741–3

Conversation No. 741-3

Date: June 23, 1972
Time: 10:39 am-12:41 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with George P. Shultz, Caspar W. Weinberger, Herbert Stein, Ezra Solomon,
Marina von N. Whitman, John D. Ehrlichman, and Ronald L. Ziegler; the White House
photographer and members of the press were present at the beginning of the meeting.

Greetings

Higher education message

Seating arrangements

Photographs

The President left at an unknown time after 10:39 am.

Donald H. Rumsfeld

Farm Bureau

The President returned at an unknown time before 10:50 am.
 3

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-02)
Conv. No. 741-3 (cont.)


Photographs

Food prices
-Shortages of food
-A paper by unknown person

Timing of meeting
-Other participants

[Photograph session]

Press
-Wire services
-Quality of writing

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:39 am.

Charles W. Colson
-Attendance at meeting
-Earl L. Butz
-Rumsfeld
-Time

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:50 am.

Food prices
-Government action
-The President’s view
-Public perceptions
-Congress
-Democrats
-The President’s view
-Impact

Beef prices
-John B. Connally
-Experience
-World demand
-Demand
-Effect
-The President's childhood diet
 4

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-02)
Conv. No. 741-3 (cont.)

-Cholesterol problems
-Effects of rise
-Need for government action
-Butz
-Clifford M. Hardin
-Appearances
-Importance

Colson entered at 10:50 am.

-Effects on producers and sellers
-Timing of effects
-Election
-Appearances
-Importance
-Other meat products
-Import quota
-Farmers
-Cattlemen
-Middlemen
-Political impact
-Political responsibility
-Political consequences
-Farmers
-Cattlemen
-Middlemen
-Storeowners
-Options
-Deficiencies
-Public reactions
-Impact of election

Economy
-Controls
-The President's decision in August 1971
-The President's policies
-Impact
-State of economy
-The President's analysis
-Changes in diet
-Meat consumption
-Food production
 5

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-02)
Conv. No. 741-3 (cont.)

-Middlemen
-Support for the President
-Import quotas
-State Department policies
-Shortcomings
-The President’s view
-Problems
-Increases in world demand
-Butz
-Meet prices in Europe
-Fruits and vegetables
-Shortages
-Controls
-Price controls on food
-Intermediate transactions
-Effect on farmer
-Farmers' concerns
-Perceptions of utility
-Impact
-Stein
-Effects of increased supply
-Beef prices
-Supplies of pork
-Prices
-Predictions of supply
-Cooperation of food chain stores
-Possible price freeze
-Timing
-Effects on economy

Butz and Rumsfeld entered at 11:06 am.

-Statistics
-Problems
-Erhlichman’s previous meeting with storeowners
-Consumer psychology
-Television reporting
-Consumer Price Index [CPI]
-Walter L. Cronkite, Jr.
-Demand
-Effect on consumers
-Administration action
 6

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-02)
Conv. No. 741-3 (cont.)

-Support for farmers
-Support for storeowners
-Need for actions
-Consumers
-Quotas
-State Department personnel
-Argentina
-Australia
-New Zealand
-Education background
-The President’s view
-European food prices
-Compared to US
-Quotas on beef
-Possible announcement by the President
-Argentina
-Arthur F. Burns
-Hoof and mouth disease
-Australia
-New Zealand
-Australia
-William McMahon
-Restriction
-Farm Bureau
-Justification for removal
-Price freeze
-Office of Price Administration [OPA]
-Harry S. Truman administration example
-Supplies
-Freezer space
-Solomon’s view
-Quote suspension
-Solomon’s view
-Popular perception
-Quota suspension
-CPI
-Supply and demand
-Cut-backs
-Food stamps
-Quotas
-Announcement of action
-Political problems
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-02)
Conv. No. 741-3 (cont.)

-Farmers and cattlemen
-Colson
-Timing
-The President’s view
-Press coverage
-Television
-Timing
-Follow-up
-Secretary of Agriculture
-Whitman
-The President's statement
-Length
-Today Show
-Barbara Walters
-Content
-July 7, 1972 wholesale price announcement
-Time for effects
-Quotas
-Margins of food processors
-Demand
-Effect of government procurement
-Dwight D. Eisenhower administration
-Military menus
-Government demand
-Government installations
-Government storage
-George A. Lincoln
-Reduction
-Follow-up by the Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
-Melvin R. Laird
-Military
-Substitutes
-Orville L. Freeman
-Chicken
-Advantages
-Eggs
-Pork supply
-Lamb
-New Zealand
-Supply
-Prime Minister
-Quotas
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-02)
Conv. No. 741-3 (cont.)

-The President’s view
-The President’s statement
-Wording
-Military storage of food
-Release to public
-Weinberger
-Butz
-Lincoln
-Camp David
-Substitutes
-Lamb
-Fish production
-Price controls
-Timing of announcement
-Quotas
-Timing of announcement
-Press conference
-Presidential action
-Revocation
-Timing of announcement
-Rumsfeld
-Today show
-The President’s action
-Effects on chain stores, middlemen
-Effects of the President's decisions
-Quotas on fruits and vegetables
-Florida, California and Arizona
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Quality of tomatoes
-The President’s view
-Agriculture in southwestern US
-Central Valley of California
-Strawberries and tomatoes
-Prices
-Effect on consumers
-Cesar E. Chavez
-Possible talks with retailers
-Future meeting
-Timing of announcements
-Democratic convention
-Price controls
-The President possible meetings in California
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-02)
Conv. No. 741-3 (cont.)

-Congress
-Cost of Living Council [COLC]
-Rumsfeld’s view
-July 4 holiday
-Possible meetings
-Price Commission
-COLC
-Retailers
-Cattlemen
-Price Commission
-Price increases
-Effects of a possible meeting with the President
-Price freeze on food
-COLC action
-Meeting of Ziegler, Rumsfeld, Colson, Ehrlichman
-The President’s instructions
-Plan of action
-Wage and price controls
-OPA
-Future recommendations
-Effect
-Food prices
-Proposed action
-Military procurement of meat
-Options
-Government stockpiles
-The President’s view
-The President’s policy
-Reduction
-National Security Council [NSC]
-Bolivia

Weinberger, Butz, Whitman, Stein, Solomon, and Ehrlichman left at 12:08 pm.

The dollar
-Convertability
-Common Market's possible action
-Forthcoming meeting
-Devaluation of dollar
-Canada, Japan
-US currency
-Possible Common Market vote
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-02)
Conv. No. 741-3 (cont.)

-Devaluation
-Smithsonian Agreement
-Shultz’s assessment
-Possible acquisition of British pounds
-Common Market actions
-Burns
-Smithsonian Agreement
-Europeans' view
-Currency values
-Exchange rates
-Value of dollar
-Comparison with other nations

Stock market
-Wage earners
-Businessmen and international bankers
-Complaints
-George S. McGovern

Tax reform

Kermit Gordon entered and Ziegler left at 12:15 pm.

The President's previous meeting
-Council of Economic Advisors [CEA]
-Beef prices

Pay Board
-Gordon's role
-Bipartisanship
-Public interest orientation
-Function of board
-Gordon's experience
-OPA
-The President's experience
-OPA
-Regulations
-Work described

Gordon’s efforts
-The President’s view
-Presentation of gifts
 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-02)
Conv. No. 741-3 (cont.)


Brookings Institution
-Relations with Administration officials
-Staff
-Lyndon B. Johnson's administration officials
-Policymakers
-Previous administration personnel
-Political orientation
-Image
-Shultz, Stein, and Henry A. Kissinger
-Richard P. Nathan
-Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
-Charles B. Saunders, Jr.
-Work for Nixon Administration
-Stephen Hess
-Paul W. McCracken
-C. Fred Bergsten
-NSC
-Martin J. Bailey
-Treasury Department
-The President’s view
-Connally

The President's previous meeting with broadcasters
-Media coverage of Administration
-Political orientation of media members

Bull entered at an unknown time after 12:15 pm.

The President's schedule
-Forthcoming meeting

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:41 pm.

Administration staff
-Foundations and media
-Political orientation
-Milton Friedman
-Irving Kristol

Brookings Institution
-Press coverage
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-02)
Conv. No. 741-3 (cont.)

-Disarmament
-Defense policies
-Laird
-Kissinger
-Negotiations with People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Wording of communique

Arms Control Agreement
-Negotiations with the Soviet Union
-Trade
-The President's talks with Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Wording
-The President's talks with Chou En-lai
-Andrei A. Gromyko and Kissinger
-William P. Rogers, Alexei N. Kosygin
-Story about use of words
-Russian tsar

Foundations
-Brookings Institution
-Suspicion of intellectuals
-Brookings Institution
-Relations with politicians on White House staff

Presentation of gifts by the President

Gordon, Rumsfeld, and Shultz left at 12:41 pm.