413–28

Conversation No. 413-28

Date: February 26, 1973
Time: 4:50 pm-5:15 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

George P. Shultz's appearance
-Ziegler's evaluation

Shultz's statement
-Wage settlement [at 5.5 percent inflation]
-John T. Dunlop
-Policies
-Flexibility
-William L. Safire

George Forman
-Championship
-Athletes for Nixon
-Talks with Ziegler
-Ghostwritten article
-Public statements
-Rose Mary Woods

Clark R. Mollenhoff
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Fitzgerald case
-Testimony before Civil Service Committee hearing
-Outcome

-Mollenhoff’s letter to President
-Air Force investigation of Fitzgerald
-Timing
-Testimony before Civil Service Committee
-Executive privilege
-Mollenhoff’s opinion
-Meeting with John W. Dean, III
 -45-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-28 (cont’d)


-Fitzgerald case
-President’s opinion
-Bryce N. Harlow’s role
-Fitzgerald
-Employment
-Office of Management and Budget [OMB]

Rule case
-Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, Jr.

Mollenhoff
-Meeting with Dean, Harlow, President
-Written statement
-Delay
-Call to President
-Kent Cook’s analysis
-Legal defense
-State Department
-Willard Edwards
-Firing
-Tucker case
-Fitzgerald case
-Dean
-Executive privilege
-Harlow
-Air Force

Press briefing by Ziegler
-Aid to Vietnam
-Food prices
-Dollar
-Wage-price issue

Safire memo

Budget
-Limits
-Increases
 -46-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-28 (cont’d)


-Statements
-Testimony

Food prices
-Decrease stability
-Shultz’s statement
-Grocery store prices
-Decrease
-Farm prices
-Impact
-Increase supply
-Dunlop
-Breakdown of prices
-Statement
-Press reactions
-Wage settlement
-Arbitrary ceiling
-Publicity

Shield laws
-Responses at press conference
-Press reactions
-End of war
-Prisoners of war [POWs] return
-Anti-Americanism
-Frustration
-Attorney General
-Administration’s position
-State and local courts compared with federal courts
-John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration
-Jimmy Hirsh [?]
-Compared with President’s administration
-Requests by press
-Background materials
-Administration positions
-Press conference
-1972 campaign
-Letter to Freedom of Information Committee
 -47-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-28 (cont’d)


-Guidelines
-Enacted 1970
-Balance between First Amendment and courts
-Use of shield laws
-Exceptions
-Justice Department’s role
-Dangers
-Criminals as news sources
-Protection of criminals
-Attorney General
-Testimony
-Administration’s position
-Local and state law compared with federal law
-Attorney General
-Freedom of press compared with national security or law enforcement
-Federal shield laws
-Opinion
-Network dominance
-Erosion of free speech
-Perceptions compared with reality
-Press conference
-Question
-President’s position
-Guidelines of administration
-Administration’s position
-Legislative compared with legal solution

Ziegler left at 5:15 pm.