536–4

Conversation No. 536-4

Date: July 3, 1971
Time: 8:00 am - 9:55 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Charles W. Colson

Schedule
-Meeting with James D. Hodgson and George P. Shultz

Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS]
-Geoffrey H. Moore
-Offer of resignation
-Approval of Labor Department release of report on unemployment
statistics
-White House request for transfer of “Goldstein” [Leon Greenberg]
-Release of report
-New York Times
-Handling by Labor Department
-Moore
-Understanding of political implications
-Hodgson, Shultz
-Moore
-Arthur F. Burns
-Action on “Goldstein”
-Timing of action
-Question of Moore’s tenure
-Firing versus resignation
-Forthcoming meeting with Shultz, Hodgson
-Need for reorganization of BLS
-Replacement for Moore
-Deputy
-”Goldstein” as Associate Commissioner for Statistics
-Shultz’s reaction
-Moore

Schedule
-Request for Shultz and Hodgson to join meeting

Colson left at an unknown time after 8:00 am
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



[Pause]
Colson, Shultz, and Hodgson entered at 8:10 am

BLS
-Recent release of unemployment statistics
-Statistical aberrations
-Political ramifications
-Herbert Stein
-Deliberate nature of action
-Bureaucrats
-Reflection on Hodgson
-Moore
-”Goldstein”
-Attitude during the President’s administration and during Dwight D.
Eisenhower’s administration
-Scholarly background
-Comparison to Daniel Ellsberg
-Effect of forced resignation
-Statistical aberration
-May and June 1971 figures
-News reports
-Reporters’ attitude toward administration
-Moore, “Goldstein”
-Preparation of report
-Effect of incident on Hodgson, Peter M. Flanigan
-Reorganization
-Transfer of “Goldstein”
-Ronald L. Ziegler’s report on Hodgson’s briefing
-Bureaucrats
-Moore
-Burns
-Unemployment statistics
-Use
-Comparison to poll figures
-Seasonal adjustments
-January to June comparison
-Effect of recent release on news reports
-Emphasis on joblessness
-John W. Chancellor
-Ziegler
-”Goldstein”
-Position
 4

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Appointment
-Transfer
-Reorganization
-Possible merger of statistical agencies
-Congress
-William Proxmire
-Plan
-”Goldstein” Conv. No. 536-4 (cont.)
-Polygraph
-Responsibility for statement
-Associated Press [AP], United Press International [UPI]
-Effect of news story
-Politicization of labor statistics
-Handling of statistics
-Census Bureau’s role
-BLS’s role
-Payroll records
-Household survey
-”Goldstein”
-Congress
-Proxmire’s attitude
-Press
-Replacement of Moore
-Moore’s responsibility
-”Goldstein” public appearances
-Unemployment
-Belief in decrease
-Effect of stories
-Moore
-Search for replacement
-New job
-Political effect of release
-Comparison to news stories on Vietnam War casualty figures
-Reorganization
-Frederic V. Malek
-Removal of “Goldstein”
-Replacement as statistician
-Wilson Allen Wallis
-Effect of politicization of statistics
-Replacement for Moore
-Domination by bureaucracy
-Contrast to Wallis
 5

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Cabinet committee on economics
-Wallis compared to Burns
-Timing of action on reorganization
-Proximity to 1972 election
-Labor Day 1971
-Reorganization
-Possible merger of statistical agencies
-Departmental responsibilities Conv. No. 536-4 (cont.)
-Forthcoming call from Hodgson to John B. Connally
-Explanation of incident
-Administration’s chief economic spokesman
-Unemployment
-Analysis of trends
-Effect on retail sales
-Regional figures
-California
-Pacific Northwest
-Montana
-The South, Texas
-Minnesota, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
Massachusetts
-Michigan
-Aerospace industry
-Efforts to cool off the economy
-Durable goods
-Automobile industry
-James M. Roche
-1970 impact
-Lingering effect of problem
-California
-Aerospace industry
-Three to five year impact
-Effect of economic upturn
-Impact of government action
-Forthcoming retail sales figures
-Laurence E. (“Larry”) Lynn, Jr.
-Credibility of statistics
-Compared to George H. Gallup, Louis Harris polls
-”Goldstein”
-Proxmire

Possible meeting with Colson on the Pentagon Papers
 6

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)




Shultz, Hodgson, and Colson left at 8:50 am