Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 278 › Conversation 278-004

Nixon & Haldeman on Economic policy and Speechwriting

Thursday, September 9, 1971 · 1:20 PM–1:33 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation278-004 on Tape 278 (tape position 00:03:44–00:06:18)StartThursday, September 9, 1971 at 1:20 PMEndThursday, September 9, 1971 at 1:33 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 278-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discuss the reception of the President's recent economic speech and prepare for his upcoming address on domestic policy initiatives, including revenue sharing, government reorganization, and welfare reform. Nixon expresses significant frustration with his speechwriting staff, specifically Raymond Price, for failing to incorporate effective "cheer lines" into his drafts. To rectify this, Nixon considers hiring a specialized "speech doctor" to refine his rhetoric and increase the persuasive impact of his public messaging.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Now, let me know if any of you got any capture reactions.

I particularly, before I see Connor, he must have looked pretty good.

I looked at him at times.

Just saying, revenue sharing, government reorganization, welfare reform, economic.

Now this session, as I said, I already wrote all of it.

If you look at that first part, you can see what you really need.

I'm just thinking, Roosevelt had, basically, what he called a speech doctrine.

Actually, the experts in lecture and comparison, he wrote a riot of cheer lines.

And at the present time, I do that.

You see, and I shouldn't have to.

I shouldn't do that.

That's something that we don't have.

But you see, Ray doesn't have that ability.

You would agree with me now.

And in South Park, he says you should kill people.

But the cheer lines are so essential.

Like the way you get a cheer line from those, I said, let us be proud of that.

Let us do the, well, that makes me cheer.

And you've got to say it that way.

I wonder if we do the year follow-up to New York to have a cheer line speech doctor.

I don't want a guy who won't quite be able to speak.

But a guy who basically can continue to speak and say, all right, this is good material.

Who's got it?

Like the way I took that.

If you'll read the text of what we had on welfare, where I said, I rewrote that, let us get rid of the system that makes it more profitable for a man to go on welfare than to go to work.

But I mean, the way that we addressed it previously, it was part of a long sentence.

You know, just driving in.

But no law, see?

So Ray did a terrible job writing this monument.

I'm sure he won't be fighting back.

But there we go.

NARA Description

On September 9, 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 1:20 pm and 1:33 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 278-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 278-4

Date: September 9, 1971
Time: Unknown between 1:20 pm and 1:33 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

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

     The President's September 9, 1971 economic policy speech

          -Reaction
               -Cabinet members

     John B. Connally
          -Possible reaction

     Domestic issues speech
         -Revenue sharing
         -Government reorganization
         -Welfare reform
         -Economy
         -The President's draft
               -First paragraph
               -Speechwriters
                     -Role
                     -Franklin D. Roosevelt
                     -Speech doctor
                     -The President's role
               -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
               -William L. Safire
               -Speechwriters
                     -Cheer lines
                     -Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan
                           -New York
                     -Revisions
                     -The President's revisions
                           -Welfare references
         -Price
               -Revisions

Also recorded on September 9, 1971

568-001 1:18 PM · 1 min — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:18 pm and 1:22 pm.
008-066 1:20 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:20 pm and 1:33 pm.
278-001 1:20 PM · 2 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 1:20 pm and 1:33 pm.
278-002 1:20 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:20 pm and 1:33 pm.
278-003 1:20 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:20 pm and 1:33 pm.
008-067 1:33 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and Manolo Sanchez talked on the telephone from 1:33 pm to 1:39 pm.
278-005 1:33 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 1:33 pm.
278-006 1:33 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:33 pm to 1:39 pm.

All 58 conversations from September 9, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 278-004, September 9, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/278-004 (accessed October 10, 2026).