112–3

Conversation No. 112-3

Date: February 6, 1973
Time: Unknown after 9:35 am until 11:16 am
Location: Cabinet Room

The President met with Hugh Scott, Robert P. Griffin, Wallace F. Bennett, William E. Brock, III,
John G. Tower, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends, John B. Anderson, Samuel L. Devine, Barber
B. Conable, Jr., Robert C. (“Bob”) Wilson, George H. W. Bush, Roy L. Ash, John D.
Ehrlichman, William E. Timmons, Richard K. Cook, Thomas C. Korologos, Ronald L. Ziegler,
and Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
[Recording begins while the conversation is in progress]

Budget
 6

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Congress’ February schedule
-Recesses
-President’s schedule
-Bills
-Schedule
-George H. Mahon
-Appropriations bills
-Continuing resolutions
-Anderson
-Rules Committee
-Appropriations
-Charles M. Teague
-Unknown bill
-Thomas S. Foley
-Democratic study group
-Appropriations
-Programs
-President’s schedule
-Congressional leaders
-Possible vetoes of bills
-Ash
-Possible congressional response
-White House response
-Tax increase versus budget cuts
-Increase (1974)
-Economic growth
-Deficit decrease
-Spending increases
-Economic growth
-Inflation
-Effect of spending
-Tax increases
-Department of Treasury
-Tax reform
-Income taxes
-Instructions for Ehrlichman regarding Department of Treasury
-Tax figures
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Television appearance
-Budget cuts
-Programs
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



Agenda
-Foreign policy
-Vietnam
-Budget

Budget
-Ash’s briefing
-Previous briefing before Appropriations Committee
-Congressional briefing materials
-Statements
-Reductions
-Targeted programs
-Reasons
-Hill-Burton Program
-Spending
-Hospital beds
-Loan guarantee program
-Impact Aid
-Elementary, secondary school aid
-Military personnel
-Spending reductions
-Fairfax County, Virginia; Prince George’s and Montgomery
Counties, Maryland
-Military personnel
-Montgomery County
-Lease Program/Agriculture
-Amount
-Conservation programs
-Reasons for program spending reductions
-Rural Electrification Administration [REA]
-Amount
-Manassas, Virginia
-International Business Machines [IBM]
-Urban/industrial areas
-Rural Development Act
-Amount
-Loan availability
-Low-cost housing
-Subsidized housing
-Federal commitments
-Amount
-Future
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Effects
-Re-evaluation
-John V. Lindsay
-Program re-evaluation
-Public hearings
-Miami and St. Louis projects
-Commitments
-Cut-off date
-Reservations
-Beneficiaries
-Segregation
-Great Britain’s experience
-Reform
-Public housing projects compared to housing allowances
-Miami
-Slums
-Transportation
-Suburbs
-Atlanta
-Suburban public housing
-Urban renewal
-Beneficiaries
-Developers
-Emergency Disaster Loans
-Need for reform
-Participants
-Counties
-Individuals
-Size
-Criteria
-Reform
-Abuse
-Los Angeles earthquake
-Hurricane Agnes
-Criteria
-Reform
-Office of Emergency Preparedness [OEP]
-General George A. Lincoln
-Reasons for reform
-Past experiences
-Ash’s availability
-Programs discussed generally
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-”Responsibility” budget
-Reasons
-Program areas and priorities
-Administration’s priorities
-Defense
-Compared to four years ago
-Food stamps
-Increase
-Effects of inflation
-Obligation to the poor, elderly taxpayers
-Obligations to Americans
-Inflation
-Taxes
-Economic forecast for 1973/Jobs
-Unemployment, inflation, taxes
-1968 budget
-Deficit
-Economic Stabilization Program
-Opposition
-Responsible budget
-President’s veto list
-Monetary savings
-Congress
-Spending limits
-Veto overrides, withholding funds
-Tax increases
-Administration’s position
-Administration’s priorities
-Budget in brief
-Chart book
-Programs
-Ziegler’s briefing
-Ehrlichman’s analysis
-Figures
-Improvement
-Lyndon B. Johnson’s budget
-Executive privilege
-Ehrlichman’s interview with US News and World Report
-John F. Kennedy
-Use of executive privilege
-Harry S Truman
-Use of executive privilege
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Congressional Record
-Improvement
-W. Ramsey Clark
-Truman
-Mahon
-Special revenue sharing
-1974 budget
-Education
-Administration’s policy
-Student grants
-Black colleges
-Qualified people
-Grant programs
-University of California
-Chicago
-Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT]
-Defense grants
-Faculties
-Attitudes toward defense
-Reserve Officers Training Corps [ROTC]
-Medical research
-Grants
-University of Utah

Vietnam cease-fire
-Democrats
-Media comment
-Richard (“Dick”) Wilson’s column
-Vice President’s trip
-Barry M. Goldwater’s statement
-Congressional Record
-Media


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

Vietnam war and peace agreement

[To listen to the segment (1m26s) declassified on 02/28/2002, please refer to RC# E-606.]

******************************************************************************
 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)




-Nixon Administration’s accomplishments
-Colonel William B. Nolde’s family
-Funeral service
-President’s meeting with Nolde family, February 5, 1973
-Silent Majority
-Peter J. Brennan
-Claudia A. (Taylor) (“Lady Bird”) Johnson
-President’s conversations with the Nolde family
-Nixon Administration’s program
-Compared to George S. McGovern’s program
-President’s option in 1969



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

Vietnam peace agreement

[To listen to the segment (3m) declassified on 02/28/2002, please refer to RC# E-606.]

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


Vietnam
-Peace with honor
-James B. (“Scotty”) Reston and New York Times
-Respect of allies
-Kennedy
-Henry Fairlie’s [?] book [Great Expectation]
-Ngo Dinh Diem
-Laos
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Escalation
-Reasons for US involvement
-Nolde family
-Amnesty
-Deserters
-Compared to veterans
-Abraham Lincoln’s policy
-Haynes B. Johnson
-Deserters
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Amnesty
-Nixon Administration’s policy
-Congressional action
-Senate
-Republican leadership
-Talks with Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] and People’s Republic
of China
-Peace with honor
-President’s policy
-Peace in the world
-Effects on foreign policy


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

Foreign policy

[To listen to the segment (21s) declassified on 02/28/2002, please refer to RC# E-606.]

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


-US role
-Media
-Statements by Republicans

[General conversation/Unintelligible]

The President, et al. left at 11:16 am