Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 344 › Conversation 344-003

Nixon & Buchanan on Media relations and Fiscal policy

Tuesday, June 20, 1972 · 4:09 PM–4:14 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Buchanan, Patrick J.Conversation344-003 on Tape 344 (tape position 00:01:39–00:06:27)StartTuesday, June 20, 1972 at 4:09 PMEndTuesday, June 20, 1972 at 4:14 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 344-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Patrick Buchanan discuss media strategy and legislative maneuvering regarding a specific congressional vote, likely related to fiscal policy or tax legislation. The President seeks to refine messaging for upcoming speeches and media appearances, specifically referencing an op-ed piece by Robert Novak. Additionally, Nixon instructs Buchanan to consult with George Shultz to clarify his position on a pending tax bill and ensure administration unity.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 111.9 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 112.0 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 33.4 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 00:01:39 into the tape and ends around 00:06:27.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
1:51If you could get one line, I don't know if you could get one line out of Novak's piece for the show.
1:57I may not do it, but I just thought it would be wonderful if you could put it on somewhere.
2:10The second thing is that I don't intend to get into the state at this point, but the second thing is that when you refer to that vote, was that the vote on pre-15?
2:21Was that a vote on pre-15 at all?
2:23Yeah, well, just for the future, it seemed to me that the first one, I don't know what that vote was.
2:33I think it was a vote on pre-15, but I think
2:40It's also very scary to know that it's going to happen.
2:44It's also important.
2:46But, I mean, we can't suspend it and allow it.
2:49It might have gone forever.
2:53But beyond that, the question is whether or not, in their speeches, they might be able to...
3:06I just got the call.
3:08I said, I would rather that.
3:09But my guess is that it was probably one of those, probably a pre-missing extension.
3:14It's all right.
3:16But my general feeling about the debate question is that it was a very wrong question.
3:31I just say, look, I have some ideas.
3:32Well, I'm going to say I wasn't questioning it.
3:39Right.
3:40Yeah.
3:41Yeah.
3:41And we'll see.
3:42The answer is, of course, a very good one.
3:45And, of course, it's a very good one.
3:48You can start off by saying the other four accountants took that belief.
3:59The other point is that
4:04Uh, I wondered if checking on the, uh, you know, on the tax thing, that tax question, whether we ought to have unveiled this kind of thing.
4:09It's a little hard for me.
4:11Of course, you're referring to that as your last paragraph, aren't you?
4:15You know, we're, that's the bill that, you know, provides for the, I don't know, what we're doing.
4:24And maybe it's, it, it, it, it, it allows, uh, really, I mean, makes the Congress vote on it, you know, on, on, on, on, on, on, on, on,
4:33Is that, is that, you talked to the Shultz guy the other day?
4:36Yeah.
4:36Yeah, I see.
4:37Well, uh, uh, you might just give him a call and say that, that I was just being stupid.
4:47That's what I'm doing.
4:48He's got a, he's got a general view about it.
4:53But, uh, that's what I am.
4:57He hasn't been bumped, you know.
5:04What?
5:04They're done.
5:51You can have them.
5:55As a matter of fact, I'm going to come back to you here.
5:59Okay.

NARA Description

On June 20, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:09 pm to 4:14 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 344-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 344-3

Date: June 20, 1972
Time: 4:09-4:14 pm
Location: Old Executive Office Building

The President talked with Patrick J. Buchanan.

[See Conversation No. 25-89]

Also recorded on June 20, 1972

  • 025-086 3:30 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:33 pm.
  • 025-088 3:33 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:33 pm and 4:09 pm.
  • 344-001 3:33 PM · 3 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 3:33 pm and 4:09 pm.
  • 344-002 3:33 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 3:33 pm and 4:09 pm.
  • 025-089 4:09 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 4:09 pm to 4:16 pm.
  • 344-004 4:14 PM · 2 min — 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 4:14 pm and 4:35 pm.
  • 344-005 4:14 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:14 pm and 4:35 pm.
  • 344-006 4:35 PM · 35 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:35 pm to 5:25 pm.

All 49 conversations from June 20, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 344-003, June 20, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/344-003 (accessed September 30, 2026).