Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 781 › Conversation 781-002

Nixon & Butterfield on Presidential Vetoes and Congressional Relations

Monday, September 18, 1972 · 8:25 AM–9:35 AM ET · Oval Office ·3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation781-002 onTape 781StartMonday, September 18, 1972 at 8:25 AMEndMonday, September 18, 1972 at 9:35 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 781-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Butterfield met to finalize the logistics and agenda for an upcoming breakfast meeting with Congressional leaders, including Gerald Ford and Hugh Scott. The President emphasized that the meeting should focus on potential vetoes for legislation exceeding the budget, while cautioning that administration officials must not prematurely disclose final executive decisions to the legislators. Additionally, Nixon approved a ceremonial book presentation involving author Frank van der Linden to be scheduled during the week.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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The bills that you may want to veto, potential veto bills for the big four.
What's that?
Scott.
Austin Cole because he's.
The bill says here there are a number of bills that will be coming up which are substantially above budget or have program deficiencies.
I suggest this meeting be devoted to review of those bills, which may face presidential veto.
Who's suggesting that?
Berlickman and Weinberger together.
Well, just don't give me a memorandum on it.
You have a memorandum.
On the bills?
No, no, no.
You can do that in the discussion.
I have to know what the discussion is.
Well, y'all are right.
He's got to be extremely careful not to inform us what we're going to do.
Yeah.
He doesn't.
Yeah.
We never can tell Scott and those people what we're going to do.
So I need to know.
I need a very careful memorandum.
As a filling item, one of these days this week, Frank Vanderland, who just wrote the book Next Quest for Peace.
Yeah.
They kept that open.
And let's give them, I think we may as well just give them breakfast tomorrow.
Let's make breakfast.
Okay.
Eight o'clock, I guess.
The four leaders.
That's right, man.
The four leaders.
Weingert and Timmons, and they'd like Coles in.
Fine, Coles, too.
I have a recommendation.
Fine.
Wait a minute.
Weingert, Coles.
Yeah, all right.
That's fine.

NARA Description

On September 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:25 am and 9:35 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 781-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 781-2

Date: September 18, 1972
Time: Unknown between 8:25 am and 9:35 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

             The President's schedule
                 -The President's September 19, 1972 meeting with Congressional leaders
                     -Legislation
                          -Vetoes
                     -John D. Ehrlichman
                     -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
                     -Hugh Scott, Robert P. Griffin, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends
                     -William E. Timmons
                     -Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
                     -Timmons
                     -Ehrlichman and Weinberger
                          -Memorandum on vetoes
                     -Length of meeting
                     -Agenda
                          -Possible vetoes

                                         (rev. Oct-06)

                           -Strategy
                      -Ehrlichman
                           -Possible vetoes
                           -Scott
                  -Nixon's Quest of Peace
                      -Frank van der Linden
                           -Soviet Union trip
                           -Book presentation to the President
                  -Congressional leaders
                      -Breakfast
                      -Ehrlichman
                      -Timmons
                      -Weinberger
                      -Cole

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 9:35 am.

Also recorded on September 18, 1972

  • 781-001 8:25 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:25 am and 9:35 am.
  • 781-003 9:35 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:35 am to 9:36 am.
  • 781-004 9:36 AM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:36 am and 10:16 am.
  • 781-005 10:16 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:16 am to 10:18 am.
  • 781-006 10:21 AM · 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), White House operator, William P. Rogers, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:21 am to 11:18 am.
  • 781-033 11:17 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:17 am to 11:18 am.
  • 781-007 11:18 AM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Terry Ann Meeuwsen, Beverly Meeuwsen, Laurie Lee Schaefer, Dorothy Schwager, and Henry C. Cashen, II met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:18 am to 11:33 am.
  • 781-008 11:33 AM · 22 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:33 am and 11:36 am.

All 44 conversations from September 18, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 781-002, September 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/781-002 (accessed September 18, 2026).