Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 613 › Conversation 613-002

Nixon & Shultz on Political Strategy and Economic Policy

Tuesday, November 2, 1971 · 3:07 PM–3:11 PM ET · Oval Office · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Shultz, George P.Conversation613-002 on Tape 613 (tape position 00:02:05–00:09:04)StartTuesday, November 2, 1971 at 3:07 PMEndTuesday, November 2, 1971 at 3:11 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 613-002 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417179509 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and George Shultz discussed the necessity of maintaining consistent communication and political alignment with a key official currently away from the White House. They emphasized the importance of keeping this individual fully informed of ongoing policy developments, particularly regarding pay adjustments, to ensure his future support and prevent potential political friction upon his return. The President stressed that proactive transparency is vital to avoid scenarios where the absent official could later claim ignorance or dissatisfaction with administration decisions.

Audio

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NARA Description

On November 2, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:07 pm to 3:11 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 613-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 613-002

Date: November 2, 1971
Time: 3:07 pm - 3:11 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with George P. Shultz.

[See Conversation No. 13-77]

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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One thing that's very important is to keep a copy of the farm and what's happening here.

It's very important that whenever we do something here that he be aboard.

You see, how we do that is not through one of his people here because he might get an accurate inform of that.

But I would suggest that if, for example, something begins to develop on the pay-for thing, that you, that you, the message you will be sending him, see, that very message,

and indicate the options that are, you know, that we've already outlined as to where we are.

Because I, he will actually have the support of whatever we do while he's gone.

And it would have to cost him to do it constantly, and that period would make some sort of an arrangement to have him supported, too.

But it's much better if he'd be informed, and then he just would say, you can come back and run into some sort of a, you know, sort of, well, why the hell didn't you do better?

You know what I mean?

The important thing here is not just, not to leave anybody, a particular colony in a position where you can say, well, you could say, you know, if he wanted to leave, you know, he could, of course, with his own people over there, well, why didn't we stay with me?

Why didn't we cave in?

You see what I mean?

All right.

So people will remember that.

Is that right for that?

Yeah.

There was some possibility of some leaving the ground.

Yeah.

OK. Start position.

Let's go.

Also recorded on November 2, 1971

013-075 2:26 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz talked on the telephone from 2:26 pm to 2:34 pm.
300-007 2:26 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:26 pm to 2:34 pm.
013-076 3:00 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:00 pm and 3:07 pm.
613-001 3:00 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 3:00 pm and 3:07 pm.
013-077 3:07 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz talked on the telephone from 3:07 pm to 3:11 pm.
013-078 3:11 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:11 pm and 6:55 pm.
613-003 3:15 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:15 pm to 3:37 pm.
081-004 3:37 PM · 35 min — President Richard M. Nixon and members of the Cabinet Committee on Executive Reorganization, including Rogers C. B. Morton, Maurice H. Stans, James D. Hodgson, Elliot L. Richardson, George W. Romney, George P. Shultz, J. Philip Campbell, David Maxwell, Frank C. Carlucci, III, Egil G. ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., William L. Gifford, Neal Ball, Geoffrey C. Shepard, Dwight A. Ink, and John D. Ehrlichman., met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 3:37 pm to 4:35 pm.

All 58 conversations from November 2, 1971 →

Nixon phone call with Shultz on Defense Budget and National Security August 11, 1971 · 3 min
Nixon & Haldeman on George P. Shultz and John B. Connally August 12, 1971 · 2 min
Nixon phone call with Colson on Political strategy and Camp David June 9, 1972 · 25 min
Nixon with unidentified visitors in his EOB office on Cancer research August 3, 1971 · 5 min
Nixon & Colson on John Mitchell and Political Strategy December 8, 1971 · 3 min
Nixon & Sanchez on George Romney and Political strategy January 11, 1972

Cite this conversation

Conversation 613-002, November 2, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417179509). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/613-002 (accessed November 1, 2026).