Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 679 › Conversation 679-011
Nixon, Roche & Ehrlichman on General Motors and Antitrust
Tuesday, March 7, 1972 · 12:40 PM–12:43 PM ET · Oval Office · 3 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with General Motors executives James M. Roche and Richard C. Gerstenberg, alongside John D. Ehrlichman and George P. Shultz, to discuss administration relations and corporate matters. The conversation briefly touched upon Nixon’s recent trip to the People's Republic of China, as well as antitrust concerns regarding GM. The participants also addressed a recent New York Times article comparing the Nixon administration's handling of GM to previous policies under the Johnson administration, while briefly noting production and productivity trends.
- General Motors
- Antitrust
- Nixon China Trip
- Corporate Productivity
- New York Times
- Administration Relations
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 March 7, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, James M. Roche, Richard C. Gerstenbeerg, John D. Ehrlichman, and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:40 pm to 12:43 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 679-011 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 679-11
Date: March 7, 1972
Time: 12:40 pm - 12:43 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with James M. Roche, Richard C. Gerstenberg, John D. Ehrlichman, and
George P. Shultz.
Greetings
The President’s recent trip to the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
Photographs
Anti-trust
-Lobbyists
New York Times article
-General Motors [GM]
-Unknown writer [Shanahan?]
-Current administration
-Lyndon B. Johnson administration
GM
-Sales
-Production
-Productivity
-Amount of work performed in each hour of workday
The President, et al. left at 12:43 pm.Also recorded on March 7, 1972
- 679-009 12:31 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:31 pm and 12:40 pm.
- 679-017 12:43 PM · 29 sec — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 3:01 pm.
- 021-010 12:45 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 2:15 pm.
- 322-018 12:45 PM · 3 sec — 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 12:45 pm and 2:15 pm.
- 322-019 12:45 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 2:15 pm.
- 322-020 12:45 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 2:15 pm.
- 322-021 12:45 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 2:15 pm.
- 322-022 12:45 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 2:15 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 679-011, March 7, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/679-011 (accessed October 12, 2026).