640–3

Conversation No. 640-3
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)




Date: December 22, 1971
Time: 9:48 am - 11:02 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

Television show \"A Day in the Life of the President\"
-Effect
-Documentary value compared to public impact
-Haldeman’s opinion
-Review in paper
-Type of show
-Pace of presidency
-Ceremonial aspects
-Interesting parts of the show
-Chat with Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-John W. Chancellor interview
-Used by news media
-“Today” show
-Forthcoming People’s Republic of China [PRC] trip
-Criticism
-Television unable to capture the operation of the Oval Office
-Presence of cameras
-Effect
-John A. Scali
-Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Image of the President as leader
-Newsworthiness
-Compared to US News & World Report article
-Press
-Atkins
-Pierre E. Trudeau
-President’s relationship with the press
-National Broadcasting Company [NBC]

President's schedule
-Travel plans

Current news
-Vietnam
 3

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 640-3 (cont.)


-Bombing
-Plaine des Jarres
-Indian atrocity story
-Henry A. Kissinger's talk with the President
-Photographs of the atrocities
-Number
-Peter G. Peterson
-Clark MacGregor
-William P. Rogers statement in Bermuda regarding trade preference bill
-Latin America
-Instructions
-Peterson
-Bermuda
-Coverage
-Photographs
-The President’s relations with other foreign leaders
-NBC special
-Summitry

President's schedule
-Meeting with foreign leaders


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 44s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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-Plans for meeting Willy Brandt
-Paul W. McCracken schedule
-Possible physical
-Gen. Walter R. Tkach
-Florida
-Timing
 4

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 640-3 (cont.)


-Rogers's schedule
-Kissinger's schedule
-President's departure
-Brandt
-Timing of meeting

Yeoman Charles E. Radford incident
-John N. Mitchell
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Zeal for job
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Courses of action
-Daniel Ellsberg
-Knowledge compared with Ellsberg
-Kissinger
-Vietnam
-President's instructions
-Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Kissinger
-Leaks
-State Department
-Ehrlichman
-Meeting with Kissinger
-Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]
-Ehrlichman's knowledge
-Security
-Need to increased
-Staff meetings
-Lack of meetings
-Potential leaks
-Rogers
-Melvin R. Laird
-President’s style

President's schedule
-Meeting with George P. Shultz
-Budget
-Defense
-Arthur F. Burns
-Money supply
-Appointment
 5

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 640-3 (cont.)


-Federal Reserve Board [FRB]
-President's instructions
-Haldeman
-John B. Connally and Burns
-Carl J. Thomsen
-President's role
-Supreme Court
-Texas
-Connally
-Potential
-Appointee
-John E. Sheehan
-Appointments
-Burns’s recommendations
-Supreme Court
-Warren E. Burger
-FRB
-Burger
-Veto power
-Connally and Burns
-Money supply

Media
-Coverage
-Laos
-India-Pakistan
-Kissinger
-Unknown person
-Column
Kissinger
-Leaks
-Responsibility
-Mitchell
-State Department
-Yeoman Radford
-David R. Young. Jr.
-Ehrlichman

President's schedule
-Christmas parties
-President's appearance
 6

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 640-3 (cont.)



Kissinger and Shultz entered and Haldeman left at 10:17 am.

Kissinger's schedule
-Florida
-Timing
-Accommodations
-Children

Defense budget
-Laird
-Request
-Amount(s)
-Pay raise
-Jobs memorandum
-Burns
-Previous conversation with Shultz

Burns
-Money supply
-Inflation
-Wage and price guidelines
-Milton Friedman
-Laird party for David Packard
-Memorandum to Burns
-Robert C. Moot
-Military jobs
-Decrease
-Number
-Civilian personnel and defense contractors

Budget
-Department of Defense [DOD]
-Health, Education and Welfare [HEW]
-Elliot L. Richardson
-DOD
-Job reductions
-Numbers
-Contracting
-Numbers
-Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 640-3 (cont.)


-Shultz’s attempts to modify budget
-Meeting with Burns and Shultz
-Phone call from the President to Burns
-Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
-Defense outlays
-Numbers
-1973 budget
-F-111
-US Air Force [USAF]
-Cost of plane
-DOD spending
-Kissinger’s earlier conversation with Shultz
-USAF
-Planes
-Vietnam
-Authorizations
-Laird
-Negotiations
-James L. Buckley

Kissinger left at 10:27 am.

Burns
-Upcoming meeting with the President
-Appointment process
-Haldeman
-Sheehan
-Possible Presidential statement
-Burger
-Guidelines
-Money supply
-Increase
-Agreement
-Burns
-Connally
-Open Market Committee

Burns entered at 10:29 am.

[General conversation]
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 640-3 (cont.)


Meetings with Brandt and Eisaku Sato

President's schedule
-Walter H. Annenberg's residence
-Activities
-Sato
-Takeo Fukuda
-Burns’s schedule


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 36s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 13s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6

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FRB
-Burns's need for appointment guidelines
-January 1972 appointment
-James L. Robertson
-Haldeman briefing with Burns
-Selection
-Connally
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 640-3 (cont.)


-Thomsen
-Burns's action
-Sheehan
-Selection
-Civil Service Commission
-Knowledge and previous experience
-Thomsen
-Experience
-Dallas bank
-Appointment process
-Appointments to other agencies
-Appointments
-Compared to Supreme Court
-Interstate Commerce Commission [ICC] and Securities and Exchange
Commission [SEC]
-Length of appointments
-Franklin D. Roosevelt action
-President’s view
-Need for compatible group
-Supreme Court
-Burger
-Mitchell
-Female justice
-Prospects for future
-Claire Giannini Hoffman
-Head of Trenton bank
-[Forename unknown] Rowling [?]
-Background
-J. Edgar Hoover’s call to Burns
-Task force
-Frederic V. Malek's role
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] checks
-Burns's role
-Comparison to Burger
-Shultz
-Connally
-Recommendations from Congress
-Process described by the President
-Connally and Shultz
-Burger
-Mitchell
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 640-3 (cont.)


-Appointment to Court
-Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
-William H. Rehnquist
-Approved by Burger
-Process described by the President
-Burns's approval
-Input from Burns
-Malek
-Haldeman
-Thomsen
-Age
-Texas
-Connally
-Connally input
-Burns
-Sheehan
-Connally
-Kentucky
-Thomsen
-Relationship with Connally
-Malek input
-New appointments
-Possible conflict between Burns and Connally
-President’s upcoming talk with Burns about nominees
-Selection
-Shultz
-Kissinger
-Burger
-William McChesney Martin
-Relationship with the President
-Money supply
-Letters
-Connally

Burns left at 10:52 am.

-Shultz
-Malek
-Burns
-Appointments
-Shultz’s letter
 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 640-3 (cont.)


-Connally
-Friedman's letter
-Money supply
-Newsweek column
-Burns’s commitment
-Money supply
-President's instructions to Shultz
-Open Market Committee

Consumer Price Index [CPI]
-Timing of release
-Percentage
-Positive numbers

Pay Board
-Price Commission
-Cost of Living Council [COLC]
-Instructions to Shultz
-Donald H. Rumsfeld
-President’s view

Federal pay
-Increase
-Congress
-Comparability Act
-Economic Stabilization Act
-Discussion of defense budget
-Position taken
-Shultz
-Bob Hansen
-Administration position
-Federal pay raise

Money supply

Appointment process
-President's instructions
-Shultz call to Connally
-Burns's conversation with the President
-Possible conflict between Burns and Connally
-Malek
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 640-3 (cont.)



Friedman's letter

International monetary reform
-Convertibility
-Edward R.G. Heath
-Previous conversation with the President
-US view
-France
-Kissinger’s notes
-Heath
-Connally

President's schedule
-Rehnquist
-Confirmation
-Connally

Shultz left at 11:02 am.