541–2

Conversation No. 541-2

Date: July 21, 1971
Time: Unknown after 2:52 pm until 5:04 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman at an unknown time after 2:52 pm.

J. Curtis Counts
-Secretary
-Background
-All-American baseball player at University of California at Los Angeles
[UCLA]

[The President talked with Willie J. Usery between 2:54 pm and 2:56 pm]

[Conversation No. 541-2A]

[See Conversation No. 6-175]

[End of telephone conversation]
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Usery
-Character of people
-Effects of wealth and education
-Beliefs
-Causes of war

The President's schedule
-Forthcoming trip to California Conv. No. 541-2 (cont.)
-Use of time
-Use of time


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-Attendance at Washington Senators baseball game
-Compared to attendance at All-Stars game
-Newspaper coverage

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 2:55 pm.

Meeting with John B. Connally

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:01 pm.

Alternatives of economic action

The President’s schedule

Connally, George P. Shultz, John D. Ehrlichman and Charles W. Colson entered at 3:01 pm.

[General Conversation]
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The economy
-Possible action
-Issuance of Treasury bonds
-Interest rate
-Income
-Public perceptions
-Savings bonds
-Bonds Conv. No. 541-2 (cont.)
-New York
-Purchase of bonds in support of causes
-Israel
-Environment
-Science exploration, cancer research
-Effect on money markets
-Appeal for investment in the United States
-Number of people involved in savings bond drive
-Effect on budget
-Methods of setting up new program
-Funding for future programs
-Peter G. Peterson
-Applied research efforts
-Inspiration of the public
-Contrast to taxation
-Spirit
-Interest subsidies
-Direct subsidies
-Maritime industry
-Differences in approach between the US and foreign countries
-Bond sales as fundraising alternative
-Comparison to school and other local bonds
-Domestic programs
-Expenditure
-Public opinion
-Environment
-Market tests
-Comparison to automobile tests
-Conservative approach
-John Kenneth Galbraith
-Connally’s “enemy”principle
-Issue of economic control
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy, Hubert H. Humphrey, Edmund S. Muskie
-Attitude toward wage and price control
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-Connally’s testimony
-Response to Galbraith
-Spokesperson for the left wing of the Democratic party
-Permanent wage and price controls
-Arthur F. Burns
-British approach contrasted with the US
-Wage-price controls
-Response to Galbraith, Democrats Conv. No. 541-2 (cont.)
-Attempts to force repudiation by Democratic candidates
-Effects of 1953 agricultural action
-Secretary of Agriculture
-Brandon Marme plan
-Controlled economy
-Totalitarian economies
-Office of Price Administration [OPA]
-Productivity Commission meeting
-George Meany’s cooperation
-Tenure
-Relationship to administration
-Executive Council, trade council, Teamsters
-Popularity of unions
-Union leaders opposition to administration
-Administration’s courting of rank-and-file
-Productivity Commission meeting
-September, 1971
-Planned issues
-Meany’s role
-Shultz’s proposed meeting with Meany
-Job conference
-Partisan attack
-Support for Muskie, Humphrey, Carl B. Albert
-Opposition to the President
-Meany’s speech
-Support for administration’s foreign policy
-Opposition to administration’s economic policy
-Productivity Commission
-Perceptions
-Press

Labor issues
-Union members
-Appeal to the rank and file rather than the leaders
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-US position in the world
-Rank and file
-Practical concerns
-Jobs
-Educational level
-Contributions
-Compared to the US leader class
-Patriotism Conv. No. 541-2 (cont.)
-H. G. Wells' view of history
-Effects of higher education
-Attitude toward issues
-Drugs, crime, national defense, US supremacy
-Compared to Britain, France, Germany
-Japan
-Comparison to the President's generation
-Attitude towards the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
initiative
-Reasons
-Labor leaders
-Meany, Frank E. Fitzsimmons, Peter J. Brennan
-Background
-Comparison with farmers
-Need for support in maintaining US supremacy
-Communist countries
-Compared to university president
-Kent State
-Compared to science advisors groups
-Compared to businessmen
-New managerial class
-Compared to religious leaders
-William F. (“Billy”) Graham
-Compared to journalists
-Rank and file attitude towards the US, the President
-Labor leaders
-Meany
-Fitzsimmons
-Brennan
-Need to fight labor perceptions on economic issues
-Union members
-US moral crisis
-The President’s view
-Sources of support for the President
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-International issues
-The Vietnam war
-Demonstrators in Washington
-Working class people
-Cambodia
-John V. Lindsay
-Hard hat demonstrations in support of the President in
New York City Conv. No. 541-2 (cont.)
-Handling of economic opposition
-Strike settlements
-The President's calls to Usery, Counts
-Counts’ meeting with longshoremen
-Usery
-Jobs conference
-Rank and file support for the administration
-Concern for jobs
-Administration’s position on unions
-International issue
-Trade
-European community
-Meany
-Protectionist rhetoric
-US jobs
-Exports
-The automobile industry
-Peterson
-Connally's speaking engagement, July 20, 1971
-Sift in job market
-Importance of private sector
-Role of unions
-Sources of capital
-Labor force
-Increased number of women
-Conflict between educated and uneducated workers
-Competition with other countries
-Japan
-Administration’s position
-James D. Hodgson
-Education
-Colt Industries
-Meany
-Possible stance
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-Muskie
-Peterson
-Appeal to the rank and file
-The President's image
-Compared to Muskie, Kennedy, Humphrey
-Comparison to Franklin D. Roosevelt's unique image
-Upper class background
-Appeal to the common man Conv. No. 541-2 (cont.)


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
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[Duration: 2m 16s ]


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-Perceptions of blue collar taxpayers
-Welfare issue
-William L. Safire, Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-The President's image
-Differences from new leader class
-Meany's comments
-Connally's press conference
-Response
-Lockheed
-Projections on 1972 labor vote


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
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[Duration: 2m 43s ]


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Special interest groups
-The administration's relations with labor
-Blacks
-Meetings with the President in the White House Conv. No. 541-2 (cont.)
-Opposition to Barry M. Goldwater
-Jews
-The President's schedule
-Labor
-Blacks, Jews
-Contrast in effectiveness of meetings
-Political action committees [PAC]
-California's 1950 senatorial election
-Taft-Hartley
-Helen Gahagan Douglas compared with Richard M. Nixon
-Effect on labor vote
-Connally’s “enemy” principle
-Labor
-Rank and file reactions compared to labor leaders
-Support for the President in foreign policy and national security issues
-The economy
-Connally’s “enemy” principle
-Comparison of Roosevelt and John L. Lewis; John F. Kennedy, Jr. and
James R. Hoffa
-Administration’s strategy
-Galbraith
-Relations with labor
-Wage and price controls
-Meany

Wage and price controls
-Administration’s strategy
-Government role
-The President’s view
-OPA
-Examples of socialized economies in other countries

Labor
-[Unintelligible name] as target
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-Labor relations in the past
-Lewis, Harry Bridges
-The President's meetings with Brennan and others
-Teamsters Union official from California
-Anecdote from the 1950's
-California
-Example of [unintelligible name]
-Undersecretary of Labor Conv. No. 541-2 (cont.)
-James P. Mitchell
-[First name not known] Peterson of construction and builders union
-Painters Union
-Longshoremen
-Electrical union
-(Albert J.)? Fitzgerald
-Internal Revenue Service investigation
-Union practices in the past
-Mineworkers
-California
-Democratic registration efforts
-Blacks, Hispanics
-Focus on minorities
-Comparison to Connally's experiences
-Possible successors to Meany
-[Joseph] Lane Kirkland, Joe Baron
-I.[lworth] W. Abel
-Settlement of labor disputes
-The President's conversation with Usery
-Effectiveness of the President's meetings
-Productivity and wage issues
-Settlement of the postal strike
-Winton M. (“Red”) Blount
-Signal to other unions

Privatization
-Manpower program
-Daycare centers
-Private industry compared to Federal government

The aged
-Concerns
-White House conference
-Social security
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-Arthur F. Burns
-Presentation

Labor
-Communication
-The President's meeting with Teamsters officials, Brennan
-Support for president’s foreign policy
-The Teamsters Conv. No. 541-2 (cont.)

The PRC initiative
-Connally's conversation with Hamilton Fish, Sr.
-Connally’s conversation with Hamilton Fish, Jr.
-Praise for the President's action
-Anecdote about Roosevelt
-Anecdote about Alexander Hamilton
-Forthcoming book
-George Washington's farewell address

Ehrlichman, Shultz, and Colson left at 4:35 pm.

Labor
-Economic issues
-Approach to handling labor leaders, rank and file
-Number of new jobs
-The President's foreign policy accomplishments
-Quotas
-Lockheed
-Tax reform
-Alleviation of burden on the working man

The President's conversation with Ehrlichman, July 20, 1971

Spiro T. Agnew
-Bryce N. Harlow's analysis
-Possibility of resignation from office
-January 1972
-Nomination of successor by the President with confirmation by the Senate

[The President talked with George H. Mahon between 4:40 pm and 4:46 pm]

[Conversation No. 541-2B]
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[See Conversation No. 6-177]

[End of telephone conversation]

[The President talked with the White House Operator at an unknown time between 4:46 pm and
5:04 pm.

[Conversation No. 541-2C] Conv. No. 541-2 (cont.)

[See Conversation No. 6-178]

[End of telephone conversation]

[The President talked with an unknown person [Ehrlichman?] at an unknown time between 4:46
pm and 5:04 pm.

[Conversation No. 541-2D]

Request for conversation with Paul Wilson
-Mahon’s staff
-Testimony of appropriations bill
-Hodgson

[End of telephone conversation]

Appropriations
-Public service funding


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
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[Duration: 4m 8s ]


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US foreign policy
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-Changes in climate
-The PRC initiative
-Support by people like Galbraith
-The Vietnam war
-Decline in prominence of issue
-Possible US-Soviet Union [USSR] summit in May 1972
-Liberal perceptions
-Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1956 heart attack Conv. No. 541-2 (cont.)
-Adlai E. Stevenson
-Nixon’s vice presidency compared to Agnew
-The PRC initiative
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Unexpected nature of July 15, 1971 announcement by the President
-Speculation as to focus prior to speech delivery

Vice Presidency
-Connally
-Goals
-Role and duties of Vice President
-Connally’s view
-The President’s view
-Unprecedented nature of the President's relations with Connally
-Comparisons with previous administrations
-Eisenhower-Nixon
-John F. Kennedy-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Johnson-Humphrey
-The Vice President as the President's alter ego
-Connally
-Election and political aspects
-Handling of duties while in office
-Comparison with Eisenhower's second term
-Agnew
-Relations with the Cabinet
-Successor
-Cabinet members
-Congress
-Gerald R. Ford
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Ronald W. Reagan
-Requirements
-Agnew
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Haldeman and Connally left at 5:04 pm.