650–6

Conversation No. 650-6

Date: January 18, 1972
Time: 10:17 am - 11:27 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Charles W. Colson.

Colson's staff responsibilities
-Forthcoming campaign
-Edward M. Kennedy

Rose Mary Woods entered at 10:17 am.

Dictation of memorandum to John B. Connally
-Copies
-William P. Rogers, National Security Council [NSC]
-Connally's January 15, 1972 memorandum
-Designation of Treasury Department to head US delegation in Paris
-Chile
-Loan
-Renegotiation
-The President’s position on issue
-Chilean government’s attitude
-Reciprocity
-Distribution of memorandum
-Connally
-Copy of incoming correspondence
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)


-Notes
-Rogers
-NSC

Woods left at 10:23 am.

Democrats' attack on the President
-News summary
-Kennedy
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Strategy on response
-Publicity
-Lyndon K. (“Mort”) Allin
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Clark MacGregor
-Meeting with Republican leaders
-Connally
-Strategy for response
-Vietnam
-Democratic Party's responsibility
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Humphrey
-Edward Kennedy, John F. Kennedy
-Casualties
-Writers
-Buchanan
-Douglas L. Hallett
-Wall Street Journal article
-Vietnam
-Casualties
-The President’s responsibility
-Response on issues
-Offensive
-Meeting in Hugh Scott's office
-MacGregor
-Noel C. Koch
-Robert J. Dole
-Writing
-Use of writers to prepare responses for Republicans
-Buchanan
-Barry M. Goldwater's op-ed piece in the New York Times
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)


-Vietnam bombing
-S. Steven Karalekas
-Complacency
-Political activity
-Democrats
-Press
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew statement
-Humphrey
-Koch
-Speeches for Congressional leaders
-Republican Congressional leadership
-Scott
-Goldwater
-Dole
-Agnew
-Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-Gerald R. Ford
-News summary
-Wendell Wyatt of Oregon
-Edward Gurney of Florida
-Louis Wyman
-Primary states
-Publicity
-Muskie
-Press
-Democrats
-Split
-Kennedy statements about the President
-Humphrey’s response
-Kennedy speech
-Compared to Muskie
-Kennedy image
-Effects
-Muskie image
-Colson’s view
-Vietnam
-Democratic Party’s responsibility
-The President’s actions
-Withdrawal
-Casualties
-Melvin R. Laird speech
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)


-Muskie reaction
-Pentagon Papers
-Dole's forthcoming speech


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Privacy]
[Duration: 3m 47s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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Issues
-Republican congressional statements
-Dole
-Vietnam
-Lawrence F. O'Brien, Jr.’s statement
-Henry A. Kissinger’s response
-Busing

Busing
-Democratic Party Convention reforms
-[Forename unknown] Godfrey column
-Richard M. Scammon
-George C. Wallace delegates
-Busing
-President's conversation with John D. Ehrlichman
-Strategy
-Richmond decision
-Staff work
-The President’s statements
-Humphrey
-Supreme Court
-Legislation

Vietnam
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)



Economy

Kennedy speech
-Administration reaction
-Press response
-Scott's forthcoming response
-MacGregor and Colson
-Scott
-Press reports
-Relationship with Administration

Questions and answers [Q&A] for Scott on withdrawal for prisoners of war [POWs]
-“Meet the Press”
-Kissinger
-Kennedy speech
-Nguyen Van Thieu's government
-Democrats' responsibility
-Withdrawal
-Casualties
-Bombing
-Issue of Vietnam
-Strength
-Staff

Kennedy speech
-Absence of applause
-Quality

Humphrey
-Speaking ability
 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 15s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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


Muskie
-Space shuttle statement
-Effect
-Environmental issues

Civil rights issue
-Edward Kennedy
-The Administration’s record
-Dual school system
-Minority enterprise
-Food stamps
-Welfare reform
-Congress
-Publicity
-Budget message

The President's work on speech drafts

Daniel Yankelovich's lunch with Colson, January 17, 1972

The President’s schedule

Money supply
-Arthur F. Burns
-Connally's talk with the President
-Shultz's beliefs
-James Dewey Daane
-Peter M. Flanigan's views
-Prime rate
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)


-Milton Friedman
-Shuttle
-Burns

The Cabinet
-Connally
-Elliot L. Richardson
-George W. Romney
-John A. Volpe
-Rogers C.B. Morton
-James D. Hodgson
-Earl L. Butz
-Bill House's reaction
-Kansas
-Cattlemen's Association
-Political affiliation
-Corn prices
-Agriculture
-1972 election
-Democrats
-Dairy
-Pork products
-Corn

Polls on issues, reactions
-Yankelovich
-Youth polls
-News summary
-Time magazine
-Louis P. Harris
-Albert E. Sindlinger
-Wife
-Yankelovich
-Polling
-Time
-New York Times

Refreshment order

The President left at an unknown time before 10:55 am.
 13

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)


An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 10:25 am.

Refreshment order

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 10:55 am.

The President entered at an unknown time after 10:25 am.

[The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 10:23 am and
10:55 am.]

[Conversation No. 650-6A]

[See Conversation No. 18-99]

[End of telephone conversation]

Yankelovich
-Article about malaise in American society
-View of President
-Polls

[The President talked with William L. Safire between 10:55 am and 10:58 am.]

[Conversation No. 650-6B]

[See Conversation No. 18-100]

[End of telephone conversation]

Public perception of the President
-Mood of the country
-Yankelovich’s views
-Reaction to polls
-Institutions
-Government
-Unknown news column of January 17, 1972
-Theory
-\"Dual moralism\"
-George H. Gallup, Harris
-President's strength
 14

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)


-Buchanan's theory of leadership
-Compared to Raymond K. Price, Jr. and Leonard Garment theory
-Confrontation with George Meany
-Effect
-Polls
-Polls
-Timing
-Harris
-Connally's views on perceptions of leaders
-Muskie
-Possible nomination
-Effect on Democrats
-Polls
-Approval of the President
-18-year-olds
-Mood of the country
-Confidence
-Love
-Hate
-Fear
-Price-Garment theory
-Importance of incumbency
-Connally's views
-Connally
-Hallet's view
-Power
-Love, fear, hate
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Harry S. Truman
-Balance
-Buchanan
-Announcements regarding Soviet Union and People's Republic of China [PRC] trips
-Supreme Court appointments
-Meany confrontation
-Media
-Handling of stories about the President and his administration
-Television
-Possible effectiveness
-PRC trip announcement
-Edward Kennedy
 15

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)


-PRC trip
-India-Pakistan War
-Price-Garment theory
-Buchanan's theory
-Public relations
-President's image
-Fear, hate, respect, warmth
-Handling by staff
-Richard H. Moore
-The President’s activities
-Meany confrontation
-Effect
-Muskie
-Buchanan
-Price, Garment
-The President’s strength of character
-Image
-The President’s image
-Meany confrontation
-Muskie’s image
-Meet the Press
-President's image
-Connally's view
-Dan Rather
-Importance of emotions
-1970 election
-Al Capp
-Reaction to the projection of President's image
-Buchanan's theory
-Price-Garment theory
-Telecast in 1970 election
-Safire
-Gallup poll
-Media criticism

Issues
-Economy
-1971 public perceptions
-Pentagon Papers
-Laos
-Media attacks on administration
 16

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)


-PRC
-New economic policy
-Meany confrontation
-Effect on polls
-Timing
-Sindlinger poll
-Harris poll
-Polls
-Sindlinger
-Economy
-Vietnam
-Effects of troop withdrawal announcement
-Bombing
-Harris
-Troop withdrawal announcement
-News summary
-Newsweek
-Sindlinger
-Methods
-Responses
-August 1971
-November 1971
-Meany
-Compared to Johnson years

Vietnam
-Use as issue
-Democrats
-Strategy
-Troop withdrawals
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Amnesty

Amnesty
-Draft evaders' comments
-The President’s comments
-Abraham Lincoln’s actions
-Muskie's views
-Comparison with administration stand
-POWs
 17

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)


Busing
-Muskie's view
-Use of phrase


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 6m 48s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

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


Republican Congressional leadership
-Schedule
-Support for the Administration
-The President's forthcoming State of the Union speech
-Tone
-Scott
-Ford
-Leslie C. Arends
-Applause
-Republicans
-Democrats
-Mood
-Colson’s calls
-Complacency
-Democrats’ weaknesses

Colson left at 11:27 am.