577–17

Conversation No. 577-17
 38

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



Date: September 20, 1971
Time: 5:34 pm - 6:19 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

The President's schedule
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Trip to Detroit
-Types of press coverage
-Electronic pool camera
-Tape
-Time of day
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Delay
-Radio
-Live
-National news
-Possible problems in Detroit
-Oval Office press conference
-Preparation
-John B. Connally
-Press coverage problems
-Media
-Newspaper editors
-Questions
-Radio
-Film
-Amount of work
-Question of impact
-Speaking schedule
-Dates
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Banquet
-Dates
-Disney World opening
-Eisenhower Theater appearance
-Date
-Changes
-Mamie D. Eisenhower's appearance
-Florida
 39

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 577-17 (cont.)


-Eisenhower Theater
-[Dwight] David Eisenhower, II

Polls
-George H. Gallup poll
-Weekend results
-Edward M. Kennedy
-Timing
-August 15, 1971 speech
-Approval vs. disapproval of the President's performance
-Points
-Weekend
-Date
-Point fluctuations

Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 5:34 pm and 5:48 pm.

[Conversation No. 577-17A]

Gallup poll results
-Request

[End of telephone conversation]

Polls
-Gallup poll
-Figures
-Timing
-Date
-Louis P. Harris poll
-Date
-Gallup poll and Harris poll dates
-Kennedy poll
-Date

Press coverage of the President
-Detroit Economic Club trip
-National television
-Types of questions
-Impact in polls
-National television
 40

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 577-17 (cont.)


-Impact
-Oval Office press conference coverage
-Question and answer [Q&A] type sessions
-Detroit trip
-Impact
-Radio
-Live television
-Q&A format
-Exposure
-Amount of work
-Commentaries
-Press planning
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Handling of press poll

Miss America pageant winners
-The President's meeting with Miss America 1971, 1972

The President talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 5:34 pm and 6:19
pm.

[Conversation No. 577-17B]

Request for Ziegler to join meeting

[End of telephone conversation]

Miss America pageant winners
-Miss America 1971
-Miss America 1972
-Miss America 1971
-Phyllis George
-Vietnam War issue
-Domestic issues
-Support for programs
-Reaction to the press
-Travel

The President's conversation with J. Edgar Hoover
-Status of job
-Conversation
 41

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 577-17 (cont.)


-Confidentiality
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Mitchell
-Perceptions

Ziegler entered at 5:48 pm.

Detroit trip
-Film coverage
-Live coverage
-Timing
-Recent trend
-Coverage
-Ziegler's conversation with television executives
-Neil Sheehan
-Possible economic statement
-News value
-New Fall television programming season
-Month
-Coverage
-Television coverage
-Exposure
-Radio coverage
-Detroit Economic Club
-Radio
-Live coverage
-Q&A
-Number of cameras
-Speech
-Format
-Panel
-Comparison with American Society of Newspaper Editors [ASNE] event
format
-Businessmen and labor leaders
-Questioning
-Film coverage of press conference
-Impact
-Film coverage compared to electronic coverage of press conference
-Types of preparation
-Q&A press conference
-Office press conference
 42

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 577-17 (cont.)


-Q&A session in Detroit
-Radio coverage
-Television coverage
-Q&A
-Radio coverage
-Press coverage
-Types of preparation by the administration
-Film coverage
-Impact
-Advantages for the administration
-Radio coverage
-Electronic camera coverage
-News story
-News programs
-Time
-Media
-Q&A
-Portland, Oregon
-Presence of cameras
-Q&A
-Preparation
-Press conference
-Time differences between Washington, DC and Detroit
-Q&A
-Impact
-Preparation
-News stories
-Connally's absence
-The President's role
-Live coverage
-Press conference
-Radio coverage
-Ziegler's conversation with television executives
-Camera coverage
-Radio
-National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
-CBS
-Attendance

Ziegler left at 5:57 pm.
 43

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 577-17 (cont.)


Polls
-Gallup poll from August 27-30, 1971
-Recent percentage points
-Date span
-Trend
-Percentage points
-President's popularity rating
-Intensity of ratings
-Percentage points
-Previous poll percentage points
-Changes
-Date
-Percentage points
-Changes
-Previous poll figures
-Date
-Impact of People’s Republic of China [PRC] summit announcement
-Percentage points
-Month
-Percentage points
-Date
-Disapproval
-Current points
-Date
-Publication of polls
-Gallup
-Harris
-White House poll
-Dwight L. Chapin
-Lawrence M. Higby
-Kissinger's figures
-Poll results
-Current trend
-PRC trip
-The administration's poll
-Percentage points
-Increase
-Comparison to Gallup
-Differences in Gallup poll and White House poll
-Percentage points
-White House poll
 44

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 577-17 (cont.)


-Discrepancy in comparison to Gallup
-Telephone poll compared to field poll format
-Factors
-Lt. William L. Calley, Jr. case
-April-September time span
-Type of sample
-Harris
-Youth
-Blacks
-Doctors
-Type of poll
-Quality of polls
-Types of issues
-Possible bias
-Gallup
-Comparison of figures with White House poll
-Dates
-Question of issues
-The President's speech before Congress

US economic policy
-Public perception
-Wage and price controls
-Continuation of process
-Phase II
-Wording of the President's speech
-End of freeze
-November 13, 1971 date
-William L. Safire
-Follow-up program
-Announcement
-Impact
-Analogy to PRC initiative
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Glassboro Summit
-Announcement
-Alexei N. Kosygin

Forthcoming US-Soviet Union summit
-Impact on polls
 45

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 577-17 (cont.)


Polls
-Impact of issues
-PRC trip
-Intentions
-Leadership perception
-Public reaction

Campaigning

Detroit trip
-National television
-Effect
-Demonstrations
-Public awareness of issue
-National Security Council [NSC] meeting
-Effect
-West Coast
-Portland, Oregon
-Q&A format
-White House press
-Types of questions
-Electronic coverage
-Microphones

Supreme Court
-The President's appointment of judges
-Ideology
-Liberals
-The President's choice
-Reactions to choices
-Patrick J. Buchanan's recommendations
-Richard H. Poff
-Conservatism of nominee
-The South
-Full court
-Number
-Democrats
-Timing
-Robert P. Griffin
-Election year
-Democrat senators
 46

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 577-17 (cont.)


-Reaction
-Election year
-Mitchell
-Warren E. Burger, Harry M. Blackmun
-Strict constructionism
-Burger’s speech at Georgetown Center
-Senate
-Further appointment
-Ethnic Catholic
-Italians
-Irish
-Polish
-Routing to Mitchell
-Italian judge
-Unknown person
-Polish judge
-Protestant
-Catholic
-William French Smith
-Conservatism
-Catholic
-Conservatism

Romana Acosta Banuelos
-Swearing-in ceremony
-Effect of naming Hispanic to post of Treasurer of the US

Buchanan's memorandum
-Mitchell

The President and Haldeman left at 6:19 pm.