Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 489 › Conversation 489-027

Nixon & Ehrlichman on Patronage and Federal housing policy

Monday, April 26, 1971 · 8:30 PM–8:51 PM ET · Oval Office · 44 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation489-027 on Tape 489 (tape position 05:36:18–05:37:13)StartMonday, April 26, 1971 at 8:30 PMEndMonday, April 26, 1971 at 8:51 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 489-027 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417176837 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon directs John Ehrlichman to initiate a comprehensive review of federal housing project allocations to ensure administration supporters receive appropriate consideration. Nixon expresses frustration that project funding has been disproportionately awarded to Democrats and dissident Republicans instead of loyal allies like Congressman Elford Cederberg. This directive mandates a systematic vetting process for future project drafts to strengthen political patronage before the upcoming campaign season.

Patronage
Federal housing policy
Elford Cederberg
Political strategy
Executive branch influence

Audio

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NARA Description

On April 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 489-027 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 489-27

Date: April 26, 1971
Time: Unknown between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President dictated a memorandum for John D. Ehrlichman.

     Elford A. Cederberg
          -Housing projects
                -Democrats and dissident Republicans
                -Administration's position

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Memorandum of the Right of Congressman Al Cederberg of Michigan, a man with a hard core of administration proponents in the House.

The White House projects and other projects are going to Democrats and dissident Republicans.

So I'm going to be urged that every draft be examined, as we went through this so before the campaign, and we and our opponents, and our friends, into this and around it.

Also recorded on April 26, 1971

489-025 8:30 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
489-026 8:30 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
489-028 8:30 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
489-029 8:30 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Betty Graham met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
489-030 8:30 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
489-031 8:30 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
489-032 8:30 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
489-033 8:30 PM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.

All 49 conversations from April 26, 1971 →

Nixon phone call with Mitchell on John L. McClellan and James O. Eastland August 1, 1972 · 2 min
Nixon & Kissinger on Ronald Reagan and Patronage November 17, 1971 · 23 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 489-027, April 26, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417176837). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/489-027 (accessed November 2, 2026).