Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 482 › Conversation 482-019

Nixon, Taft & Nidecker on Two-party system and Awards

Monday, April 19, 1971 · 3:35 PM–3:47 PM ET · Oval Office · 12 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Taft, Robert A., Jr.; Nidecker, John E.; Davie, Preston (Mrs.); Milbank, Jeremiah, Jr.; Reid, Ross; Evans, Thomas W.; Catto, Henry; Catto, Henry (Mrs.); Dempsey, Adelaide M.; Epley, Marion J., III; Garner, Robert L.; Gerrity, Edward J., Jr.; Morrow, E. Frederic; Rader, Louis L.; Scaife, Richard M.; Steinbrenner, George M., III; Strauss, Lewis L.; Summerfield, Arthur E.; Wallis, W. Allen; Wilson, David K. ("Pat"); Chelstrom, Marilyn; White House photographerConversation482-019 on Tape 482 (tape position 02:51:13–03:03:05)StartMonday, April 19, 1971 at 3:35 PMEndMonday, April 19, 1971 at 3:47 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 482-019 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Senator Robert A. Taft, Jr. and representatives from the Robert A. Taft Institute of Government to formally accept an award and certificate honoring the late Senator Robert Taft, Sr. During his remarks, Nixon praised the elder Taft's dedication to the two-party system and his courageous defense of the Taft-Hartley Act during the 1950 campaign. Following the presentation, the President hosted the group for a photo session in the Rose Garden and presented them with presidential mementos.

  • Robert A. Taft Institute of Government
  • Robert Taft, Sr.
  • Two-party system
  • Taft-Hartley Act
  • Awards

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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All right.
Hello, Tom and Mark, how are you?
I'm fine, how are you?
How are you?
Nice to see you.
How are you?
How are you?
Hello.
Well, you're up right in the hand.
Hey, look, he's, you know, he's got a... How old are you?
How old are you?
How old are you?
Well, how are you?
Yes, ma'am.
Say, all of our people are here.
Are you Jewish?
We carry it, right?
Right.
Officer, please move to the top of the stand.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
.
.
.
.
The four houses down the lane on the left is not only a people with a higher standard of living, but a people with a higher standard of character.
You've got to be mindful not only of the standard of living, but the best in all of them.
The first standard is the three characters, the top one, and the third is the third and the fifth and the sixth, and the fifth and the sixth.
Thank you very much.
Wait a minute, they want the home page today.
We're turning it off.
Sir, I'll respond briefly.
Well, I want to say to all of the directors and to the officers of the attempt to receive this version of the certificate, and to say, too, that I think Senator Robert Taft, whom I had the privilege to serve with in the United States Senate, would want me speaking in my present position to express appreciation on his behalf to all of you for the work that you have done.
It seems to me very significant that his son, the distinguished senator of the United States Senate, it seems to me very significant, too, that Senator Taft, in the period that he served, was usually the member of the water opposition.
And he was a very great senator, a great senator because
He so vigorously represented the two-party system.
And he also was willing at times to take what appeared to be politically unpopular causes and then to go out and make them popular.
I remember Bob when he ran that campaign in 1950 in the state of Ohio.
You probably remember.
I was running it in California at the same time.
It was the same sort of campaign began.
He's ever taken, because he's been one of the authors of the Taft-Hartley Act.
So he went into not only the U.S. Republican gatherings, what was supposed to be a Republican state, but he went into the plants and talked to the labor union members, and he demonstrated clearly in that campaign.
He went over 400,000 votes that the Taft-Hartley Act was not a slave labor act.
It was actually for the working man, for the union members.
and that it was only directed against those union activities that were wrong, but that actually favored those union activities of the country.
That's only one example.
I could name others.
But a man like that serves his country, and then he dies, and then who carries on for him?
Well, Senator Taft and his son carry on for him.
Very few have such an opportunity.
Father and son both serving in the United States Senate.
great state of Ohio.
But he is fortunate that he has a group like this to carry on.
Because it was not that he felt that being in the Senate and all the glory of being the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, it was not that that meant so much to him.
It was the principles that meant so much to him.
That's what he lived for.
That's what he died for.
And what you're going to carry on those principles, carrying them on by singing to it that
The teachers, those who teach our young people, will have an opportunity to learn more about the principles of our constitutional system, the two-party system, how important it is if we're going to have creative activities.
We have two competing parties that have, yes, a majority party, which at certain times may be in the majority, in the state or in the nation, but always have at the same time
Out of that conflict comes the creating of legislation that's so important to our system.
That's what he stood for, and that's what the Tappan Institute works for.
It's what I very enthusiastically endorse, and I'm very proud for that reason to have his representation.
Thank you.
This is a very special day.
It's a beautiful day.
I'm sure you're going to all see.
I'll be back.
I'll be back.
And since this is a bipartisan group, I want you to know my name isn't on the football.
And let's go correct the actual time.
Let's see if you know what they're saying.
Let's see if you know what they're saying.
you'll know how it's been redecorated.
This is nice and consistent.
The white part is, as you know, is lovely for a day.
I think this is sealed with a bow.
You don't have to worry about your income taxes.
I'd like to suggest to all of you that we have the most beautiful site in Washington, and it lasts only a week.
It'll be gone maybe ten if a wind comes up and it'll go tomorrow.
It's the Rose Garden in the spring.
It started three weeks before, two weeks before this, but the spring has been very late, as you know.
And in the spring, they planted the Rose Garden with tulips.
They've just started that in recent years.
and they have also the crag apple trees that are growing.
So go out, stand in front of the tulips, you can even tiptoe through them.
Stand in front of the tulips, you can have a picture.
All in living color.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On April 19, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Robert A. Taft, Jr., John E. Nidecker, Mrs. Preston Davie, Jeremiah Milbank, Jr., Ross Reid, Thomas W. Evans, Henry Catto, Mrs. Henry Catto, Adelaide M. Dempsey, Marion J. Epley, III, Robert L. Garner, Edward J. Gerrity, Jr., E. Frederic Morrow, Louis L. Rader, Richard M. Scaife, George M. Steinbrenner, III, Lewis L. Strauss, Arthur E. Summerfield, W. Allen Wallis, David K. ("Pat") Wilson, Marilyn Chelstrom, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:35 pm to 3:47 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 482-019 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 482-19

Date: April 19, 1971
Time: 3:35 pm - 3:47 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Robert A. Taft, Jr., John E. Nidecker, Mrs. Preston Davie, Jeremiah
Milbank, Jr., Ross Reid, Thomas W. Evans, Henry Catto, Jr., and Mrs. Catto, Adelaide M.
Dempsey, Marion J. Epley III, Robert L. Garner, Edward J. Gerrity, Jr., E. Frederic Morrow,
William Wood Prince, Dr. Louis L. Rader, Richard M. Scaife, George M. Steinbrenner III,
Admiral Lewis L. Strauss, Arthur E. Summerfield, Dr. W. Allen Wallis, David K. Wilson and
Marilyn Chelstrom; the White House photographer and members of the press were present at the
beginning of the meeting.

     Introductions

     [General Conversation]

     Presentation of award to President

     [General Conversation]

     Award to President
         -Robert A. Taft Institute of Government
         -Certificate

     Robert A. Taft, Sr.
         -Service in Senate

           -Robert Taft, Jr.
           -Loyal opposition
           -Qualities
                 -Two party system
                 -Unpopular causes
                 -1950 campaign
                       -Taft-Hartley act
                       -Unions
           -Service to country
           -Robert, Jr.
           -Leader of Republicans
           -Principles of government
           -Taft Institute of Government
                 -Teachers
                 -Two-party system
                 -Loyal opposition

     Photo session
          -Rose Garden

      Distribution of gifts
            -Presidential cuff links
            -Presidential seal and bow
            -Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon
            -White carpet
            -Seal and bow

      Rose Garden
           -Spring
           -Tulips
           -Crab apple trees

      [General conversation]

The President, Taft, et al. left at 3:47 pm.

Also recorded on April 19, 1971

  • 482-015 2:32 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:32 pm and 2:50 pm.
  • 002-001 3:03 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:03 pm and 3:04 pm.
  • 482-017 3:03 PM · 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:03 pm to 3:34 pm.
  • 002-002 3:04 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone from 3:04 pm to 3:09 pm.
  • 482-018 3:34 PM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:34 pm to 3:35 pm.
  • 482-020 3:49 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:49 pm and 3:52 pm.
  • 482-021 3:52 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:52 pm to 4:05 pm.
  • 482-022 4:07 PM · 46 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John L. McClellan, Clark MacGregor, Kenneth E. BeLieu, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:07 pm to 4:53 pm.

All 27 conversations from April 19, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 482-019, April 19, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/482-019 (accessed October 3, 2026).