Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 294 › Conversation 294-005

Nixon with unidentified visitors in his EOB office on AFL-CIO and George Meany

Thursday, November 18, 1971 · 6:13 AM–9:10 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); [Unknown person(s)]Conversation294-005 on Tape 294 (tape position 00:03:23–00:08:32)StartThursday, November 18, 1971 at 6:13 AMEndThursday, November 18, 1971 at 9:10 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 294-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consulted with an associate regarding his potential attendance at the upcoming AFL-CIO convention and his interactions with union leader George Meany. The discussion focused on coordinating the administration's messaging concerning the Pay Board, particularly regarding the timing and content of an announcement to be handled by George Shultz. Nixon deliberated on whether he should personally address the convention to mitigate political speculation, ultimately emphasizing the need for strategic control over the administration's public declarations.

Audio

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Position in tape: 00:03:23 – 00:08:32

294a.mp3
294b.mp3
294c.mp3
294d.mp3

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Somebody lost their knife.
I am fine with it.
We'll make the announcement then, okay?
Everybody's now so panting to go that they want me to go, is that right?
Maybe we just won't bother going then.
I mean, I thought George was going to be there, but anyway, I'm not so anxious to... What do you mean, end the speculation?
Who's speculating?
I'm not speculating about it.
Okay.
George, tell him that I was all set today, but I've got a meeting tomorrow, and I'm trying to change now, and I'll know by 437.
You can't do that.
But don't do it in a crawling way if you don't mind.
All right, okay.
Okay, I'd rather, I just don't like the idea of being, you know, blackmailed into their side of the record.
It's gone on the last night or something.
We'll do it one way or the other, but I don't think you can do it in a way where you can affect the, what conditions are we putting in on my going about, am I the only speaker tomorrow?
Are we doing anything about that?
I don't know what you're talking about.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Did you want to be over now?

NARA Description

On November 18, 1971, 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 6:13 am and 9:10 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 294-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 294-5

Date: November 18, 1971
Time: Unknown between 8:13 am and 9:10 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with an unknown person.

     The President's schedule
          -American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations [AFL-CIO]
               convention
               -George Meany
                      -George P. Shultz
               -Pay Board
               -Decision
                      -Shultz
                      -Announcement
               -Agenda

Also recorded on November 18, 1971

  • 015-017 7:49 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:49 am and 8:01 am.
  • 621-001 7:49 AM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:49 am and 8:01 am.
  • 621-002 7:49 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:49 am and 8:01 am.
  • 621-003 7:49 AM · 55 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:49 am and 8:01 am.
  • 621-004 7:49 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:49 am and 8:01 am.
  • 621-005 7:49 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:49 am and 8:01 am.
  • 621-006 8:01 AM · 57 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 8:01 am.
  • 294-001 8:02 AM · 36 sec — 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 8:02 am and 8:07 am.

All 77 conversations from November 18, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 294-005, November 18, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/294-005 (accessed October 1, 2026).