{"conversationCode":"318-032","tapeNumber":318,"conversationNumber":32,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-318-032","startDateTime":"1972-02-02T20:17:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-02-02T20:25:00.000Z","startDate":"2-Feb-1972","startTime":"3:17 PM","endDate":"2-Feb-1972","endTime":"3:25 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.;","description":"On February 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:17 pm to 3:25 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 318-032 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":3,"chronRelease":"Third Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"28-Feb-2002","aogpRelease":"Abuse of Governmental Power Release","aogpSegment":"Segment 0","lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 318-32\n\nDate: February 2, 1972\nTime: 3:17 pm - 3:25 pm\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President talked with John D. Ehrlichman.\n\n[See Conversation No. 20-32]","filename":["318-032.mp3"],"tapeStart":"02:44:27","tapeEnd":"02:50:51","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Ehrlichman, John D."],"prevCode":"318-031","nextCode":"318-033","transcript":[{"start":0.03,"end":5.2,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":6.54,"end":6.76,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":7.78,"end":24.96,"text":"A couple of points, John."},{"start":24.98,"end":27.78,"text":"One, on the fact, I have the impression that we may be getting a little bit too far out in terms of advocating, so that it becomes an issue."},{"start":27.8,"end":28.18,"text":"We may not do that."},{"start":28.58,"end":51.99,"text":"I think I would try to get the lawyers to talk more and say, well, there are a number of different suggestions, but none of them involve increasing taxes."},{"start":52.01,"end":53.85,"text":"They're always involved with changing the burden of taxes, you know, or something like that."},{"start":53.87,"end":57.27,"text":"I don't know what you do with it, but I noticed the Times was playing up pretty heavily this morning, and the administration there had to be back, and so forth and so on."},{"start":57.29,"end":58.35,"text":"I think it's important to do that, and also important"},{"start":58.92,"end":86.64,"text":"The other one is regard to legal services."},{"start":86.99,"end":108.78,"text":"Do I understand that that is now in proper shape or will be?"},{"start":108.8,"end":109.02,"text":"Oh, really?"},{"start":109.04,"end":109.1,"text":"Oh."},{"start":109.12,"end":109.28,"text":"Oh, boy."},{"start":109.3,"end":109.58,"text":"Oh, I'm sorry."},{"start":109.6,"end":110.58,"text":"I mean, it's a pretty good time for one of those."},{"start":117.87,"end":142.5,"text":"With regard to Elliot now, there's nothing actually to do there."},{"start":142.52,"end":143.2,"text":"He's on his own, you see."},{"start":143.22,"end":143.38,"text":"Oh, yes."},{"start":143.4,"end":143.5,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":143.52,"end":144,"text":"Yeah, I understand that."},{"start":144.02,"end":145.68,"text":"Yes, in the meantime, I suppose we just don't worry about the..."},{"start":148.38,"end":173.19,"text":"Harry had thought the ratings went well."},{"start":178.47,"end":199.62,"text":"I was very glad to, uh, that I picked the guys as it turned out."},{"start":199.64,"end":200.92,"text":"We talked, you know, I was awful."},{"start":200.94,"end":203.3,"text":"And, uh, I didn't have any, there was an actor with the process, you know, Reagan came through with a fine-chip style."},{"start":203.32,"end":205.11,"text":"Rockefeller couldn't have got it, you know, he ran against twice, you know, and all that."},{"start":205.13,"end":206.03,"text":"And, uh, and, uh, the other one was just, uh,"},{"start":207.31,"end":230.23,"text":"Could I ask you to do this?"},{"start":230.25,"end":231.73,"text":"I want you to call him on the phone and tell him what's in the works here."},{"start":231.75,"end":232.59,"text":"If it's possible, we want him to stand up."},{"start":232.61,"end":233.33,"text":"I don't know what he's going to say."},{"start":233.35,"end":234.65,"text":"The president's position is that the main thing is to get action."},{"start":234.67,"end":235.91,"text":"And then you're going to tell him, but let him in on the game."},{"start":235.93,"end":236.66,"text":"We've got these guys over there now."},{"start":237.41,"end":259.52,"text":"If I get something on the letter, you've got to come out of it, but you are committed to share."},{"start":259.54,"end":259.66,"text":"Right."},{"start":259.68,"end":260.2,"text":"I think it's a good idea ."},{"start":260.23,"end":260.95,"text":"Yeah, that's a better way to end it."},{"start":260.97,"end":266.25,"text":"Another good point came out last night, which gave me a chance to sort of make the great mistake, my mom would be wrong to write off any section of the country that we're taking into granted, that if you and I hold politics, we're going to have to concentrate on ."},{"start":266.79,"end":294.62,"text":"But, you know, he is going to play that line with Massachusetts mission."},{"start":294.63,"end":294.74,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":294.76,"end":295.76,"text":"You give your address to, uh, uh, one other thing."},{"start":295.78,"end":296.48,"text":"Uh, were you, uh, do you know what,"},{"start":296.76,"end":319.23,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":319.25,"end":319.51,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":319.53,"end":319.79,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":319.81,"end":320.07,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":327.08,"end":352.55,"text":"He's on KO side this time."},{"start":352.57,"end":352.67,"text":"Good."},{"start":352.69,"end":353.73,"text":"Well, that may have been the ace piece on his fault."},{"start":353.75,"end":354.11,"text":"He's already quit."},{"start":354.13,"end":354.41,"text":"Can't do that."},{"start":354.43,"end":354.71,"text":"Can't do that."},{"start":356.8,"end":364.58,"text":"All right."},{"start":364.6,"end":364.8,"text":"All right."},{"start":364.82,"end":368.01,"text":"Okay."},{"start":368.03,"end":368.53,"text":"I get it."},{"start":368.55,"end":368.77,"text":"I get it."},{"start":368.79,"end":370.79,"text":"I get it."},{"start":370.81,"end":371.23,"text":"You're exactly right."},{"start":371.25,"end":371.45,"text":"All right."},{"start":371.47,"end":371.67,"text":"Good luck."},{"start":371.69,"end":372.36,"text":"A lot of snow up there, I'll bet."},{"start":372.38,"end":373,"text":"But very comfortable, isn't it?"},{"start":373.02,"end":373.5,"text":"It's a delightful place."},{"start":373.52,"end":374,"text":"Well, enjoy your dinner."},{"start":374.02,"end":374.22,"text":"All right."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and John Ehrlichman discuss political strategy, focusing on the need to moderate public rhetoric regarding tax reform to avoid it becoming a political liability. The President instructs Ehrlichman to coordinate with a political associate to ensure alignment on administration objectives and to maintain a strong, proactive stance in upcoming policy deliberations. Additionally, the conversation touches upon the status of legal services reform and internal administration morale regarding regional political outreach.","topics":["Tax reform","Political strategy","Public relations","Legal services","Administration policy"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T14:48:53.620Z"},"topicSlugs":["tax-reform","political-strategy","public-relations","legal-services","administration-policy"],"audioDurationSec":374,"audioFiles":[{"file":"318-032.mp3","bytes":14978419,"durationSec":374.31,"bitrate":320128,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:41.568Z","transcriptGapSeconds":258,"transcriptGapShare":0.69,"transcriptQuality":"incomplete","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/318-032.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/318-032","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/318/conversation-318-032","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}