Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 569 › Conversation 569-004

Nixon & Connally on Phase II and Wage and price controls

Friday, September 10, 1971 · 12:14 PM–12:19 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Connally, John B.Conversation569-004 on Tape 569 (tape position 00:52:27–00:57:36)StartFriday, September 10, 1971 at 12:14 PMEndFriday, September 10, 1971 at 12:19 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 569-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of the Treasury John Connally met to coordinate the transition from the Phase I wage and price freeze to the forthcoming Phase II economic program. They discussed the political necessity of setting a firm announcement date to counter public perceptions of administrative inactivity. The two agreed that establishing a specific deadline would demonstrate control and resolve regarding the administration's long-range economic strategy.

Audio

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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 00:52:27 into the tape and ends around 00:57:36.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.

51:24Is this a new instruction?

51:25You can bring the lights all the way up.

51:26Is that a new instruction?

51:26I don't know.

52:39Yes, sir.

52:39I may be dreaming, but I just got the order to reset my screen.

52:40Let me ask you this.

53:35I'm thinking it's a political term.

53:58and that gives you the rights and the freedom to act.

54:00Now, on the other hand, the problem we've got is we've got the political problem that a lot of guys can build up a phony issue and just go right back.

54:05And we aren't thinking about it.

54:06We don't know what we're doing.

54:07Why did we announce that we're not going to go forward with it?

54:10Yes, sir.

54:10And even more of a lot of particular things.

54:12A lot of you are announcing yesterday that the Supreme Court is going to call that we've got to

54:37The building is now sufficiently advanced for the exploration waiting for us.

54:39And I think it's sufficiently advanced for us.

54:40And since it's sufficiently advanced, we've got to set a date.

54:42That's why I'm asking.

54:42I think you really have to set a time.

54:43I don't know.

54:44I don't know.

55:17We don't want to leave these people now.

55:18It's rude to raise prices, raise wages, make all these kinds of prices.

55:55But it's also to keep the American people convinced.

55:56The American people are, as I said at the last meeting, hell, their wage and price controls, period.

55:59And we've got to keep

56:32But it's got to be set again, and I think setting the date, that is a way of convincing people that there is something, and that's what I think.

56:35There's a magic in saying, on October 7th, we will announce it.

56:37I don't see anything wrong with it.

56:38I think we ought to put ourselves right on the hostage.

56:39I don't see anything wrong with it.

56:40We can certainly do it in time, and it has three advantages to announcing it precisely.

56:43The only thing I was able to think of, and that was, if we don't want to give these people who we're consulting next week,

57:01The idea that their future...

57:27All right.

57:27Thank you.

NARA Description

On September 10, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:14 pm to 12:19 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 569-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 569-4

Date: September 10, 1971
Time: 12:14 pm - 12:19 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John B. Connally.

     Previous meeting with labor union representatives
          -Cooperation
          -Deferred wage increases
          -Wage and price freeze

     Forthcoming meeting with Arthur F. Burns and Connally
          -Date
                -Following Cost of Living Council [COLC] meeting

     Announcement of Phase II
         -COLC meeting
         -Follow-up program
         -Japanese departure
         -Setting deadlines
               -Political problem
                     -Accusations of inactivity by the administration
         -Previous announcement
               -End of freeze
                     -Plans for Phase II
                           -Follow-up program
                                 -Official announcement before expiration of Phase I
         -Setting date for Phase II
         -COLC meeting
               -The President's attendance
                     -Decision on announcement on Phase II
                           -Connally's announcement
                                 -Date for Phase II
         -Announcement on Phase II
               -Long-range plan
         -American public
               -Wage and price controls
         -Follow-up program
               -Date for announcement
         -Timing
         -Consultations with interest groups
               -Views of groups
         -Phase II
               -Announcement
                     -Date
               -Reflection of consultation with business, agriculture, and Congress
         -Plan ready
               -Date

Connally left at 12:19 pm.

Also recorded on September 10, 1971

072-002 12:12 PM — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:12 pm and 12:39 pm.
569-003 12:12 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:12 pm and 12:14 pm.
569-005 12:19 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, James D. ("Don") Hughes, Jo Ann Redman, Bruce Bennett, Mrs. Bruce Bennett, Anthony Radd, Naomi Redman, Lt. Col. Harland E. Pridelle, Lt. Col. James H. Gibbons, Lt. Col. John Finlay, Maj. Maj. Frederick W. Swift, Maj. Charles Freed, SGM Richard J. McCoy, Polly Thompson, Mary Burson, Walter R. Tkach, J. Paul Benson, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:19 pm to 12:25 pm.
569-006 12:25 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:25 pm to 12:26 pm.
569-007 12:26 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ernst G. Breitholz, George T. Bell, Robert R. Mullen, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:26 pm to 12:36 pm.
569-008 12:36 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 12:39 pm.
569-009 12:36 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 12:39 pm.
569-010 12:39 PM · 52 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:39 pm and 12:58 pm.

All 28 conversations from September 10, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 569-004, September 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/569-004 (accessed October 9, 2026).