Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 315 › Conversation 315-004

Nixon & Price on Presidential speeches and Speechwriting

Monday, January 17, 1972 · 2:39 PM–2:43 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Price, Raymond K., Jr.Conversation315-004 on Tape 315 (tape position 00:04:15–00:08:40)StartMonday, January 17, 1972 at 2:39 PMEndMonday, January 17, 1972 at 2:43 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 315-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and speechwriter Raymond K. Price, Jr. consulted on the final revisions for an upcoming presidential address. The discussion focused on refining the tone and drafting specific inserts to strengthen the speech's conclusion. Nixon instructed Price to continue working on the draft and to look for additional input to ensure the document was polished before finalization.

Audio

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Position in tape: 00:04:15 – 00:08:40

part A, 4:16

315a.mp3
315b.mp3

NARA Description

On January 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:39 pm to 2:43 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 315-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 315-4

Date: January 17, 1972
Time: 2:39 pm - 2:43 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Raymond K. Price, Jr.

[See Conversation No. 18-89]

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Well, any further thoughts today?
How do you see it in the cold light?
I haven't left yet.
I think they're going to take a trip.
It's a great thing.
We need to find a way to the boat.
We have the energy of a battle.
The fact that the treasury, where we talk about the tax reform, in other words, the tax numbers and things like that, where the treasury and the treasury is, whatever it is, and so there's an obligation to try that way.
I just want to be very sure that, you know, it's a great time to be here.
I don't know how I'm going to turn it up again.
More on the treasury.
Treasury, we had to spend a lot of money on it and whatever else.
you might uh try out uh if that's where we come for the after getting along
I'm just thinking of making it a little
that we should play without a dead end and run it by earl.
You see what I mean?
And that's why I'm greater on that part.
I think whatever, if you have any further things, don't go into the draft.
I have a draft that you left there today at this point.
And you have nothing to add to that at this point.
And yours, anything that you have.
It won't be at 7 o'clock, 30 to 9.
7 o'clock.
I see no reason to.
In other words, I see no reason to tie the whole thing off just for an egg.
But if you have an insert, like if you've got an insert on like this or a couple of others, you might say on this page, I can do this.
Then I'll take the whole thing and fiddle around with it.
I have a couple of thoughts on that.
I think the conclusion comes off of all your knowledge
Okay, fine.

Also recorded on January 17, 1972

  • 315-017 2:34 PM · 25 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:34 pm and 3:43 pm.
  • 315-018 2:34 PM · 38 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 2:34 pm and 3:43 pm.
  • 315-019 2:34 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Roger Staubach met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:34 pm and 3:43 pm.
  • 018-089 2:39 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 2:39 pm to 2:43 pm.
  • 018-090 2:43 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:43 pm and 2:47 pm.
  • 315-005 2:43 PM · 18 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 2:43 pm and 2:47 pm.
  • 018-091 2:47 PM · 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 2:47 pm to 3:10 pm.
  • 315-006 2:47 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:47 pm to 3:10 pm.

All 42 conversations from January 17, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 315-004, January 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/315-004 (accessed November 13, 2026).