All 51 conversations from August 3, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 269-026, August 3, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/269-026 (accessed September 18, 2026).