Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 465 › Conversation 465-002

Nixon, Safire & Butterfield on Law enforcement speech and Judicial reform

Wednesday, March 10, 1971 · 9:33 AM–9:45 AM ET · Oval Office · 15 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Safire, William L.; Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation465-002 on Tape 465 (tape position 00:03:32–00:18:02)StartWednesday, March 10, 1971 at 9:33 AMEndWednesday, March 10, 1971 at 9:45 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 465-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with William Safire to refine a draft of an upcoming speech on law enforcement, focusing on themes of judicial reform, respect for the law, and the appropriate tone for addressing national concerns. The discussion included adjustments to language regarding radicalism and the legal system, as well as the President’s stance on legal services for the poor. Following this, Alexander Butterfield joined to finalize the logistics and procedure for a scheduled signing ceremony regarding revenue sharing for rural community development.

Audio

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Position in tape: 00:03:32 – 00:18:02

part A, 2:48

465a.mp3
465b.mp3

NARA Description

On March 10, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, William L. Safire, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:33 am to 9:45 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 465-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 465-2

Date: March 10, 1971
Time: 9:33 am - 9:45 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with William L. Safire

     Draft of President’s forthcoming speech on law enforcement
           -Length of draft
           -President’s revisions
                 -Wording
                       -Warren E. Burger
                       -John N. Mitchell
           -Wording
           -Reform of judicial system
                 -Priority
           -Patrick J. Buchanan
                 -Wording
           -Respect for law
                 -Radicals
                 -Lawyers
                 -Police
           -Leonard Garment and Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.
                 -Legal services reference
                       -Office of Economic Opportunity

           -Delivery of final draft
                 -Burger’s remarks
           -Burger’s review
           -Williamsburg
                 -President’s previous speech

     Interviews with President
           -Cyrus L. (“Cy”) Sulzberger
           -Stewart J. O. Alsop
           -New York Times and Sulzberger
                -James B. (“Scotty”) Reston

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 9:45 am

     President’s schedule
          -Ceremony for Revenue Sharing for Rural Community Development
                -Signing ceremony
                -Television appearance
                      -Mark I. Goode
                -Handshakes and photographs
                      -Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins
                -Signing ceremony
                      -Message to Congress
                      -Talking paper

Butterfield left at 9:45 am

     President’s previous interview with Sulzberger
          -Possible review by President

Safire left at 9:45 am

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.

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Oh, right.
I was wondering, have you... Actually, it's a little shorter than the last draft.
It's about 3,100 words.
The last speech you gave, you gave it about 116 words a minute.
Well, I have gone through it.
I thought I made a couple of cuts that were a bit more cut than just a few.
Two questions.
What about the national history?
Has that reached you far?
Well, it didn't offend Chief Justice Krueger.
Basically... Missiles didn't get thrown by the... Well, look at the way it's handled.
That's a tough line, isn't it?
And if you...
National tragedy I think could have more sorrow than anger in it.
Disaster.
A deep national concern?
A concern as well.
Deep.
Is there any...
And that reform, the years of neglect, have been the years of neglect.
And the ones that made reform have been the years of neglect.
And now the demand for reform in the American system is for it to be the first national party in the United States.
That was a good kind of describing the problem there.
Therefore, we should have .
That's striking.
How about using the first part of that as the lead benefit?
Next page, sir.
Leave the hard-working, dedicated jury for some of those conclusions.
Just some of the conclusions.
Yeah.
These conclusions.
Yes, that's right.
Well, I would make it seem like this is the conclusion.
The next paragraph is essentially one point.
And I'd modify it by saying many hard words.
That puts, that leads entirely in terms of your idea of how to protect the community.
That's what the hell we're talking about.
This paragraph was created by Patrick J. Buchanan.
Okay, let's just let it go now.
The only other thing, I know it's a nice balance, but I noticed we break the equal on low law back here.
I'm not... Do you... Can we really slow down here?
Respect the law.
Respect the law.
Well, I know that it doesn't balance with your hate law.
I see what you're balancing with that hate law and love law.
Respect is what I have to say.
Maybe we can get another balance then.
We live at a time when headlines are made by those who show an act of disrespect for all institutions.
By those who show an act of disrespect for all institutions.
By those who
What's about it that we're using these radicals as a ploy?
Well...
I worry most about using the term, love the law.
We lawyers understand that bill.
I don't think people love the law.
They either love the law, or lawyers, or cops, or anything.
Is that what I mean?
Right.
Is it within the professional term?
That's the professional term.
You say, I love the law.
Well, hell, you see what I mean?
Right.
That's what concerns me.
The fact that it's fine for lawyers, but not for folks.
What about doing both?
but only accomplished by the people who respect the law, and the professionals who love them, or led by those who love them.
No.
I don't think we'll follow the law again at all, either use it like this or not use it at all.
I'd like to defy the law and respect the law.
Garment and Krogh will both want to add one sentence about legal services.
I think it will be criticized if you don't say something about, I approve in principle the idea of legal services.
I don't care.
All right.
Well, you've got this new thing coming out with the spitting it off as a separate corporation.
And I thought that since you're going to do that and go in that direction, you ought to say something about it.
I'm all for legal services for the poor.
I'm going to do something in that direction.
I'm going to do it at the right time.
There's nothing subject to this one here.
But I don't mind being criticized for that.
That's a good one.
Definitely one way or another, you just put the whole top over this.
That's fine.
That's fine, gentlemen.
This photo I just received is...
I'll send this down the helicopter.
This is the Berger and Mark for the same thing.
It's a dull speech.
He has to go.
He's a remarkable man.
He really worked on this.
And, you know, everybody...
But I spent a lot of time in your speech on weighing every word.
But this has been the final time, you know.
Right.
Do you want to last crack it this way?
No, that's just fine.
I did it last time.
Okay.
Okay.
It's fine.
It's fine.
Good.
This is very long-winded for it always.
Oh, yeah, that's right.
There you go.
I thought it was a, I thought it was a good initiative.
I thought it was, recently I did a little interview with you about salt burping wine.
I've given it to various people.
I've had Stuart Alsop and
various others and so forth.
And I thought just doing one at times is not a bad idea, particularly with Cy.
Because he's the only one that's got any damn balance up there, left and well.
Everybody can get any balance with foreign policy.
He's balanced with foreign policy.
Scotty and the other aren't too bad at domestic policy.
Cy Sulzberger really knows the world.
He's not an optimist.
He's not the greatest genius in the world, but he's a good solider for it.
I think we're right about the world, I'm sure.
It's driven by the establishment right of war.
I see them there somewhere.
I said to everyone, he asked me, he said, do you mind if I use this?
I said, no.
I said, it's nice if you want to.
Yes, sir.
I want to sign it.
Where can I do it?
Well, it'll be in two parts.
Mark Griggs is going to come in and just give you a ride.
I'm not going to do anything on television, so that's that.
Well, what if he tells I'm on television?
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
This was to date.
I can come in for individual handshakes, but all you have to do is take a photograph and then sign it over there.
I'll let you take a look.
I'll let you look at it.
See?
I'll just...
I have to check.
I thought I was going to sign it.
Do you have the...
Bring me the talking paper, I'll put it out there.
He asked that question so they should not be glad to submit it to you for correction.
I said, of course not.
You know, I have the courage to take him out of that.
He was surprised.
That's the foolish thing to ever do, though.
You don't trust your report on anything.
Your report isn't good enough to report you like that.
It is an enormous compliment.
I'm handling that subject.
Is it?
Have you been writing a story yet?
I haven't written a story about it.
Oh, you don't?
Well, I have.
I never.
I never.
Any such story has been heard.
Just play it over.
I just went off.

— 2 min 25 s with no transcribed speech —

We're not going to bother much with this because I just want to stop it so we can go eat good.

Also recorded on March 10, 1971

  • 465-001 9:25 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:25 am and 9:33 am.
  • 465-003 9:50 AM · 57 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Mark I. Goode met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:50 am to 9:51 am.
  • 465-004 9:51 AM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John W. Scott, Robert N. Hampton, Lowell J. Endahl, C. W. McMillan, John E. Butterbrodt, Don F. Magdanz, John Palmer, Eugene Moos, Robert Lederer, Patrick Healy, Harry Graham, Claude Gifford, Devoe H. Willard, John I. Sutherland, Parke Brinkley, Frank Frazier, Walter W. Goeppinger, Charles Toan, Albert Russell, Robert J. Andrews, Elbert Harp, Ralph T. Jackson, Lorraine Kirker, Roy B. Keppey, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:51 am to 10:01 am.
  • 682-001 9:57 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:57 am and 10:06 am.
  • 465-005 10:06 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:06 am and 10:13 am.
  • 465-006 10:13 AM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter M. Flanigan met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:13 am to 10:23 am.
  • 465-007 10:23 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:23 am and 10:42 am.
  • 465-008 10:42 AM · 2 hr 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Raymond K. Price, Jr., Noel C. Koch, Alexander P. Butterfield, Henry A. Kissinger, Stephen B. Bull, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:42 am to 1:15 pm.

All 15 conversations from March 10, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 465-002, March 10, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/465-002 (accessed November 2, 2026).