Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 441 › Conversation 441-005

Nixon & Haig on Economic Policy and Price Controls

Monday, June 4, 1973 · 9:12 AM–9:38 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation441-005 on Tape 441StartMonday, June 4, 1973 at 9:12 AMEndMonday, June 4, 1973 at 9:38 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 441-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig discussed the administration's economic policy strategy, specifically critiquing current proposals for being insufficiently prepared for a formal briefing. Nixon expressed strong opposition to implementing a price freeze or a gas tax, directing Haig to remove these items from the economic package and separate energy issues from the broader policy plan. Additionally, the pair touched upon the President's schedule and the status of J. Fred Buzhardt's ongoing review of John Dean's Watergate-related files.

Audio

Download MP3 · 4.2 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Well, I've been through this economic paper and so forth, and I don't feel these guys are ready for a meeting.

Yeah.

Well, I guess they can put all the stuff I have to do today, you know, whether or not they want to put the band meeting off for Friday.

If George is leaving for Europe, is that the problem?

It's not the Tuesday either.

I think it would be better for me if we could.

You know, and I clear my day, I want to get this damn thing cleaned up, because I think we could be in a better frame of mind.

What do you think?

Let them meet today.

Let them meet and say that I want to meet with them when they're more in shape.

But I want them to come up, as Connelly did, and David, with a program.

Goddamn if they could.

And if there are those that disagree, they're fine.

I think science paper is the best.

I read it.

And I kind of like it.

I think the combination of one and three is probably it.

I think the breeze is out now.

I looked at it, and 38 reasons I'm thinking about that.

It's no good for the public relations even.

It looks too short.

And it's going to have one hell of a bad effect.

So I rule that out and tell George the breeze is out.

Because the gas tax is out, period.

But all the other things can be in.

So you can either way tell them to rule out the gas tax, rule out the breeze.

And don't mix energy into this package.

All of the energy taken out of this into another package.

Is that fair enough?

Okay, have them meet today, and I'll meet with them tomorrow.

It could be, you got some time tomorrow?

No?

It's bizarre over there, running through that stuff.

All right, you'll get to me as soon as you get some time.

You got some time tomorrow?

No?

It's bizarre over there, runnin' through that stuff.

All right, you'll get to me as soon as you get the time.

NARA Description

On June 4, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:12 am and 9:38 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 441-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 441-5

Date: June 4, 1973
Time: Unknown between 9:12 am and 9:38 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

     Economic paper
          -Forthcoming meeting with economic policy analysts
                -Unreadiness

     President’s schedule
           -Economic meeting
                 -Postponement
                 -George P. Shultz’s schedule
                                             -4-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                               Conversation No. 441-5 (cont’d)

                      -European Trip
           -Review of White House tapes
                -President’s demeanor

     Economic paper
          -John B. Connally
          -Camp David
                -Presentation of program
          -Herbert Stein
                -Analysis
          -Thirty-day freeze
                -Possible effect
                -Public relations
                -Shultz
          -Gas tax
          -Freeze
          -Energy
                -Discussions
          -President’s schedule
                -Economic meeting

     Watergate
          -J. Fred Buzhardt’s examination of John Dean, III’s files

Also recorded on June 4, 1973

039-055 8:53 AM · 1 min — Alexander M. Haig, Jr., White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:53 am and 9:04 am.
441-002 8:53 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:53 am to 9:05 am.
039-056 9:05 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:05 am and 9:11 am.
441-003 9:05 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:05 am and 9:11 am.
039-057 9:11 AM · 39 sec — White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 9:11 am to 9:12 am.
441-004 9:11 AM · 37 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:11 am to 9:12 am.
039-058 9:12 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:12 am and 9:38 am.
441-006 9:12 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:12 am and 9:38 am.

All 103 conversations from June 4, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 441-005, June 4, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/441-005 (accessed October 1, 2026).