Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 658 › Conversation 658-007

Nixon, Stans & Peterson on Cabinet Resignation and Economic Policy

Thursday, January 27, 1972 · 11:13 AM–11:24 AM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Stans, Maurice H.; Ziegler, Ronald L.; Peterson, Peter G.; Flanigan, Peter M.; White House photographerConversation658-007 on Tape 658 (tape position 02:16:45–02:28:14)StartThursday, January 27, 1972 at 11:13 AMEndThursday, January 27, 1972 at 11:24 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 658-007 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Maurice Stans to discuss the formal announcement of Stans’s resignation from his cabinet position and his subsequent transition to a new political role. The participants reviewed the status of the economy and business policy, specifically addressing the Federal Trade Commission's actions toward cereal companies and the administration's relationship with the business community. Toward the conclusion of the meeting, Peter G. Peterson and Peter M. Flanigan joined the President to finalize the protocol and media strategy for the forthcoming personnel announcements.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 168.3 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 168.3 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 131.3 MB

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 02:16:45 into the tape and ends around 02:28:14.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
2:16:54The thing is, whatever that majority is, though, that majority, not in its worst moments, but first, that majority is rent-a-decent.
2:17:00I'm sorry.
2:17:21Don't.
2:17:22Don't sit around.
2:17:23Because we are so damn well-educated.
2:17:25And read this crap that is put out by what is supposed to be fashionable.
2:17:30And say the fashionable things.
2:17:32Do the fashionable things.
2:17:33Wonder whether you're applauded when you go to the press club and the rest.
2:17:37Rather than doing what is right, doing what is strong, standing up, not to have a dress code.
2:17:42Now, the real trick is, and here's the real problem, to do this.
2:17:47It's still being responsible.
2:17:49You don't have to be responsible to be a senator.
2:17:51You don't have to be responsible to be a congressman.
2:17:53You don't have to be responsible to be a mayor.
2:17:56Or you can put it that way.
2:17:57You do have to be responsible to be here.
2:18:00That's a real charge.
2:18:01In other words, to appeal to that majority without appealing, to appeal to the best instincts of that majority, and not to its basic prejudices.
2:18:10So, uh, I have a question.
2:18:12So, let me just repeat this.
2:18:14There's a signal.
2:18:15There's a signal.
2:18:15Yes, there's a signal in some of our complex.
2:18:18All right.
2:18:20You always need to come in and get three dollars.
2:18:24All right.
2:18:24So, it's not hard.
2:18:26Wonderful.
2:18:51Yeah, sure.
2:19:20I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this is the day.
2:19:22This is the day, yeah.
2:19:23I don't know what to even say.
2:19:29Anyway, we go out there and sweat the nose of all the vultures and witches.
2:19:38I appreciate what you're doing.
2:19:43I'm going to say that you're going to become the chancellor or the inspector of one of the two future parties.
2:19:52That's all the far I will go.
2:19:54Yeah.
2:19:55This is probably the worst kept secret.
2:20:01Yeah.
2:20:02Well, what I said is true.
2:20:09I shall never forget what he did in 62 at this time.
2:20:14At this time.
2:20:1662 was tough also, but 62, when we lost, goddammit, nobody was, you know, we touched ground.
2:28:26It's a bizarre sound.
2:28:27I can't believe it.

NARA Description

On January 27, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Maurice H. Stans, Ronald L. Ziegler, Peter G. Peterson, Peter M. Flanigan, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:13 am to 11:24 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 658-007 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 658-7

Date: January 27, 1972
Time: 11:13 am - 11:24 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Maurice H. Stans.

     Stans’s resignation
          -Announcement
          -The President’s gratitude
          -Announcement
                 -Stans’s forthcoming role
          -Secrecy
          -The President’s gratitude
                 -Stans’s past support
                      -1960 election
                      -1962 election
                      -1968 election

**************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Political returnable]
[Duration: 39s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

**************************************************************************

     Business
          -Support for the Administration

     Economy
         -As issue

          -Democrats
     -Retail sales
          -Arthur F. Burns
     -General thrust
     -Economic indicators
          -Retail sales
                 -Stans’s reports
          -Stock market
          -Rise in economy
          -Unemployment

Stans’s future attendance at meetings
     -Legislative leaders
     -Robert J. Dole
     -Cabinet
     -Bryce N. Harlow
     -Notification of H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

Attendees at White House functions
     -Dinners
     -Rose Mary Woods notification
     -Haldeman
     -Stans’s talk with Woods

Business problems
     -Federal Trade Commission [FTC] decision
     -Breakup of breakfast cereal companies
     -FTC administrator [Miles W. Kirkpatrick]
     -The President’s support for business
           -Edmund S. Muskie, Hubert H. Humphrey, Edward M. Kennedy
     -Perception of business community
           -Stans
           -Peter M. Flanigan
           -Control of commissioners
                 -William D. Ruckelshaus
                 -Kirkpatrick
                 -Virginia H. Knauer

Stans’s notes to the President
     -Telephone call to be made
           -Former head of 3M, Camden Knight

                     -View of wage and price controls
                     -Political pressure from right wing
                -Foster [?] McGraw [sp ?]
                     -Birthday greetings

     Mike McGill
          -Books
          -Possible position with administration
               -Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
          -Qualifications
          -Stans’s possible talk with Flanigan
          -Possible ambassadorship

     Forthcoming announcement
          -Duration
          -Speaking rules
               -Stans, Peterson, Flanigan
          -Council on International Economic Policy [CIEP]

Peter G. Peterson, Flanigan, and the photographer entered at 11:20 am.

     Forthcoming announcement

     Arrangement for photograph session

     [Photograph session]
          -[General conversation]
               -Germany

     Announcement of appointments
         -Protocol
               -Flanigan’s forthcoming position
         -The President’s remarks
         -Stans’s remarks
         -Peterson’s remarks
               -Duration
               -Content

Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 11:23 am.

     Camera

           -Position

The President, et al. left at 11:24 am.

Also recorded on January 27, 1972

  • 658-005 10:27 AM · 45 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Richard M. Scammon, Charles W. Colson, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:27 am to 11:12 am.
  • 658-006 11:12 AM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:12 am and 11:13 am.
  • 658-035 11:24 AM · 2 min — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:24 am and 11:30 am.
  • 019-131 11:30 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:30 am.
  • 658-008 11:30 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:30 am.
  • 658-009 11:30 AM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, John B. Connally, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:30 am to 11:45 am.
  • 019-132 11:32 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 11:32 am to 11:41 am.
  • 658-010 11:47 AM · 1 hr 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Charles W. Colson, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:47 am to 1:03 pm.

All 57 conversations from January 27, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 658-007, January 27, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/658-007 (accessed October 12, 2026).