Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 380 › Conversation 380-017

Nixon alone in his EOB office on Welfare Reform and Family Assistance Program

Thursday, December 28, 1972 · 12:39 PM–2:20 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation380-017 on Tape 380StartThursday, December 28, 1972 at 12:39 PMEndThursday, December 28, 1972 at 2:20 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 380-017 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictated a memorandum to John D. Ehrlichman regarding the political and public perception of the Family Assistance Program. The discussion focused on evaluating welfare reform strategies, specifically the balance between guaranteed minimum income for welfare recipients and the earnings of the working poor. Nixon directed an analysis of polling data from George Gallup, Louis Harris, and Albert Sindlinger to refine the administration's messaging on the federal government’s role in social welfare.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 21% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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since I realized that it would be under compression.
There are 10 of us in the United States.
We're not a lot, but I do have jobs.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On December 28, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:39 pm and 2:20 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 380-017 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 380-17

Date: December 28, 1972
Time: Unknown between 12:39 pm and 2:20 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President dictated a memorandum to John D. Ehrlichman.

      Welfare Poll
           -Family Assistance Program [FAP]
                 -Aid to working poor
           -Charles W. Colson
           -Louis P. Harris
           -Albert E. Sindlinger
           -George H. Gallup
           -Question
                 -Guaranteed minimum income
                       -Welfare families’ income compared to working families’ income
                             -Federal Government’s role

Also recorded on December 28, 1972

  • 035-027 12:39 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:39 pm and 2:26 pm.
  • 380-014 12:39 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:39 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 380-015 12:39 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:39 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 380-016 12:39 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:39 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 380-018 12:39 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:39 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 380-019 12:39 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:39 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 380-020 12:39 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:39 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 380-021 12:39 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:39 pm and 2:20 pm.

All 76 conversations from December 28, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 380-017, December 28, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/380-017 (accessed October 10, 2026).