Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 464 › Conversation 464-009

Nixon, Shultz & Kissinger on Textile trade negotiations and Japan-US relations

Tuesday, March 9, 1971 · 11:39 AM–12:03 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Shultz, George P.;  Kissinger, Henry A.;  Flanigan, Peter M.;  Peterson, Peter G.;  White House operatorConversation464-009 onTape 464 (tape position 01:53:50–02:17:09)StartTuesday, March 9, 1971 at 11:39 AMEndTuesday, March 9, 1971 at 12:03 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 464-009 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with his key advisors to strategize on complex textile trade negotiations with Japan, focusing heavily on the complicating influence of Representative Wilbur Mills. The participants evaluated the viability of voluntary Japanese import controls versus potential restrictive domestic legislation. Nixon and his team sought to coordinate their administrative position to balance industry pressure, congressional involvement, and diplomatic relations with the Japanese government.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 166.6 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 168.0 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 150.1 MB ·Download MP3 (part 4) · 167.6 MB ·Download MP3 (part 5) · 11.8 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 01:53:50 into the tape and ends around 02:17:09.

Transcript (AI-generated)

No transcript is available yet for this conversation. The recording may contain no audible speech, or it may not have been processed.

NARA Description

On March 9, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, Henry A. Kissinger, Peter M. Flanigan, Peter G. Peterson, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:39 am to 12:03 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 464-009 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 464-9

Date: March 9, 1971
Time: 11:39 am - 12:03 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with George P. Shultz, Henry A. Kissinger, Peter M. Flanigan, and Peter G.
Peterson

     Greetings

     [Unintelligible]

     Textile trade negotiations with Japan
          -Wilbur D. Mills’ position
                 -Japanese restraint
                      -Voluntary controls
                             -Steel
                      -Administration concerns
                      -Industry response
                 -An announcement regarding negotiations
                      -Effect of Mills’ comments
                 -A meeting with Japanese ambassador
                 -Industry position
                 -Administration’s position
                 -Possible results
                 -Textile legislation
                 -Options for administration
                      -Possible public statement
                      -Possible effect on textile industry
          -Maurice H. Stans’ position
                 -Legislation

             -John N. Mitchell’s position
             -Harry S. Dent’s position
             -Kissinger
             -President’s position
             -Mills

     Mills
             -Position on textiles
             -Position on Social Security and welfare reform
             -Administration handling

     Textile trade negotiations with Japan
          -State Department suggestion

[The President talked with the White House operator at 11:45 am]

[Conversation No. 464-9A]

     Dent

[End of telephone conversation]

             -Mills
             -Textile legislation
             -Mills’ position on agreement
             -Industry position on agreement

[The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time after 11:45 am]

[Conversation No. 464-9B]

     President’s call to Dent
          -Availability

[End of telephone conversation]

     Dent
             -Location
                  -Roosevelt Room

     Textile trade negotiations with Japan
          -Dent’s position

-Japanese position
     -Definition of terms
            -Shultz’s view
                  -Problems
                        -US negotiating position
-Japanese imports in 1971
-[Forename unknown] Machino
-Japanese ambassador
-US position
-Textile legislation
-Options
     -Negotiations
            -Stans
     -Legislation
     -Negotiations
            -Mills
-A Meeting with [Name unintelligible]
     -Mills
     -Legislative approach
-Options
     -Negotiations
            -Effect of Mills’ comments
            -US position
            -Textile industry position
            -Possible results
            -The President’s position
                  -Japanese voluntary restraint
                  -Legislation
                        -Monitoring
                        -Mills
            -US position
            -Textile legislation
                  -Conditions
                  -Mills
-Importance to US
     -Effect on foreign trade
-Textile legislation
-Dent’s involvement
-John W. Byrnes
-Mills
-Congressional position

           -Effect on foreign trade
           -Mills
           -Dent

Shultz, et al. left at 12:03 pm

Also recorded on March 9, 1971

  • 464-005 9:58 AM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:58 am to 10:36 am.
  • 464-006 10:36 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:36 am and 10:40 am.
  • 464-007 10:40 AM · 46 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John L. ("Jack") Swigert, Jr., William R. Pogue, Jack R. Lousma, William A. Anders, Donald H. Rumsfeld, Jeb Stuart Magruder, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:40 am to 11:28 am.
  • 464-008 11:30 AM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:30 am to 11:39 am.
  • 464-010 12:03 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Fred Fassen, Foster J. Pratt, Arthur Schuettner, Raymond Ast, Emily T. Barhydt, Louis Blueth, Charles C. Fichtner, George E. Gilbert, Robert C. Gillingham, H. Benjamin Hendler, Florence Krieger, Leslie O. Long, A. O. Mathias, William J. Powell, Willie C. Ray, Jayne B. Spain, J. Cecil Sandberg, H. A. Tiller, Lola Tilly, Jennie S. Wilmot, Emma Woodward, Bernard E. Nash, Dorothy Crippen, Cyril Brickfield, Lloyd Wright, Charles Thomas, Bernard S. Van Rensselaer, John B. Martin, George T. Bell, Robert H. Finch, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:03 pm to 12:23 pm.
  • 464-011 12:23 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:23 pm and 12:26 pm.
  • 464-012 12:26 PM · 1 hr 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, Rose Mary Woods, Ronald L. Ziegler, unknown person(s), White House operator, and William T. Kendall met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:26 pm to 1:30 pm.
  • 464-013 1:30 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:30 pm and 2:34 pm.

All 29 conversations from March 9, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 464-009, March 9, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/464-009 (accessed September 18, 2026).