Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 472 › Conversation 472-006

Nixon & Connally on American leadership and Political strategy

Tuesday, March 23, 1971 · 10:16 AM–10:19 AM ET · Oval Office ·2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Connally, John B.Conversation472-006 onTape 472 (tape position 00:27:42–00:30:01)StartTuesday, March 23, 1971 at 10:16 AMEndTuesday, March 23, 1971 at 10:19 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 472-006 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Treasury Secretary John B. Connally to discuss Connally’s recent performance in a public or congressional setting, which Nixon praised as a strong and effective defense of the administration’s position. The two men reflected on the perceived decline of American leadership and global influence, likening it to the historical collapses of past empires. They concluded by briefly coordinating their strategy for an upcoming meeting with the German Chancellor.

Audio

Download MP3 · 3.2 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.

So, yeah, I thought it was very, very helpful for you to give those guys a good shot like that this morning.
And I'm sure you could see I was trying to shame you a little bit because, yeah, well, I told you.
It looks like we're about two boats short.
But for this country, what it is, it's almost a death wish, isn't it?
It's a death wish.
We're afraid to do this or that because as the country gets more and more intelligent, they get more and more fearful.
And that's what happened to the Greeks.
What happened to the Romans is what's happened to the British.
That's what happens.
Well, it's a retreat from greatness, too.
It's a retreat from leadership.
But anyway, we're on the side of the Angels, and I appreciate that you're picking up.
That's the way to do it.
Slug it right to them.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, you handled it all extremely well.
That's all right.
Yeah.
Don't worry.
They'll remember.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know what this year?
Yeah.
Well, I'll try to get a few quotes for our next meeting tonight.
Yeah.
Meet with Chancellor Jesus.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, I want to be sure I don't cross the bridge today.
That's what I mean.
I'm glad to talk to you about it.
I didn't know.
Okay.
All right.
Okay.
We'll get it again.

NARA Description

On March 23, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:16 am to 10:19 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 472-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 472-6

Date: March 23, 1971
Time: 10:16 am - 10:19 am
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with John B. Connally

[A transcript of the following portion of the conversation was initially prepared for the
Watergate Special Prosecution Force [WSPF] and can be found in Record Group [RG] 460. The
Nixon Presidential Materials Staff has reveiwed the transcript and has made changes as
necessary. This transcript has been reviewed under the provisions of the Presidential Recordings
and Materials Preservation Act of 1974 [PRMPA]. The National Archives does not guarantee its
accuracy.]

[End of transcript]

Also recorded on March 23, 1971

  • 050-010 9:55 AM — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 9:55 am and 10:35 am.
  • 472-003 9:56 AM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Hugh Scott, Gerald R. Ford, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Clark MacGregor met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:56 am to 10:15 am.
  • 472-004 10:16 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 10:16 am.
  • 472-005 10:16 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 10:16 am.
  • 472-007 10:20 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Leslie C. Arends met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:20 am to 10:24 am.
  • 472-008 10:25 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, and Clifford M. Hardin met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:25 am to 10:35 am.
  • 051-001 10:35 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and leaders of the dairy industry, including Clifford M. Hardin, J. Philip Campbell, Paul Affeldt, Paul Alagia, Melvin Besemer, John E. Butterbrodt, Bill Eckles, Don Gregg, W. R. Griffith, Carlyle Hansen, Marion Edwyn Harrison, Patrick J. Hillings, Wesley Johnson, John A. Moser, Harold S. Nelson, David L. Parr, Bill Powell, P. L. Robinson, Avery Vose, Frank White, Clarence D. Palmby, Richard E. Lyng, William E. Galbraith, George P. Shultz, John D. Ehrlichman, Donald B. Rice, Henry C. Cashen, II, and John C. Whitaker, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 10:35 am to 11:25 am.
  • 472-009 11:30 AM · 42 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Peter G. Peterson, Stephen B. Bull, Edwin D. Etherington, Robert H. Finch, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:30 am to 12:13 pm.

All 29 conversations from March 23, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 472-006, March 23, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/472-006 (accessed September 18, 2026).