663–5

Conversation No. 663-5

Date: February 1, 1972
Time: 4:05 pm - 5:33 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and John B. Connally.

President’s schedule

Connally schedule
-Testimony
-George P. Shultz
-Reaction
-Taxes
-Pittsburgh trip
-Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr. conference
-Timing
-Testimony

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 5:33 pm.

People’s Republic of China [PRC] and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] trips
-Possible gifts for officials
-George Washington
-Indians
-Medals
-Suggestions by Connally
-PRC and USSR
-Chou En-lai, Mao Tse-tung, Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Gold
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


Domestic programs
-Congressional relations
-Revenue sharing
-Wilbur D. Mills
-Welfare
-Abraham A. Ribicoff role
-Blind benefits
-Political impact
-Social Security
-Political benefits
-Welfare
-Unemployment
-Public opinion
-Government reorganization
-Polls
-Timing
-Re-election of the President
-Congressional leadership
-Mills
-John W. Byrnes, Keith Sebelius, Frank T. Bow
-Byrnes
-Ways and Means Committee
-Al Ullman
-James A. Burke
-Unknown person
-Dan Rostenkowski
-Charles A. Vanik


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 7m 36s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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 13

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


Connally’s conversation with Pittsburgh businessmen, January 31, 1972
-National Association of Manufacturer [NAM]
-US Chambers of Commerce
-Labor leaders
-George Meany
-Unknown person
-Unknown bankers
-John D. Harper, Bob Dorsey
-Connally’s schedule
-Reception

Conservative compared to liberal philosophies
-Connally’s opinion
-Uniformity
-Labels
-Radicals


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 5m 40s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 4:31 pm.

Press announcement
-Welfare reform
-Meeting with governors
-Ronald W. Reagan
-Daniel J. Evans
-President’s instruction to Ziegler
-Trial cases
-Common ground with Congress
-Reagan
 14

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


-California, New York
-Ribicoff proposal

Ziegler left at 4:34 pm.


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 5m 16s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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Federal funding of campaigns
-Possible legislation
-Timing
-Federal Communications Commission [FCC] compared to networks
-Congressional action
-Long term solution
-Use of network time
-Prime time schedules
-Advantages
-Nationalization
-Great Britain


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 4m 1s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

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 15

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)




Domestic politics
-Criticism of President
-Bob Eckhart
-Ways and Means Commission
-Unemployment charts
-Republican administrations compared to Democratic ones
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-John F. Kennedy
-Harry S Truman
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Comparisons
-War economy
-Barber B. Conable, Jr.
-World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War
-Care for people
-Wealthy members of President’s administration
-Red Smith article
-Aerospace industry
-Rich compared to poor
-Possible friction from the public
-Wage criticism
-John N. Mitchell
-Maurice H. Stans
-Reagan
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Possible role
-Congressional feeling
-Robert J. Dole
-Hugh Scott
-Gerald R. Ford
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Spokesmen for President’s view
-Vietnam
-Appearances
-John V. Lindsay
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Reagan
-Support for the President
-Opposition efforts
 16

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


-Welfare, People’s Republic of China [PRC], class hatred
-Connally
-Goldwater
-Television presence
-The President’s forthcoming trip to the PRC
-Class distinctions

Economy
-International monetary conditions
-Status
-Gold bill
-European Economic Community [EEC] view
-Connally’s previous conversation with unknown person
-Canada
-Canada
-Cabinet
-Forthcoming election
-US efforts
-Possible statement
-Progress
-Pierre E. Trudeau
-View of negotiations
-US public opinion
-State and Commerce Departments
-Excise taxes
-Budget deficit
-World War II
-Alternatives
-Congress
-Amount of taxes
-Stagnation
-Economic stimulus
-Jobs
-1968 economy
-Inflation
-Unemployment
-Productivity Commission
-Public relations
-Connally’s meetings in Pittsburgh
-Wage and price controls
-Alternative
 17

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


-Inflation
-US steel
-Japan, West Germany
-Productivity Commission
-Importance
-Haldeman
-Possible speech
-Possible material for speechwriters
-Connally
-Transcripts
-Class distinctions
-International monetary conditions
-Suspension of convertibility
-Complexity of issue
-Europe
-Arthur F. Burns
-Europe
-US economic growth
-Great Britain, France, Japan
-The President’s August 15, 1971 speech
-Burns
-Recommended call to James Dewey Daane
-Wage and price controls
-Trade
-Connally’s testimony
-Memorandum from Peter M. Flanigan
-Peter G. Peterson
-Confirmation as Secretary of Commerce
-Testimony
-Timing
-William D. Eberle
-Previous conversation with Connally
-Flanigan
-Gold
-Surcharge
-Connally’s previous with Eberle
-State Department
-Peterson
-Testimony
-Negotiations with Canada
-Treasury Department
 18

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


-EEC
-Commerce Department
-Concerns
-[Unintelligible]
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Eberle
-John Meyer
-Possible appointment of businessman
-Tariffs
-Concern
-Burns’s involvement
-Quadriad
-The President’s previous meeting with unknown people
-Lack of business input
-State of the economy
-Criticism
-Money supply
-Banking
-Long term rates
-Reduction
-Inflation
-Treasury bonds
-Interest
-Long-term rates
-Long term bonds
-Percentage
-Big business and bankers
-Budget
-Investment tax credit
-Wage and price controls
-1963-69 trends
-Effect
-Competition
-Intimidation by statistics
-Retail sales
-Refusal to get too high or too low
-Connally view on the economy
-Unemployment
-Campaign issue
-Percentage over the last few years
-Movement of inflation indicators
 19

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


-Effect on public
-Haves compared to have nots
-PRC, USSR
-Possible trade bloc
-Latin America
-Flanigan, Peterson
-Style
-President’s opinion

Personnel
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Understanding of people
-Personal styles
-Communication skills

Appointments
-Justice Department
-Connally’s talk with Mitchell
-Commerce Department
-Peterson
-Bureaucracy

Government reorganization
-1972 election
-November 7, 1972
-1968
-Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD]
-Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
-Treasury Department
-Justice Department
-State Department

PRC trip
-1968

USSR trip
-Timing


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 20

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 6m 2s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7

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Connally left at 5:33 pm.