873–1

Conversation No. 873-1

Date: March 8, 1973
Time: Unknown between 5:01 pm and 5:52 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John B. Conlan, Clair W. Burgener, William M. Ketchum, James P.
(“Jim”) Johnson, Ronald A. Sarasin, L. A. (“Skip”) Bafalis, Steven D. Symms, Robert P.
Hanrahan, Edward R. Madigan, George M. O'Brien, Samuel H. Young, William H. Hudnut, III,
David C. Treen, William S. Cohen, Marjorie S. Holt, Paul W. Cronin, Robert J. Huber, Thad
Cochran, Trent Lott, Gene Taylor, David Towell, Matthew J. Rinaldo, Benjamin A. Gilman,
Donald J. Mitchell, Angelo D. Roncallo, William F. Walsh, James G. Martin, Tennyson Guyer,
Ralph S. Regula, E. C. Shuster, Edward Young, James Abdnor, Robin L. Beard, Alan Steelman,
M. Caldwell Butler, Robert W. Daniel, Jr., Stanford E. Parris, Joel Pritchard, Harold V.
Froehlich and William E. Timmons.

Greetings/Introduction of John B. Conlan
-President of House of Representatives’ freshmen class

Introductions
-[General introductions]
-Gene Taylor, James Abdnor, Robert Daniel, Ralph Regula
Stanford Parris, David Towell, Samuel Young, Edward
Madigan, Trent Lott, William Ketchum, Robin Beard, James
Martin, James Johnson, Matthew Rinaldo, Robert Hanrahan,

Representative from Alaska
-Donald E. Young
-Photograph
-Recent electoral win

Meeting
-Purpose
-Location
-Oval Office
-Cabinet Room

Leadership of freshmen congressmen
-President's appreciation
 -2-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2010)
Conversation No. 873-1 (cont’d)


-Press conferences, special orders, speeches
-Washington papers
Washington Post
-Reportage
-Distortions

Congress
-President’s advice
-President's terms in Congress
-Value of work in Congress
-Effectiveness
-Washington newspapers compared to home districts
-Important issues
-President's politicl career
-Hard times, conflict
-Benefits
-Lobbyists
-Work
-Historic time in present
-Domestic and foreign policy issue
-President’s political career
-Visit to White House
-Charles Kirchner
-Wisconsin
-Harry S. Truman
-“Buck stops here sign”
-Budget matters
-Increases
-Poll results on issues
-Spending for education, housing, cities
-Taxes compared to spending on education
-Inflation compared to taxes and revenue
-Budget deficit
-Limitations on spending
-President's vetoes
-Reasons
-Taxes compared to spending
-Public reactions
-Difficulties of votes
 -3-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2010)
Conversation No. 873-1 (cont’d)


-Great Britain’s parliamentary system
-Importance of budget votes
-Compared to US party system
-Caucus
-Gerald R. Ford
-Partisanship
-Need for support of freshman
-“Golden Rule of Politics”
US foreign policy
-Trade policy
-Talk with Golda Meir
-Markets
-Reciprocal trade
-Henry A. Kissinger anecdote
-Golden rule of international politics
-Vietnam
-1972 election
-Conclusion of war
-Responsibilities of Congress in post-war period
-Budget cuts
-Effect of demobilization, defense cuts
-Relations with the People’s Republic of China [PRC], Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics [USSR]
-US bargaining position
-Visit to PRC
-Chou En-lai
-USSR
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-Trade, space agreements
-Vietnam War
-Questions about budget cuts
-Dialogue with PRC
-Negotiations with USSR
-President's meeting with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Summit
-Arms limitations
-Question about tax cuts
-Defense spending
-Negotiations with USSR, PRC
 -4-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2010)
Conversation No. 873-1 (cont’d)


-Self interests
-PRC opening to US
-Soviet détente with US
-1972 summit
-SALT agreement
-Congress’s role
-Antiballistic missiles [ABM] vote
-Militarists compared to pacifists
-Spiro T. Agnew’s deciding vote
-Impact on SALT agreement
-US goals
-US concessions
-Negotiations
-Self-interest
-Need for strength
-Incentive
-Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction [MBFR]
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
-Impact of US troop withdrawals
-Negotiations
-Congress’s role
-Defense budget
-Need for respect
-June 1972 summit in Moscow
-President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-1972 election
-Senate criticism
-Communist offensive in Vietnam
-Press coverage
-“Specter of defeat”
-Mining, blockade
-Television [TV] announcement
-Reaction
-Editorial writers
-Impact on USSR, summit
-Respect for President’s decision
-Leonid I. Brezhnev
-US policy of strength and respect
-USSR, PRC
 -5-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2010)
Conversation No. 873-1 (cont’d)


-US economic aid to North Vietnam
-Controversial decision
-Compared to Marshall Plan
-President’s experience in Congress
-Opposition in California, US
-Japan, Germany
-Harry S. Truman
-Vote on issue
-Reason
-Agreements
-Compliance
-Source of funds
-Congressional vote
-Parochial interests
-Source of funds
-Peaceful development
-Continued war
-Thailand, Philippines
-treaty obligations
-US trade policy
-Post-World War II
-President’s experience in Congress
-Reciprocal aid [trade agreements]
-President’s constituency
-Opposition
-Trade imbalance
-US, Europe, Japan
-General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs [GATT]
-Geneva round
-Kennedy round
-Impact on Japan, Europe
-US Congressional-Executive agreement [Reciprocal Trade Agreement
Act]
-Trade legislation
-Tariff rate negotiations
-Tariff barriers
-Reciprocal trade
-Germany, Japan, Great Britain
-President’s role
 -6-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2010)
Conversation No. 873-1 (cont’d)


-President’s conversation with Wilbur D. Mills
-Executive power
-Trade lobbies
-Tariff rates
-Balance of trade
-Imports compared to exports
-Benefits to US labor
-President’s conversation with George Meany
-Labor’s support for President’s foreign policy
-Meany, Frank E. Fitzsimons, Peter J. Brennan
-Imports, exports
-Impact on jobs
-US auto industry
-“Big three” manufacturers
-Chrysler dealers
-Detroit
-Imports compared to exports
-Congress’s role compared to President’s role

President's accomplishments
-Compared to freshman’s achievement in 1972 election
-Contrast with Lyndon B. Johnson
-Legacy
-President as fatalist
-Progress toward world peace
-US strength
-Private enterprise
-Compared to USSR
-National greatness
-Character
-Sources of decline
-Wealth
-Source of softness
-Prisoners of war [POWs] return
-Sense of pride, patriotism

Letter to President from a POW
-President’s reading
-Capt. Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr.
 -7-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2010)
Conversation No. 873-1 (cont’d)


-Remarks on US
-President's leadership, B-52 bombing
-Pride in US
-Decline of authority
-Gratitude to President
-POW’s ordeal
-Lessons

Congressional relations
-Narrow compared to broad goals
-Denton's experiences
-Meaning
-Work with Congress
-Restoration of national spirit, faith
-Meeting with Freshmen Representatives
-President's thanks
-Benefits
-Communication within Republican Party
-Congressmen's support for President
-Problems
-Constituents’ demands
-Vote of confidence
-President's experience in Congress
-Congressional leadership
-Charles Halleck, Joseph Martin
-Voting record
-Party line
-Reelection of freshmen
-Support for President

President's birthday plaque
-President’s friend from New York
-Inscription

Kissinger
-Secret mission
-Boston [?]

[General conversation]
 -8-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2010)
Conversation No. 873-1 (cont’d)



Andrew Henshaw [?]

Support for President's vetoes

Conlan et al. left at 5:52 pm.