473–9

Conversation No. 473-9

Date: March 25, 1971
Time: 3:03 pm - 3:55 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with George P. Shultz, John D. Ehrlichman, and James D. Hodgson

Executive Branch reorganization
-President’s meeting with staff

Construction industry
-Boards of control
-Strikes
-Wages
-Appeals
-Wage adjustments
-Factors
-Equity
-Limits
-Role of federal government
-Executive Order
-Effect
-Hodgson’s view
-Wage and price controls
-Drawbacks
-Political considerations
-Democrats
-Philosophical basis
-Complaints, appeals
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Alternatives
-Wage increases
-Effects
-Davis-Bacon Act
-Effects on building trades
-Building and Trade Unions
-Forthcoming meeting
-Demonstrations Conv. No. 473-9 (cont.)
-Collective bargaining
-Unions
-Administration policies
-A commission
-Recommendations of public members
-Recommendations of labor
-Public members
-Presidential appointees
-John T. Dunlop
-Recommendations
-Executive Order
-Wage stabilization boards
-Strikes
-Wage increases
-”Super board” as monitor and appeal board
-Enforcement
-Davis-Bacon Act
-Wages
-Settlements
-Government construction
-Enforcement power
-Steel strike possibility
-Wages
-Union leadership
-Union members’ views
-Steel compared with copper and aluminum
-Possible stabilization boards
-Jurisdiction
-Plasterers, electrician, bricklayers
-Union jurisdiction
-MDA and Associated General Contractors of America
[AGCA]
-Time to be established
-”Super board”
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Possible effects on wages
-Hodgson’s view
-Possible effects on relations with labor
-George Meany
-Building trades
-Possible response to wage controls as opposed to Davis-Bacon Act
-Hodgson’s report to the President
-Administration policy Conv. No. 473-9 (cont.)
-Unions
-Management
-Housing industry
-Unions
-Contractors
-AGCA resolution
-Housing industry
-Union’s views
-Meany
-Meeting with President
-President’s meeting, March 24, 1971
-Housing industry
-Democrats’ legislation
-President’s position
-Ehrlichman’s previous meeting with leaders
-Leaders’ view of Administration policy
-Industry
-Response of George W. Romney and group
-Wage-price stabilization boards
-Effects
-Union response
-Unemployment
-Wages
-Applicability to other industries
-President’s concern
-Aluminum
-Future trends
-Possible response
-Shultz’s view
-Steel, longshoremen
-Industry
-Members of boards
-Appeals board
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Need for wage control
-Shultz’s view
-Compared with Hodgson’s view
-View of other segments of organized labor
-Support for President
-Leonard Woodcock
-Maurice A. Hutcheson
-Carpenters’ union Conv. No. 473-9 (cont.)
-Position
-A Florida situation
-Position
-Support for the Administration
-Davis-Bacon Act
-Business’ position
-Effects of possible action by President
-”Ehrlichman group”
-Position of Romney, John A. Volpe, Winton M. (“Red”) Blount, and
Arthur F. Burns
-Volpe’s knowledge of industry
-Volpe’s view
-Ehrlichman’s meeting
-Other industries
-Paul W. McCracken’s paper
-Alternatives
-Possible wage increases and controls
-Hodgson’s assumptions
-Management’s position
-Reasons
-Fortune magazine group
-Meeting with President
-Possible government action
-Davis-Bacon
-Contractual considerations
-Effect
-Attorney General
-Possible injunctions
-Ehrlichman’s view
-Executive Order language
-Enforcement
-Boards’ authority
-Davis-Bacon
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Emergency situation
-Legal limitations
-Possible meeting with President and Hodgson
-Volpe
-Purpose
-Effect on President’s policy choices
-Public opinion
-Management, unions Conv. No. 473-9 (cont.)
-”Ehrlichman group”
-Political considerations
-Ehrlichman’s view
-Possible speeches by Volpe, Romney, Maurice H. Stans, and Blount
-Position
-Support for Administration policies
-Possible meeting with President, March 26, 1971
-Possible meeting of President and Meany, March 26, 1971
-Cabinet meeting time
-Possible administration action
-President’s view
-Hodgson’s view
-Romney, Volpe, Stans, and McCracken positions
-Herbert Stein’s possible response
-A paper on controls
-Shultz’s position
-Hodgson’s work
-Florida
-Meany
-Possible statement
-Support for Administration
-Relations with Shultz
-Possible meeting with Hodgson or Shultz
-Timing
-Meany’s health
-President’s position
-Business community’s response
-Stock market
-Compared with future response
-Shultz’s assessment
-Profits
-Davis-Bacon Act
-12% wage increase
-Administration efforts
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Compared with other industries
-Hodgson’s work
-Compared with steel and aluminum
-Publicity
-Union leaders
-Davis-Bacon Act repeal
-Possible time limit
-Injunction Conv. No. 473-9 (cont.)
-Effect on construction industry
-President’s action
-Effect on state laws
-Meetings
-Purpose
-Labor unions
-Meany
-Davis-Bacon Act
-Cabinet
-Purpose
-President’s remarks
-President’s announcement
-Timing
-Ehrlichman’s view
-Meetings
-Forthcoming Cabinet meeting
-Effect of previous actions

Shultz and Hodgson left at 3:53 pm

Domestic Intelligence Advisory Board
-John N. Mitchell
-Samuel J. Ervin, Jr.’s hearings on domestic surveillance
-Mitchell’s staff’s discussion with Ervin
-Executive Order
-Message for Mitchell
-President and Ehrlichman’s discussion

Ehrlichman’s meeting with Wilbur D. Mills, March 25, 1971

Ehrlichman left at 3:55 pm
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)