Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 285 › Conversation 285-042

Nixon & MacGregor on Legislative Strategy and Economic Policy

Thursday, October 7, 1971 · 3:43 PM–3:48 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); MacGregor, ClarkConversation285-042 on Tape 285 (tape position 04:10:01–04:15:34)StartThursday, October 7, 1971 at 3:43 PMEndThursday, October 7, 1971 at 3:48 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 285-042 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Clark MacGregor to commend him for recent legislative successes and to coordinate messaging strategy ahead of an upcoming presidential speech. The discussion touched on the importance of highlighting economic performance and framing the administration's agenda as a historic era of reform. Nixon also provided guidance on handling specific legislative priorities, including revenue sharing and welfare reform, while preparing for an upcoming meeting with Senator Russell Long.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 45% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yeah.
Well, congratulations.
You won another one, I'm telling you.
You have won two this week, Clark, and without any assistance from me, I don't know.
Well, a statement or two, but my point is that the whole team did it, and I want you to know that I appreciate it.
Just very quietly, you go about your job and just knock their hands off.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's unusual.
Don't call me anymore.
He's nice, but he's never with us.
But you know, that's different countries, and my speech tonight, of course, will be...
I mean, you know, they would, the consumer, I mean, and wholesale pricing, if you've ever heard those figures, they're very sensational.
I mean, well, not to be, because we've got to brag when we're good.
When we're bad, we won't, but that's good.
The votes are good.
The house passing is not a factor.
The election is good.
I'm going to see Russell in the morning, you know.
They don't want Wally with that, do they?
Oh, my God.
All right.
That's probably better, Russell.
You know, how do you like that?
Do you think it might help?
Tell Wally, tell Wally there, he recommended that I may make this mention just to put him on the spot.
And actually Wally will be there to be on their own, please.
I'm not going to stay, I'll stay 15 minutes.
This has been a little of my life.
And I've got to trickle out.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Well, you can really tell them that.
Yeah, yeah, basically the whole point is that you really, you know, when you really come down to it, this consciousness ought to get all things done.
At least, I mean, I'm sure, they're going to have to be honest.
The revenue shake, everybody's revenue shake.
I've got a damn answer.
Welfare reform, there is something about it.
There go rather light, you know, but there's not much for it.
But you could say the other, there's something about it.
Something about welfare reform.
They want to leave it as it is.
If they have something better, let's come up with it.
But then all these other things, programs and health programs, education reform.
This is the greatest period of reform in the history of government.
We are in a position.
I'm giving my bad attitude.
Never mind.
I'm pointing out what I'm always
I'm happy to say that Indiana is, of the industrial states, Indiana is the best state in the country.
The president said Indiana was the biggest market.
The president has given the president 60% of the biggest market in the world.
Of the major industrial states.
Okay.
Yeah, well, we'll be sure to do that.
All right, boy.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On October 7, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Clark MacGregor met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:43 pm to 3:48 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 285-042 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 285-042

Date: October 7, 1971
Time: 3:43 pm - 3:48 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Clark MacGregor.

[See Conversation No. 10-138]

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

Also recorded on October 7, 1971

  • 010-136 3:25 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and William L. Safire talked on the telephone from 3:25 pm to 3:32 pm.
  • 010-137 3:32 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:32 pm and 3:43 pm.
  • 285-040 3:32 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:32 pm and 3:43 pm.
  • 285-041 3:32 PM · 7 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 3:32 pm and 3:43 pm.
  • 010-138 3:43 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Clark MacGregor talked on the telephone from 3:43 pm to 3:48 pm.
  • 010-139 3:48 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:48 pm and 4:12 pm.
  • 285-043 3:48 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:48 pm and 4:12 pm.
  • 285-044 3:48 PM · 7 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 3:48 pm and 4:12 pm.

All 106 conversations from October 7, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 285-042, October 7, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/285-042 (accessed October 6, 2026).