Secret White House Tapes

489–21

About this recording

489–21
  • President Richard M. Nixon
  • Russell B. Long
  • Wallace F. Bennett
  • James D. Hodgson
  • Elliot L. Richardson
  • John G. Veneman
  • John D. Ehrlichman
  • Clark MacGregor
  • White House photographer
  • UNKNOWN
April 26, 1971
Conversation No. 489-21

Date: April 26, 1971 Conv. No. 489-19 (cont.)
Time: 5:28 pm - 6:36 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Russell B. Long, Wallace F. Bennett, James D. Hodgson, Elliot L.
Richardson, John G. Veneman, John D. Ehrlichman, Clark MacGregor, and Eugene S. Cowen;
the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

Greetings

Schedule
-Meetings with demonstrators

[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under court order from
December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access 8, Ronald V. Dellums, et al. v. James M.
Powell, et al., No. 71-2271. The National Archives and Records Administration produced this
transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]

[End of transcript]

Photo session
-Grouping

Welfare policies
-Richardson

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 5:28 pm.

Refreshment

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 6:36 pm

[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under court order from
December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access 8, Ronald V. Dellums, et al. v. James M.
Powell, et al., No. 71-2271. The National Archives and Records Administration produced this
55

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]

[End of transcript]

Vietnam
-Administration policies
-Congress
-Support
-Southern Democrats
-Long

Gen. Douglas MacArthur
-Presidency
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Richard B. Russell
-Television
-Lyndon B. Johnson [?]
-Robert R. Siegrist

Vietnam
-President’s policies
-Long’s view
-Popular reaction
-Communist takeover
-Prisoners of war [POWs]

Legislation
-Health bill
-Welfare bill
-Revenue sharing
-President's conversation with Richardson
-Welfare
-Long’s committee
-Health
-Long
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy's plan
-Costs

Health bill
-Senate Finance Committee
-Possible vote
-Kennedy bill
56

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Catastrophic protection
-Richardson's testimony
-Taxes
-Proposals
-Kennedy bill
-President’s view
-Costs
-Medical care Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
-Doctors
-Costs
-Long’s view
-Costs
-Medicare
-Costs
-Dentist
-1975 projections
-1990 projections
-Psychiatrists
-Contact lenses
-Prosthetic devices
-Plastic surgery
-Contact lens
-Braces
-Stock market
-Bausch and Lomb
-Contact lens
-Medicare
-Costs
-Medicaid
-Costs
-Calculations
-Senate Finance Committee
-Kennedy bill
-Herman E. Talmadge
-Long
-Harry F. Byrd, Jr.
-Jack R. Miller
-Possible Amendment
-Background

George McKenna
-Circuit Court
57

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Services in Congress
-Amendments
-Senate Labor Committee

Health bill
-Senate Finance Committee
-Possible vote
-House Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
-Kennedy bill
-Possible vote
-Ways and Means Committee
-Wilbur D. Mills
-Martha W. Griffiths
-Walter Reuther’s role
-Kennedy
-Labor
-Kennedy's testimony
-Veterans
-Catastrophic illness
-Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's [HEW] cost projections
-Kennedy bill
-Taxes
-Financing
-Senate Finance Committee
-Possible vote
-Long and Talmadge
-Byrd
-Miller
-Iowa
-American Medical Association [AMA]
-Medicredit bill
-Clifford P. Hansen
-B. Everett Jordan
-Carl T. Curtis
-Compared with Kennedy bill
-Administration bill
-Bennett's conversation with Hansen
-American Medical Association [AMA]
-Kennedy
-Abraham A. Ribicoff
-President's possible conversation with Ribicoff
-Possible compromise
58

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Liberal Democrats
-Ribicoff
-Insurance industry
-Hartford
-Scope and benefits
-Mandated coverage
-Costs
-Ribicoff’s possible supports Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
-Private insurance
-Social Security program
-Reserves
-Insurance carriers
-Consortium
-Administration of program
-Pan American
-Louisiana
-Ribicoff
-Blue Cross, Blue Shield
-Bennett’s comments
-Long
-Catastrophic protection
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Doctors
-Medical profession
-Kennedy bill
-AMA bill
-Hansen's testimony
-Tax credits
-Approach
-Cost
-Responsibility for insurance
-Private sector
-Government assistance to the poor
-Kennedy bill
-Private insurance sector
-Long's possible initiative
-Free medicine
-Senate committee hearing
-Long
-Public relations
-Education
-Educational process
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
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-Kennedy bill
-President’s view
-Costs
-Effect on private insurance sector and medical profession
-Congressional hearings
-Chamber of Commerce
-Welfare program
-Kennedy bill Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
-Hearings
-Budget for health
-Health expenditures
-Costs
-Compared with wage and price controls
-Centralization
-Costs
-Richardson’s view
-Federal Government
-Problems of centralization
-Medicare
-Costs
-Pressures
-Allocating resources
-Penicillin
-Costs
-Tuberculosis
-Cancer
-Cure
-Medical care
-Costs
-X-rays
-Treatments
-Medical science
-Innovation
-Ceiling
-Levels of care
-Private sector
-Lid
-Care
-Union insurance plans
-Unions
-Kennedy bill
-Support
60

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Administration bill
-Benefits
-Catastrophic protection
-President's schedule
-Possible meeting with Ribicoff
-Long’s action
-Kennedy bill
-President’s view Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
-Political appeal
-Unions
-Catastrophic protection
-Ribicoff's views
-Medical bills
-Costs
-Senate Finance Committee
-Possible vote
-Ribicoff
-Liberals
-President's possible position
-Southern Democrats
-Support
-John C. Stennis
-Republicans
-George P. Shultz
-Stennis
-Johnson
-President's possible position
-Senate
-Report
-Possible vote
-Long and Allen J. Ellender
-John L. McClellan
-[Unintelligible name]
-Stennis
-William B. Spong, Jr.
-James B. Allen
-Talmadge and David H. Gambrell
-Samuel J. Ervin, Jr., and Jordan
-Virginia
-Spong and Henry F. Byrd, Jr.
-West Virginia
-Jennings Randolph and Robert C. Byrd
61

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Texas
-Lloyd M. Bentsen
-Southerners
-Nevada
-Alan Bible
-Republicans
-Defectors
-Paul J. Fannin Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
-Bennett’s possible conversation
-Sponsors
-Fannin
-Jordan, Roman L. Hruska and Clinton P. Anderson
-Hugh Scott and Robert P. Griffin
-Medical profession
-Medicare
-1972 campaign


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 16s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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


-1964 campaign
-AMA
-Johnson and Barry Goldwater
-Long and Mills
-Anderson bill
-Reaction
-Goldwater's political prospects
-Johnson's program
-[unintelligible name]
-Health insurance
-AMA
62

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



Welfare
-Administration's welfare program
-Work requirement
-John R. Williams
-Richardson
-Congressional hearings
-Loopholes
-President's previous speech at Chamber of Commerce Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
-Senate Finance Committee
-Hearings
-Housing
-President's remarks at Republican Governors Conference, Williamsburg
-Mrs. Long
-Incentive to work
-Long
-The President
-Menial work
-Incentives
-Work requirements
-Fathers
-Responsibility
-Contributions to family
-Mills
-Aid to mothers
-Working people
-Long's political activities
-American Federation of Labor [AFL] convention in Louisiana
-Blacks
-Administration Bill
-President's previous remarks to Chamber of Commerce
-Incentive to work
-Child support
-Taxes
-Fairness
-Bill
-Long’s view
-Changes
-Family support
-President's meeting with Curtis
-Possible administration position
-Child support
-Responsibility
63

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Approach
-Long's maid

Blacks
-Civil Rights Act
-Long
-Concerns
-Jobs Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
-Schools
-Civil Rights Act
-Housing

Employment
-Liberal activists
-Blacks and whites
-Housing

Welfare
-Bill
-Blacks
-Long's appearance before AFL
-Issue
-Leaders
-Equal rights
-Audience
-Work
-Unknown man's views
-Mills
-Improvement of conditions
-Employment
-Provisions
-Transition
-Burden
-Tax credits
-Environmental Proctection Agency [EPA] example
-Loan guarantees
-Economic development programs
-Marginal jobs
-Civilian Conservation Corps [CCC]
-Work
-National Welfare rights
-President's schedule
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Meeting with Senators
-White House staff

Legislation
-Long
-Health bill
-Welfare bill
Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
Vietnam
-Support from Southern Democratic Senators

Presentation of gifts
-Cuff links
-Key chain
-Long's family
-Paperweight

President's Vietnam policies

Long, et al., left at 6:36 pm.
Secret White House Tapes |

489–21

This recording is currently not available on millercenter.org. To listen to it, please email Mike Greco at mdg4u@virginia.edu

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