Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 322 › Conversation 322-052
Nixon & Ehrlichman on Busing and Speechwriting
Sunday, March 12, 1972 · 8:35 PM–9:25 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 3 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and John Ehrlichman coordinate the drafting of a presidential address on busing, emphasizing the need for a distinct, declaratory tone that appeals to the political center and right. Nixon mandates that the speech be kept under strict control to exclude input from Leonard Garment and Raymond Price until he has finalized his own vision. The President stresses the importance of crafting a message that preempts criticism from political rivals like George Wallace and Henry Jackson, while maintaining a stance on constitutional moratoriums.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 26% 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.
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NARA Description
On March 12, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 322-052 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 322-52
Date: March 12, 1972
Time: Unknown between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with John D. Ehrlichman.
Busing speech
-Draft
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-Status
-William L. Safire
-First draft
-Instructions on distribution
-Price
-Leonard Garment
-Difference
-Majority
-Distribution
-Elliot L. Richardson
-George P. Shultz
-Changes
-Constitutional amendment
-Moratorium
-Left-right
-George C. Wallace
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) JacksonAlso recorded on March 13, 1972
- 021-045 7:46 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:46 pm.
- 021-047 8:05 PM · 30 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 8:05 pm to 8:35 pm.
- 322-048 8:05 PM · 25 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:05 pm to 8:35 pm.
- 322-049 8:35 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm.
- 322-050 8:35 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm.
- 322-051 8:35 PM · 13 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 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm.
- 322-053 8:35 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm.
- 322-054 8:35 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 322-052, March 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/322-052 (accessed October 3, 2026).