Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 560 › Conversation 560-004
Nixon, Flanigan & Bull on Petrochemicals and Oil Policy
Tuesday, August 10, 1971 · 5:45 PM–6:00 PM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Peter M. Flanigan to address pending policy decisions regarding petrochemicals and international textile trade. The discussion focused on evaluating options for oil import policies and the political implications of utilizing the national security clause to manage textile negotiations with Japan. Flanigan reported on consultations with various Cabinet members and congressional figures, emphasizing the need for timely decisions to navigate complex industry pressures and diplomatic relations.
- Petrochemicals
- Oil Policy
- Textile Trade
- International Relations
- National Security Clause
- Japan
Audio
This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 01:28:25 into the tape and ends around 01:44:15.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On August 10, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Peter M. Flanigan, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:45 pm to 6:00 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 560-004 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 560-4
Date: August 10, 1971
Time: 5:45 pm - 6:00 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Stephen B. Bull and Peter M. Flanigan.
Alexander P. Butterfield
Bull left at 5:45 pm.
Ambassadorships
Butterfield entered and left at 5:45 pm.
-Appointees
Ambassadorships
-Appointees
-State Department recommendations
-William P. Rogers
Ambassadorships
-Appointees
-[Robert P.?] Griffin
-Wire to Herbert W. Kalmbach
-Brother
-Trustees
Petrochemicals
-Administration’s options
-Cabinet Task Force recommendations
-George P. Shultz
-Maurice H. Stans
-Oil Policy Council
-Oil producers' views
-Lockheed vote
-Administration's promise
-Oil producers’ view
-Supplies
-Plants
-Option One
-Views of Department of Defense [DOD], Department of Interior, Gen.
George A. Lincoln, Clark MacGregor
-Option Two
-Views of Stans, John N. Mitchell, Department of State, Council of Economic
Advisers [CEA], Flanigan
-Impact on oil companies
-Compared to Option One
-Flanigan’s discussion with Congress
-Lockheed vote
-John B. Connally's role
-William V. Roth, Jr.
-President's call to [Thomas] Hale Boggs
-Flanigan's possible conversation with Connally
-Roth
-Industry views
-Robert P. Griffin's views
-Oil producers' views and motives
-Prices
-Inflation
Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:45 pm.
President's schedule
-Shultz
Bull left at an unknown time before 6:00 pm.
Petrochemicals
-Oil producers' views and motives
-Clifford P, Hansen [?]
-Oil prices
-Rigs
-Inflation
-Administration’s options
-Timing of decision
-Flanigan's possible call to Connally
-Oil producers
-Tariffs compared to quotas
-Mitchell's views
-Oil industry compared to Senators
-Balance of payments, exports
-President’s view
-Flanigan’s possible call to Connally
-Flanigan's possible call to Connally
-Option Two
-President’s view
-Treasury Department
-Connally's possible calls
-MacGregor's views
-Henry L. Bellmon, John G. Tower, Hansen
-Option One
-Politics
-Roth
-Balance of payments
-Conversation with Flanigan
International trade
-Textiles
-National security clause
-Comparison to Dwight D. Eisenhower and oil
-Possible impact
-Steel, electronics industries
-Rogers' conversation with Flanigan
-Peter G. Peterson
-Rogers' views
-Takeo Fukuda
-Forthcoming visit to US
-Timing
-Possible negotiations with Fukuda
-Eisaku Sato
-Possible agreement
-Parameters
-Ambassador [Nobuhiko Ushiba]
-Connally
-David Kennedy's views
-Wilbur D. Mills
-Duration
-Cotton Textile Agreement
-Textile industry
-National Security clause
-Political aspect
-Okinawa
-Tariff Commission Act
-Quotas
-Peterson
-Quotas
-Flanigan’s view
-Bill
-Mills
-Escape clause
-Rogers' possible negotiations with Fukuda
-Possible agreement
-Duration
-Possible quota bill
-Peterson
-National Security clause
-Views of Stans, Connally, Mitchell
-Views of Henry A. Kissinger, Rogers, Shultz
-Possible effect
-Rogers’ forthcoming talk with the President
-Decision
-Timing
-Quotas
-Mills
Ambassadorships
Flanigan left and Stephen B. Bull entered at 6:00 pm.Also recorded on August 10, 1971
- 559-022 3:19 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:19 pm and 3:21 pm.
- 559-023 3:21 PM · 53 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Thomas R. Shepard, Jr., H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:21 pm to 4:14 pm.
- 560-001 4:14 PM · 1 hr 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Paul W. McCracken, Herbert Stein, Stephen B. Bull, George P. Shultz, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:14 pm to 5:19 pm.
- 560-002 5:19 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 5:19 pm.
- 560-003 5:20 PM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Harry S. Dent, William F. ("Billy") Graham, Roy Gustafson, Arthur Smith, Fred Rhodes, Paul Harvey, David McConnell, Nelson Bell, George Rideout, Porter Routh, Tom Phillips, Robert Van Kampen, Charles Crutchfield, Bill Mead, Ben Hayden, Ed Johnson, Stan Mooneyham, Tom Lake, Alan Bell, W. A. Criswell, Theodore Epp, Pat Zondervan, Alan Emory, Bill Walton, Maxy Jarman, Bill Bright, Robert Denny, James Jeffrey, T. W. Wilson, Harold Lindsell, Don Gaeblein, White House photographer, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:20 pm to 5:45 pm.
- 560-005 6:00 PM · 1 min — Stephen B. Bull and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:00 pm to 6:01 pm.
- 560-006 6:01 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:01 pm to 6:14 pm.
- 560-007 6:14 PM · 39 sec — Unknown person(s) [likely custodial staff] met in the Oval Office of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 6:14 pm on August 10, 1971 and 8:53 am on August 11, 1971.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 560-004, August 10, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/560-004 (accessed October 9, 2026).