Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 554 › Conversation 554-002

Nixon, Ziegler & Butterfield on Economy and Press Relations

Wednesday, August 4, 1971 · 12:27 PM–1:43 PM ET · Oval Office · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.; Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation554-002 on Tape 554 (tape position 00:50:45–00:58:13)StartWednesday, August 4, 1971 at 12:27 PMEndWednesday, August 4, 1971 at 1:43 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 554-002 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417178731 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Alexander Butterfield and Ronald Ziegler to review strategy for upcoming press engagements and manage media narratives regarding the economy and foreign policy. The discussion focused on addressing wage increases, the status of current job legislation, and the administration's stance on congressional recess. Nixon explicitly instructed Ziegler to emphasize that Congress must remain in session to pass pending jobs bills, while also providing guidance on how to respond to inquiries about wage and price controls.

Audio

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NARA Description

On August 4, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:27 pm and 1:43 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 554-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 554-2

Date: August 4, 1971
Time: Unknown between 12:27 pm and 1:43 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield and Ronald L. Ziegler.

     Press conference
           -Economy

     Busing
          -Ziegler recent press conference

     Press conference
           -Economy
                 -Unemployment
                      -Compared to early 1960's
                 -Arthur F. Burns
           -Busing statement
                 -August 3, 1971
           -Spiro T. Agnew
           -Economy
           -People's Republic of China [PRC]
           -Length of conference

     President's schedule
          -Action papers

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 1:43 pm.

           -Economy
                -Significance as issue
                -Wage and price freeze
           -Foreign issues
                -PRC and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
                -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
                -Berlin
                -Vietnam
                      -Forthcoming press conference
                           -Ziegler’s possible comments
                                 -Negotiations

                                      -Critics
                                            -Seven points
                                            -Le Duc Tho
          -Economy
               -Wage increases

     Instructions for Ziegler
           -Forthcoming press conference
                -Wage increases

     Jobs legislation
           -Congress
                 -Clark MacGregor’s office
                 -Need to stay in session

Ziegler left at an unknown time before 1:43 pm.

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 42% 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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Good stuff in there.
That's about all we can say.
It's amazing, you know.
It's amazing, yesterday on the, you know, busing statement, they asked Gary, you know, didn't come up.
They didn't ask about it?
Not a thing.
Not a thing.
I think they just didn't want to...
I think there's a little, you know, it takes...
Probably more guts than some of these guys have to raise a question like that.
Right.
That close to a president.
They just hesitate to do that.
And maybe a good heart.
The economy.
The law of the law.
You can't follow up.
The economy's a story.
Under the National Fund.
I'm pretty sure we didn't come out for a wage price.
Mark, well, you covered that at the end and made that absolutely clear.
We would consider it, but I haven't seen it.
Well, it just didn't work.
And there was meat in there on the China-Soviet thing, salt.
Berlin.
Well, so I...
The other thing, which...
When the record of history is shown, it'll be found wanting on...
It'll blabber.
It'll blabber.
Just wait and see.
They'll make something go on.
And if they ask me that, I'll just say, I'm not going to go down to the President's Center and tell everybody.
I'm not going to go on what they said.
Because I thought we'd just bail out and see if we got a hell of a record here.
I did love having the overriding one of the bastards said he had five and seven points.
Why haven't they talked to me about that shit?
It's killing me.
Well, it's wholly an economic thing, basically.
The other point that was very strong was the expression about the recent wage increases and also looking at them on a case-by-case basis and using the influence of this office.
you know, to deal with it.
Yeah.
Each one.
That's right.
I want you to take one in your hand.
I suppose.
I believe that Congress should stay in session.
Should not go home, should stay in session.
We'll run nine sessions until it gets out in the emergency.
The plan, the bill, which provides hundreds and thousands of jobs, is ready to be traded.
This is critical, particularly on the law enforcement of teenagers looking for work and will not be able to work later.
It would be irresponsible for the Congress to recess and go home.
or have a rage.

Also recorded on August 4, 1971

  • 271-007 10:35 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:35 am and 10:59 am.
  • 554-001 11:38 AM · 50 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:38 am to 12:27 pm.
  • 554-003 12:27 PM · 60 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), and John B. Connally met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:27 pm and 1:43 pm.
  • 554-004 12:27 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:27 pm and 1:43 pm.
  • 554-005 1:43 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:43 pm to 1:55 pm.
  • 554-006 1:55 PM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, White House operator, John C. Stennis, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:55 pm to 2:18 pm.
  • 007-062 1:56 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John C. Stennis talked on the telephone from 1:56 pm to 1:59 pm.
  • 007-063 1:59 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:59 pm and 3:50 pm.

All 21 conversations from August 4, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 554-002, August 4, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417178731). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/554-002 (accessed November 1, 2026).