Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 524 › Conversation 524-021

Nixon, Wyatt & MacGregor on Oregon economy and Employment

Thursday, June 17, 1971 · 12:18 PM–12:22 PM ET · Oval Office · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Wyatt, Wendell; MacGregor, Clark; Bull, Stephen B.; White House photographerConversation524-021 on Tape 524 (tape position 02:35:35–02:40:13)StartThursday, June 17, 1971 at 12:18 PMEndThursday, June 17, 1971 at 12:22 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 524-021 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Representative Wendell Wyatt and Clark MacGregor to discuss regional economic concerns, specifically the housing and employment crises affecting Oregon, Washington, and the Seattle area. The conversation transitioned to foreign policy, where Wyatt praised the President's diplomatic efforts toward the People's Republic of China, noting concerns raised by Japanese officials during a recent U.S.-Japan parliamentary conference. Nixon emphasized the strategic necessity of ending China's isolation for long-term global stability and arms control, while maintaining U.S. commitments to Taiwan. The brief meeting concluded with the presentation of gifts to the visitors.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 32% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Well, Wendell, how are you?
How are you?
I appreciate it.
Well, I guess we were able to do something for you once, huh?
You were, at the very least, that we get the credit.
I would hope very much for you to do that.
Oh, I meant, uh, what's the word for work?
It's good for us.
That's correct.
Well, now, how many minutes?
I don't know how many minutes you're talking, because I know you're... Well, that's not funny.
I don't know how many minutes you're talking.
And our business is already picking up some.
I don't know when it's going to go, but just a little bit.
What is it going to be?
It's way off.
You know, it's 2 million units.
Yeah, it's just a lag.
And of course, a lot of these units are multiple dwelling units, too.
Oh, yeah.
That doesn't help you that much.
Yeah.
But the price is easing up a little bit.
Earlier this spring, it eased up perceptibly, then dropped back a little bit on longer, maybe.
But it's coming back a little bit.
Our employment state is very, very bad.
We're a little bit ahead of the national average, I think, statewide, isn't it?
And I bet you guys are a lot better off than Washington.
Well, and it's the worst in California.
Well, Washington's the worst in California.
I think statewide, Mr. President, the three in Washington are very, very close.
But, of course, Seattle's a real disaster.
That's a good answer.
Yeah, it is.
It is.
Well, it's a one-industry tunnel.
It's the way I think it's going to be expected.
It'll come back.
It's the way it is.
Everything will do.
China's got shit to do with everything else.
What do you know, if you look ahead, the goals that we had 25 years, when you think of the opening to China and all the rest of it, that's where the action's going to be.
You know, I would like to commend you just in the highest possible terms for your leadership on this Chinese question.
I've been Paul Grumsfeld, and I organized a U.S.-Japan parliamentary conference.
I've had all three of them.
of just members of the US Congress and the Diet.
It's funded by the Ford Foundation through Columbia University so that we don't just have to take the foreign affairs committee members and foreign relations committee members, but people like myself and Rumsfeld could go.
That's why we did it this way.
And I just came back from a meeting there, and the Japanese are a little nervous.
They may miss the bus, the way that it was the expression that we had at the bottom.
We told them to go out.
They met both of them?
They met both of us.
Yeah.
They met both of us.
Oh, I think so.
I don't think there's any questions.
And with
With the exception of the extreme right wing, there really isn't a pretty good exception.
What we've got to expect, and I understand, I know that they have a problem, but on the other hand, we haven't...
dropped our defense, the Taiwan or Shenzhen run when it comes to that.
But we have to recognize that you can't have, you can't allow a dangerous world in which a group of the most productive people in the world are isolated.
The president of the world, not a Soviet, can't break the ice we've got to.
Well, also, it's very obvious you can't have any more international peace.
Over the hundred million people, it's got to start right on.
The arms control, now we're going to have the arms control of the Soviet Union.
At the present time, that's enough.
But in the future, as China moves up in the next 20 years, they'll be just as big as we are.
But you can't do that now.
Thank you again.
I appreciate your work on your life.
I must say, you guys have a lot of guts.
I think you've got your presence here.
Wait a minute.
They're golf balls.
Try it then.
You may have them.
Here you go.
Thank you.
Anybody who gets in always gets the loot.

NARA Description

On June 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Wendell Wyatt, Clark MacGregor, Stephen B. Bull, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:18 pm to 12:22 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 524-021 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 524-21

Date: June 17, 1971
Time: 12:18 pm - 12:22 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Wendell Wyatt, Clark MacGregor and Stephen B. Bull; the White House
photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

     Greetings

     Housing in Oregon
          -Prices

     Employment
         -Oregon
               -Status
         -Washington
         -California
         -Seattle
               -Problems
         -Recovery
               -Shipping
         -Foreign affairs opening of relations with People’s Republic of China [PRC]
               -US and Japan Parliamentary conference
                     -Donald H. Rumsfeld and Wyatt Organization
                           -Funding
                                 -Ford Foundation
                                 -Effect on attendance
               -Opening of US-PRC relations
                     -Japanese concerns
               -US commitment to Taiwan
               -Necessity of opening PRC
               -Validity of international agreements
                     -Arms control

     Wyatt's role in Congress

     Presentation of gifts

Wyatt and MacGregor left at 12:22 pm.

Also recorded on June 17, 1971

  • 524-016 12:03 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:03 pm and 12:06 pm.
  • 524-017 12:06 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, Christian deGuigne, III, Christian deGuigne, IV, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:06 pm to 12:11 pm.
  • 524-018 12:12 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:12 pm.
  • 524-019 12:12 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John L. McClellan, Clark MacGregor, Stephen B. Bull, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:12 pm to 12:17 pm.
  • 524-020 12:18 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:18 pm.
  • 524-022 12:22 PM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, White House operator, and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:22 pm to 12:46 pm.
  • 524-023 12:46 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:46 pm and 2:41 pm.
  • 524-030 12:46 PM · 1 min — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:46 pm and 2:41 pm.

All 75 conversations from June 17, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 524-021, June 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/524-021 (accessed October 23, 2026).