Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 319 › Conversation 319-006

Nixon & Price on Speechwriting and Productivity Commission

Monday, February 7, 1972 · 3:15 PM–3:16 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Price, Raymond K., Jr.Conversation319-006 on Tape 319 (tape position 00:11:47–00:17:15)StartMonday, February 7, 1972 at 3:15 PMEndMonday, February 7, 1972 at 3:16 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 319-006 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and speechwriter Raymond K. Price, Jr. discussed preparations for an upcoming address to the White House Conference on the Industrial World Ahead. The pair debated the strategic value of the President delivering a formal, prepared speech versus a more spontaneous presentation style, while considering the time commitment required. Additionally, they briefly touched on incorporating John B. Connally’s views on the Productivity Commission and confirmed the President’s intent to meet with volunteers.

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 65% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Is this covered?
I mean, does this cover the points that you commented on?
if you ever get those from Congress.
Yes, I did, yeah.
And that was, that's it.
I don't quite, I had forgotten what they were, but I'm not sure.
At least the ones you mentioned, the ones that he'd given you were written into the Productivity Commission.
Yeah, go, go.
That's, they were, they were, they were, they were written into that.
Controls of Work, is that right?
Controls of Work, Controls of Work, and Abuse, Motion of Productivity, Abuse.
Good, good.
Do you prefer to read the speeches or something like that?
I think my own preference on this would be that if your essential purpose, as I gather it was, was to give a little pep talk, I thought I could read the pep talk.
But I think it's worth it.
But I think I could take the words.
You mean I could read it?
Yep.
And it would do something pretty awesome.
I want to think about that.
I'm just right now involved here.
That I will come to this wing.
So I'm just getting here.
A couple of people talking to me.
That's what I'm doing.
That's what I'm doing.
I'm just wondering whether it's worth my time to take off a couple of hours and prepare something.
I deserve it.
I would think that since this is a subject that you talk on a good amount of time, if it didn't take a couple of hours, if it does take a couple of hours, it's better to do it for an hour.
I think probably for this, yes.
I'd rather, I think if you were going to make it a major address,
Other than, you know, the way I was going to bring this in, I'd rather be grim.
If you're doing just a short talk, you know, it might be a better way to do it.
It takes time.
You've got to make a short talk.
You've got to decide how to make a short talk.
But I've got to do it.
Maybe this is it.
I feel it.
I feel it.
I feel it.
I feel it.
I feel it.
I feel it.
Again, it's an exercise in the spirit of Mr. Gregory.
No, no, no, no.
I'm not going to read that.
Don't bother.
Don't bother with that.
Volunteers, I will definitely do that.
I know that has to be for that kind of people.
Okay.
I'll call you if I need to find it.

NARA Description

On February 7, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:15 pm to 3:16 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 319-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 319-6

Date: February 7, 1972
Time: 3:15 pm - 3:16 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Raymond K. Price, Jr.

     Material for forthcoming trip to the People’s Republic of China [PRC]

     President’s forthcoming speech
           -White House Conference on the Industrial World Ahead
           -Content
                -John B. Connally’s views
                      -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                -Productivity Commission
                -Controls
          -Presentation
                -Price’s view
                      -Talk on productivity
                      -Suggested presentation styles
                -Compared to forthcoming meeting with volunteers
          -Preparation
                -Time involved
          -Length

     Volunteers
          -Timing

Price left at 3:16 pm.

Also recorded on February 7, 1972

  • 319-005 3:04 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:04 pm to 3:09 pm.
  • 319-007 3:16 PM · 6 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 3:16 pm and 3:41 pm.
  • 319-008 3:16 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:16 pm and 3:41 pm.
  • 020-048 3:41 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 3:41 pm to 3:44 pm.
  • 319-009 3:41 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:41 pm to 3:44 pm.
  • 020-049 3:44 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:44 pm and 4:44 pm.
  • 319-010 3:44 PM · 4 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 3:44 pm and 3:50 pm.
  • 319-011 3:50 PM · 50 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:50 pm to 4:40 pm.

All 41 conversations from February 7, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 319-006, February 7, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/319-006 (accessed October 12, 2026).