Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 772 › Conversation 772-003

Nixon, Ehrlichman & Bull on 1972 Presidential campaign and George McGovern

Thursday, September 7, 1972 · 7:56 AM–8:04 AM ET · Oval Office ·9 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Ehrlichman, John D.;  Bull, Stephen B.Conversation772-003 onTape 772StartThursday, September 7, 1972 at 7:56 AMEndThursday, September 7, 1972 at 8:04 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 772-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and John Ehrlichman met to coordinate political strategy, focusing primarily on debunking the budget proposals of Democratic challenger George McGovern. They discussed refining arguments regarding McGovern's welfare plans and revenue gaps while also strategizing on how to dismiss a civil suit brought by John Gardner and Common Cause. Additionally, the pair reviewed the administration's response to the Munich Olympic tragedy and aligned their messaging on economic policy to deflect criticism regarding property taxes.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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I don't know if you're all set to be writing here or not, but I'm going to end it at once.
Right after this meeting, we will take forward the Scott office and get that position before they come in to see you about the press business.
Yeah, because you've got a presentation by a doc and you can hear anybody.
So, excuse me, I'm off.
That's right.
What about when welfare is going to say it's going to add?
It doesn't add.
You're going to say that it does not provide.
You're going to add a welfare.
It says, well, the welfare, the proposal's too late.
The price out is category five.
Welfare proposal for the working poor without which his plan makes it better to be on welfare than go to work.
Yeah.
For how many?
I'll say that.
Good.
Great.
Good thing we knew.
Then, when somebody announces that, how can the president say that the government budget is $141,000?
The president's White House staff is saying that this is what's going around now.
Oh, yeah, sure.
We've actually got it now at $151,000.
With the $4,000 plan.
That's right.
Good, great, I think this will lay that in place.
All right, that's great to see.
And then we'll just get into your demand.
Where is he going to raise the money?
He's $99 short.
Where is he going to raise the money?
Where is it coming from?
All right, I'd raise it even with his.
That's right, with a 30 on the defense and with a 22 on the goals, he's still 99 short.
Is 99 better than 100?
Well, it's 99.4.
We're giving him a bargain.
I'd say 100.
I'd put it at 100.
We've documented it, actually.
When you say 100, you're going to get $100 billion.
That gets more than 1,000%.
Why don't you round it up with that?
This is impressive.
All right, fine.
But yesterday, we find that that number's a little shy.
It's $100 million.
So it's .
OK, good.
And then the car picker said you just take the reports from these guys.
Yeah.
And then you call them.
They may raise.
Some questions about macro-maneuvering on HR1 and stuff of that kind.
If I were you, I'd just roll with it.
Just to listen.
There is a law now where you just don't go over it.
Now Long is wilding it.
He's running all over the landscape with new ideas and new welfare plans and all this kind of stuff.
And it's just as if he had never seen HR1.
So there's all kinds of maneuvering going on.
But he doesn't get anything.
It doesn't look like it.
It doesn't look like it.
We thought it was going to come right out of committee, but he's all over the place again.
He's calling on AGW and OMB for new statistics and new numbers and all that kind of stuff.
I mean, he hasn't gone to testify.
No, no, no.
Why don't you have, uh, you know, have Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt
What in the hell is John Carter?
Violating the sin, you know, and the group rouses it.
Oh, but for Christ's sakes, this is the law.
The law.
The law says this.
We've got to get an asshole attorney that can't get a suit like that removed or dismissed.
I don't know.
I know that's what you do on that.
Yeah, yeah.
What in the hell?
This is not anything out of that place.
I think the line on that is common cause has not succeeded in raising money.
They needed some high visibility maneuver.
And it's a totally partisan.
It's a well-known.
And this is obviously a last gasp by John Gardner to try and keep common cause afloat.
It's your ass.
Somebody's backing me up or something.
I mean, it's Len's feet.
It is not legit.
That poor Len's feet is dead.
I have a speech train in New York.
You see, that way, that was the airtime.
I have a lot of them.
We're doing it.
We're doing it.
We're doing it.
We're doing it.
We're doing it.
We're doing it.
We're doing it.
You want to press?
No, no, no, no.
It's amazing how that Olympic thing has really caught the imagination.
I'm not sure what he thinks Olympic told him.
They were on for, he was on for five minutes.
Yep, yep.
On, on, on, on.
They just burned each other there, taking off.
They did it themselves.
It's a crazy example right now.
It is crazy.
I think we should have done the right thing.
I mean, I didn't rush over to the general.
I was going to the, you know, doing something.
It's like, what do you think?
I don't think so.
You know, it's gone.
I had to go face to face or something myself.
Yeah, the girls are going, yeah.
But you know, there's Jews, you know.
There's Jews, and of course, it's setting of the Olympics.
The Olympics, yeah.
I suppose they killed the Pakistan, you know.
Who the hell would care?
Well, we know something.
It was last night.
Some thieves killed about six or seven guys on a golf course down in the Berks Highlands.
They just got a little bullet.
We were doing our best.
Yeah, it's a big political mess.
I'll say this.
How's that copy coming along?
I saw him up here last night.
Drawing at people.
Yep.
He feels very strongly.
He's got a bunch of them coming in there.
They're supposed to be ready.
I don't want those guys to be there all the time.
Uh... Conley feels he's in some awkward capital.
Yep.
Now, I think there's, I think our problem is that we're being hammered and hammered by a company, but his point is, how can you do, I mean, look at what Gerard used to do, how do you do what he used to do?
Well, not all that much.
He said, he said, there's no, he said, keep repeating how much we've done.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Yeah, that's true.
And say that we have a plan underway, but we're developing on property taxes.
How are we going to do it?
I don't really believe it.
I think it's better to take the heat from the assholes
about not having an active proposal, than it is to have one.
Which would be a loser.
Negative.
That's our problem.
I gave an interview with US News that ran Monday on this, in which I described all the things we've done up to now.
Basically took the Conway line and said, this thing's in the works.
It'll probably be 60 or 90 days after we hear from the ACIR before we have anything specific to propose.
And that's, of course, the lead.
That's the big headline.
He thinks this is exactly where we're going.

NARA Description

On September 7, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 7:56 am to 8:04 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 772-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 772-3

Date: September 7, 1972
Time: 7:56 am - 8:04 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John D. Ehrlichman.

              The President's schedule
                  -Meeting with Republican Congressional leaders
                      -Time
                  -Discussion with Gerald R. Ford and Hugh Scott

                          (rev. Oct-06)

        -Forthcoming office meeting
            -Press situation
        -Peter H. Dominick

1972 Presidential campaign
    -George S. McGovern statement
        -Tax increase
        -Budget proposal
             -The President's response
                  -Percentage
                  -Personal income tax
                  -Welfare proposal
    -McGovern's budget
        -The President's response
        -Amount
        -The President's response
             -Revenue sources
        -Defense budget
             -Amount of money
        -Amount
             -Percent
        -The President's response
             -Amount
    -Possible questions
        -Ehrlichman's suggestion
             -Russell B. Long
                  -Welfare ideas
                  -House Resolution [HR] 1
                      -Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
                      -Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
                      -Statistics
    -McGovern's plan
        -Possible testimony
    -John W. Gardner
        -Civil suit
             -Dismissal
        -Ehrlichman's analysis
             -Common Cause
                  -Fundraising
                  -Gardner's effort
        -John V. Lindsay
             -New York Times

                                          (rev. Oct-06)

                 -Bryce N. Harlow
                     -Meeting with the President

             Murder of Israeli athletes at Olympic Games in Munich, Germany
                -Television coverage
                     -Ehrlichman’s view
                     -The President’s view
                -Administration actions
                     -Funeral
                          -The President’s actions
                -American Broadcasting Corporation [ABC] coverage
                     -Comparison to other similar situations
                          -Ireland
                          -Jews
                          -Pakistan
                -Virgin Islands
                     -Incident
                          -Political situation described
                -Administration actions
                     -Statements

             US economic policies
                 -John B. Connally

             The President’s schedule
                 -Forthcoming meeting

             US economic policies
                 -Connally’s view
                     -Actions on tax proposals
                         -Property taxes
                              -Plans by administration

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 7:56 am.

             President's schedule

Bull left at an unknown time before 8:04 am.

             US economic policies

             Administration's actions

                                        (rev. Oct-06)

                 -Property taxes
                     -President's schedule
                 -Press reaction
                 -McGovern's reactions
                 -US News and World Report story
                     -The President's actions
                          -Connally
                          -Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations [ACIR]
                          -Percentage of property taxes
                 -Call to Connally from Ehrlichman

The President and Ehrlichman left at 8:04 am.

Also recorded on September 7, 1972

  • 772-001 7:50 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:50 am and 7:56 am.
  • 772-002 7:56 AM · 8 sec — Alexander P. Butterfield and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at 7:56 am.
  • 106-003 8:04 AM — President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and Republican Congressional leaders, including Hugh Scott, Robert P. Griffin, Gordon L. Allott, Peter H. Dominick, Norris Cotton, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends, John J. Rhodes, Samuel L. Devine, Robert C. ("Bob") Wilson, Barber B. Conable, Jr., Robert J. Dole, Clark MacGregor, John D. Ehrlichman, Harry S. Dent, William E. Timmons, Herbert G. Klein, Patrick J. Buchanan, Ronald L. Ziegler, Bryce N. Harlow, Thomas C. Korologos, Richard K. Cook, and Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger. Manolo Sanchez also entered., met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 8:04 am and 10:18 am.
  • 772-004 8:04 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Peter H. Dominick, Thomas C. Korologos, and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:04 am and 10:22 am.
  • 106-004 10:18 AM — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:18 am and 9:30 pm.
  • 106-007 10:18 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:18 am and 9:30 pm.
  • 106-008 10:18 AM — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:18 am and 9:30 pm.
  • 106-009 10:18 AM — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:18 am and 9:30 pm.

All 28 conversations from September 7, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 772-003, September 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/772-003 (accessed September 18, 2026).