Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 271 › Conversation 271-003

Nixon & Haldeman on Government Reorganization and National Economy

Wednesday, August 4, 1971 · 8:37 AM–10:10 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation271-003 onTape 271 (tape position 03:12:40–03:25:58)StartWednesday, August 4, 1971 at 8:37 AMEndWednesday, August 4, 1971 at 10:10 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 271-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman reviewed administrative and political priorities, specifically focusing on the status of government reorganization plans regarding the Office of Management and Budget and the Federal Reserve. They discussed strategies for engaging business leaders and economic editors to improve public and media perception of the national economy. Additionally, the pair evaluated the political fallout of recent busing controversies and reviewed potential responses to Democratic critiques on foreign policy and domestic issues.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 112.6 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 112.0 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 48.7 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 03:12:40 into the tape and ends around 03:25:58.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.

3:15:06They all set for this thing today?

3:15:07Okay, what's the game at 7.30?

3:15:08Alright.

3:15:08Yeah.

3:15:08If they got there, they can meet there and have a talk.

3:15:34Good.

3:15:34All right.

3:15:55But one thing, if you check with me, call me back.

3:15:56I think the, I was, but didn't the adding also recommend that both the OPM be a level two and the federal reserve?

3:15:59Well, find out what it was.

3:16:00Somebody recommend that level two to the federal reserve.

3:16:29Well, I've heard of him, but I've never seen him in the dark.

3:16:31He was a crater.

3:16:31He cratered in the end of the quarter.

3:17:16What's the feeling about, I read it this summer, but what's the feeling about the usual reaction?

3:17:50What are we doing or not in our...

3:18:34No, I think the .

3:18:35It's a rather curious .

3:19:02This seems like one record, and I rather wonder if we have something to go with it, whether we're following results.

3:19:06I don't think we really have an option to go with it.

3:19:08It's not a big part of the whole problem.

3:19:31But I can't do that.

3:20:13Yeah.

3:20:13That's right.

3:20:14That's right.

3:20:51But then about how the economy is going, you hardly, you just don't get to see all the economy is bad.

3:21:01It is.

3:21:01Some of it's bad, some of it's good.

3:21:04And, yeah, I just don't have it.

3:21:07Well, the other thing that's true about it is, yeah, well, they're not all bad either.

3:21:22But the commercial thing, retail sales, I've never been here.

3:21:26Retail sales, not mobile sales, construction sales.

3:22:02What I was thinking when you talked about this is that you've changed a lot of those laws.

3:22:04They, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they,

3:22:58Yeah, I think, for example, the planning of the meeting probably has not been too effective.

3:23:00Yeah, right.

3:23:27But I think, you see, the point is they should be talking about the economy and those guys.

3:23:31Yeah.

3:23:31And then the other thing is, the other thing is not about the economy, but another thing.

3:23:35I think the more important part of doing it individually, except for about 40 or 50, you have to do it individually.

3:23:39I'm sure you get questions on these things.

3:23:54And that's why I said to him, you know, I'm going to get this, and so forth and so on.

3:23:56I met him once, and I thought, you know, I'm going to get some good stories for him.

3:23:58I'm going to get back to him.

3:23:58But then, nobody called up on us.

3:23:59Well, meeting every week or so, that's what you have to do with the does, the business ways, and all those people.

3:24:02They just have to be back.

3:24:02They're too lucky.

3:24:03They're too calm.

3:24:03You know, calm.

3:24:03That's what I had to do.

3:24:23So I'm sure they want to follow that up.

3:24:24But I think the other thing, too, is that we have to realize it's a very interesting and subtle regard.

3:24:27And I'm sure it will be done.

3:24:27Just as the Democratic politicians figured it out, these people are petrified about the war and all sorts of ways possible.

3:24:30And now we've got the parents and all kinds

3:25:3031, you know, it's like season.

3:25:31It's like season.

3:25:32It's like season.

3:25:33It's like season.

NARA Description

On August 4, 1971, 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 8:37 am and 10:10 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 271-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 271-3

Date: August 4, 1971
Time: Unknown between 8:37 am and 10:10 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

     President's schedule
          -Trip
                 -New York City
                      -Timing
                      -Meeting [Essex House ?]

     Government reorganization
         -Ash Council
              -Level II
                    -Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
                    -Federal Reserve Board [FRB]
                    -George P. Shultz

Television program
     -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
           -Response to Republicans
           -John B. Connally
           -Clark MacGregor

Busing
     -News summary
         -Austin statement
              -Reaction
              -Patrick J. Buchanan

Media
    -Business
         -News summary
         -Connally and Shultz
    -National economy
         -News coverage
         -Indicators
               -Retail sales
               -Automobile sales
               -Construction
    -Business leaders
         -Meetings
               -Shultz, Paul W. McCracken, Peter G. Peterson, Donald H. Rumsfeld
               -Facts
               -Peter M. Flanigan
                     -Revenue sharing
               -Economic editors
               -William E. and James C. Dunn
               -Businessweek
    -News magazines
         -Democratic politicians
         -Issues
               -Foreign policy
               -Economy
               -Administrative response
                     -Revenue sharing
                     -Environment
                     -Economy
                     -Foreign policy

                           -Crime
                           -Economy

     Busing
          -Political effect
                -MacGregor
                -Jacob K. Javits
                -Connally, Shultz

Also recorded on August 4, 1971

007-061 8:37 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:37 am and 1:56 pm.
271-001 8:37 AM · 17 min — unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:37 am and 10:10 am.
271-002 8:37 AM · 1 hr 7 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 8:37 am and 10:10 am.
271-004 10:10 AM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:10 am to 10:17 am.
271-005 10:24 AM · 46 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:24 am to 10:25 am.
271-006 10:25 AM · 28 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:25 am to 10:35 am.
271-007 10:35 AM · 6 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 10:35 am and 10:59 am.
271-008 10:35 AM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:35 am and 10:59 am.

All 21 conversations from August 4, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 271-003, August 4, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/271-003 (accessed September 18, 2026).