Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 297 › Conversation 297-040
Nixon & Ehrlichman on Energy Policy and Public Opinion
Friday, November 12, 1971 · 2:36 PM–2:38 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 5 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and John Ehrlichman briefly discussed the political challenges of public support for wartime leadership before transitioning to an upcoming energy policy meeting. Ehrlichman advised the President to adopt a listening role during the session while setting a specific agenda to address ATM-level control. The pair finalized the meeting's structure, with Ehrlichman proposing to introduce the key participants and issues sequentially.
- Energy Policy
- Public Opinion
- Wartime Leadership
- Political Strategy
- Meeting Management
Audio
This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.
Listen to the full tape segment
Position in tape: 02:09:50 – 02:12:08
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On November 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:36 pm to 2:38 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 297-040 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 297-40 Date: November 12, 1971 Time: 2:36 pm - 2:38 pm Location: Executive Office Building John D. Ehrlichman talked with the President. [See Conversation No. 14-84]
Also recorded on November 12, 1971
- 617-012 2:26 PM · 1 hr 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, Stephen B. Bull, Clark MacGregor, William E. Timmons, Ronald L. Ziegler, Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, Hugh Scott, Gerald R. Ford, Milton R. Young, Allen J. Ellender, George H. Mahon, Frank T. Bow, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:26 pm and 3:36 pm.
- 014-084 2:36 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 2:36 pm to 2:38 pm.
- 014-085 2:38 PM · 4 min — John D. Ehrlichman, White House operator, John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:38 pm and 11:59 pm.
- 297-041 2:40 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:40 pm to 2:41 pm.
- 297-042 2:41 PM · 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 2:41 pm and 3:55 pm.
- 297-043 2:41 PM · 5 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 2:41 pm and 3:55 pm.
- 297-044 2:41 PM · 54 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 2:41 pm and 3:55 pm.
- 297-045 2:41 PM · 21 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 2:41 pm and 3:55 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 297-040, November 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/297-040 (accessed October 1, 2026).