482–22

Conversation No. 482-22

Date: April 19, 1971
Time: 4:07 pm - 4:53 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John L. McClellan, Clark MacGregor, and Kenneth E. BeLieu; the White
House photographer was present at the beginning and end of the meeting.

Greetings
-Arkansas
-Seating
-Photo

[General conversation]

BeLieu

Staff

Agenda
-Senate Government Operations Committee

National defense
-McClellan's support for President

Attacks on President
-Effect
-Armed Services
 43

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Police
-Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI]
-Press
-Vietnam
-Politics
-Vote on Supersonic Transport [SST]
-Robert P. Griffin
-Lack of support for President from Republicans Conv. No. 482-21 (cont.)
-Politicians
-Economy
-Confidence in FBI

FBI
-Mission
-Attacks on J. Edgar Hoover
-Criticism
-”National gestapo”
-Number of wiretaps
-Destruction of confidence
-Protection

National defense
-Soviet Union [USSR] Intercontinental Ballistic Missile [ICBM] program
-Nuclear submarines
-Negotiations
-US defenses
-World safety
-McClellan's appearance at University of Arkansas
-Questions posed
-Disarmament
-Dangers
-Unilateral disarmament
-Ecological consequences
-Conversion of weapons
-USSR
-ICBM's
-Numbers compared to US
-Nuclear submarines
-Timing of parity
-Conventional sea & air
-Offensive weapons
-Possible freeze on defensive weapons
 44

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-First strike capability
-US position
-Analogy to football
-Negotiations
-Prospects
-Antiballistic Missile [ABM]
-Effectiveness for money spent
-Pentagon Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)
-Cost accounting
-Robert S. Mcnamara
-Congressional oversight
-Need for strength
-Diplomacy conditions
-Germany
-Britain
-France
-Germany
-Economy
-Asia
-Japan
-Economy
-PRC
-Credibility of US nuclear deterrent
-Germany and Japan
-Questioning
-Japan/PRC
-Pacific
-Long term prospects
-Germany
-Europe
-US position in world
-USSR
-Japan
-Germany
-US nuclear credibility
-USSR
-Diplomacy/war

Vietnam
-John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
-President
-McClellan's appearance at University of Arkansas
 45

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Withdrawal
-Johnson
-Lack of support for President from Republicans

SST
-Vote
-Lack of understanding
-Competition Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)

US merchant marine
-Ocean-going cargo
-Percentage of share since 1947

Aviation
-SST
-US position in world

Steel industry
-Labor negotiations
-Wages
-Efficiency
-Decline in world market
-US production
-Japan
-Japanese production

US merchant marine

Steel

Textiles

SST
-US position in commercial aviation

US position in world
-Goals
-Frustrations
-Japan
-Germany
-Great Britain/France
-PRC/USSR
 46

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Quality of systems
-Subsidies
-Clean-up of ghettos
-Need for production

Congress
-McClellan's support for President
-Partisanship Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)
-Robert J. Dole
-House Republicans
-Gerald R. Ford
-Senate Republicans
-Richard S. Schweiker
-Lack of support for President
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Effectiveness
-Griffin

President's schedule
-Project
-Trip to Williamsburg
-Photograph
-Dedication of project in Tulsa
-Arkansas River navigation project
-McClellan-Kerr navigation project
-H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Ceremony
-Value

Economy of Arkansas
-Optimism
-Trade potential
-Natural gas
-Federal Power Commission [FPC]
-Arkansas [River?] Gas Company
-Chairman
-[John N. Nassikas]
-Peter M. Flanigan

Civil Aeronautics Board [CAB]
-Unknown airline company
-Secor D. Browne
 47

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)




Independent agencies
-FPC
-Decisions
-Federal Communications Commission [FCC]
-Cable systems
-Copyright bill
-Section III Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)
-Cable systems
-Commerce committee
-Regulations
-Dean Burch
-Nicholas Johnson
-Staff
-President's conversation with Burch
-FPC
-Flanigan's possible conversation with McClellan
-Natural gas case
-Flanigan
-FPC
-MacGregor's possible conversation with Flanigan
-Arkansas River navigation project
-Importance
-Corps of Engineers
-President's schedule
-Possible visit and speech

New Democrat Senators
-Vote on SST
-Lawton M. Chiles, Jr.
-David H. Gambrell
-Richard B. Russell and Spessard L. Holland
-Chiles
-Gambrell
-Lockheed

Space program
-US leadership
-Exploration
-USSR

Defense budget
 48

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Prospects
-US position
-USSR
-Negotiations

President's reorganization plan
-Government Operations Committee
-John B. Connally Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)
-McClellan's conversation with Jacob K. Javits
-Frank E. Moss
-Charles H. Percy's activities
-White House
-Hearings
-Democrats
-Abraham A. Ribicoff
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
-Wilbur D. Mills

State compact bill
-Hearings
-Schedule
-Prospects

McClellan's career
-Senate
-Judgeship
-Arkansas
-Senate
-Allen J. Ellender
-George D. Aiken
-James O. Eastland
-Mississippi

Eastland
-Performance
-John N. Mitchell's views
-Republicans
-View of colleagues
-Judiciary committee
-Anecdote

Supreme Court
 49

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Harry A. Blackmun
-McClellan's initiatives
-The Sequoia
-Relationship with Warren E. Burger
-”Minnesota Twins”
-Hugo L. Black
-John M. Harlan
-Black Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)
-Vacancy
-Permissiveness
-Moral standards
-Decisions

McClellan, MacGregor, and BeLieu
-Schedule
-President's accessibility
-Percy

Bill-signing
-Photo
-Mrs. John L. McClellan
-Manolo Sanchez
-Date
-Arkansas River navigation project
-Government partnership
-Navigation and conservation
-Fish and Wildlife

[Photo session]

Farewells
-President's regards to Mrs. McClellan

Presentation of gifts by President
-Cuff links
-Paper weights

McClellan, MacGregor, and BeLieu left at 4:53 pm.
 50

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)