119–1

Conversation No. 119-1

Date: March 13, 1973
Time: 3:13 pm - unknown before 11:59 pm
Location: Cabinet Room

The President met with Earl L. Butz, J. Philip Campbell, Claude S. Brinegar, Henri F. Rush, Jr.,
William E. Simon, John T. Dunlop, James W. McLane, Herbert Stein, Marina von N. Whitman,
John D. Ehrlichman, Roy L. Ash, General Brent G. Scowcroft, Frederic V. Malek, Kenneth W.
Dam, Philip A. Odeen, Tod R. Hullin, Richard M. Fairbanks, III, William Morrill, and Gary L.
Seevers
[Recording begins while the conversation is in progress]

Department of Transportation [DOT]
-Stockpiles
-Reporting mechanism

Food prices
-Butz’s briefing
-Transportation of farm produce
-Prices for produce
-Existing stocks
-Wheat
-Exports
-Japanese
-Corn
-Commodity Credit Corporation [CCC]
-Prices
-Method of shipment
-Cattle prices
-Increases
-Concern
-Beef production
-Comparisons
-Production
-Prices
-Demand for foodstuffs
-Dairy farmers
-Increase in production
-Food prices
-Import quotas
-Controls
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Presidential decree
-Congressional action
-Japanese purchases
-Pork
-Need for increased production
-Lifting of restrictions
-Soybean production
-Wheat and corn
-Amount of acreage
-Changes in law concerning acreage
-Farmers
-Prices
-Soybeans
-Areas of increases
-Legal aspects of control
-Possible Presidential decree
-Exports
-Increases
-Japanese purchases
-Balance of payments
-Inflation
-Meat production
-Previous White House meeting with producers
-Factors in price increases
-Exports
-Vegetable production
-Status
-Problems
-Effect of price ceilings
-Inflation
-Percentage to farmers
-Labor costs
-Meat cutters
-Chicago
-Drivers
-Philadelphia
-Union rules
-Increases
-Effect on food prices
-Meeting with George Meany
-Need to control labor costs
-Influence on retail food prices
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)




Transportation
-Effect on food prices
-Railroads
-Problems
-Regional problems
-Freight car shortages
-Need for action
-Winter wheat shipment
-DOT action
-Task force
-Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.
-Priority needs
-Alternative means of transportation
-Long-term problems
-Regulatory action by Interstate Commerce Commission [ICC]
-Work with ICC
-W. Donald Brewer and George M. Stafford
-DOT cooperation with railroads
-Use of idle coal cars for grain shipments
-Opening of ports
-Canada
-United States’ Coast Guard
-Brinegar’s personal visits to grain areas
-Long term problems
-Use of freight cars
-Current capacity of railroads
-Problems of railroad industry
-DOT action

Food prices
-Current problems
-Need for action by Cost of Living Council [COLC]
-Projected increases
-Administration approach to increases
-White paper
-Work with labor leaders
-Current prices
-Labor costs
-Minimum wage
-Administration action
-Great Britain
 4

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Food prices
-Federal government action
-Minimum wage rate
-Effect on food prices
-Influence of labor negotiators
-Proposals
-White House meeting on March 12, 1973
-Alternatives
-Opposition from United States’ Department of Agriculture [USDA]
officials
-Wall Street Journal article
-Lack of impact of the President’s plan
-World-wide problem
-Brussels trip by Whitman
-Europe and Japan
-Credibility of administration
-Statements by Administration
-Price increases
-Import quotas
-Effect
-Tariffs
-Cheese
-Beef
-Current restrictions
-Imports
-Health restrictions


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Strategic stockpiles

[To listen to the segment (7m42s) declassified on 02/28/2002, please refer to RC# E-613.]

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Food prices
-Increases
-Projections over next year
-Projected relief
-Ehrlichman
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Congressional reaction
-Partisan demands for freeze
-August 1971 economic action
-Price freezes
-Doubts
-Arguments for freeze
-Meat prices
-Dependence on labor actions
-Ehrlichman’s efforts
-Labor cooperation
-1972 efforts
-Options for 1973
-Effect on prices
-Wages
-Inflation
-Controls
-Phase II regulations on wages and prices
-Implementation
-Enforcement in food
-Simon
-Possible statement
-Effect on prices, wages
-Dangers of hoarding
-Results of a freeze
-Cutbacks in production
-Hoarding
-Refrigeration
-Opposition to freeze
-Dunlop’s reaction
-George P. Shultz
-Labor cooperation
-Talk with labor leaders
-Supplies
-Effect on prices
-Dangers of a freeze

Food stockpiling
-Accountability
-Weekly reports
-USDA
-Carroll G. Brunthaver
-COLC
 6

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
-Malek
-Strategic stockpile
-Food committee
-Updates for White House
-DOT reports
-USDA reports
-Future meeting
-Current supplies
-C-rations
-Armed forces
-Amount

Food prices
-Housewife protests
-Cutbacks in consumption
-Effect
-Hamburger
-Stein’s speech in Charlottesville, Virginia
-Press reports


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Privacy]
[Duration: 1m 25s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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USDA
-Number of employees

Food
-Consumption of red meat
-Future

Instructions by President
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)




The President left at 4:14 pm

[General conversation/Unintelligible]

Butz, et al. left at an unknown time before 11:59 pm