749–5

Conversation No. 749-5

Date: July 21, 1972
Time: 11:43 am - 1:02 pm
Location: Oval Office


The President met with George P. Shultz and H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 6m ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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Economy
-Consumer Price Index [CPI]
-Release
-Timing
-Recent economic news
-Value to administration
-Problem for critics
-Article in Business Week
-Commentary on employment
-Attitude toward the President's administration
-Readership
-Economy
-Foreign affairs
-Strength of economic issues for the President
-Real rate of growth of Gross National Product [GNP]
-2nd quarter figures
-Brazil
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar-02)


-Herbert Stein memorandum
-Humor
-CPI
-Treatment by Washington Post and networks

1972 election
-International Brotherhood of Teamsters' endorsement of the President
-Headlines in Washington Post
-Endorsements of the President and George S. McGovern by American Federation of
Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations [AFL-CIO] unions
-Headline and story in Los Angeles Times
-Executive Council


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 36s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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Economic conditions
-Shultz
-Briefing
-Press conference
-Stein's briefing
-Value to Administration
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar-02)


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 45s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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Bohemian Grove
-Timing
-Melvin R. Laird
-Manadalay camp
-Tradition
-Activities
-Financial aspects
-Caveman camp
-Herbert C. Hoover and the President
-Lowell Thomas
-Allan Hoover
-Jack Howard

Economic statistics
-Latest statistics
-Significance
-Wholesale and retail sales
-Housing
-Industrial production
-Formulation
-Shultz's talk to National Alliance of Business [NAB] jobs program lunch
-Headed by Gordon M. Metcalf of Sears
-Metcalf's assessment of retail sales
-June 1972
-Weather
-July 1972
-Air conditioning units
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar-02)


The President's schedule
-Golf game
-[Meany]

Shultz left at 12:07 pm.

John N. Mitchell
-The President’s sympathy

The President left at an unknown time between 12:07 pm and 1:02 pm.

Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 12:07 pm and 1:02 pm.

[Conversation No. 749-E]

Instruction

[End of telephone conversation]

Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 12:07 pm and 1:02 pm.

[Conversation No. 749-5A]

Mitchell's schedule
-Event in morning of July 21, 1972
-Event in afternoon of July 21, 1972

The President entered at an unknown time between 12:07 pm and 1:02 pm.

[End of telephone conversation]

The President's schedule
-Future presentations of diplomatic credentials
-Timing

Crippling strikes legislation
-Congressional defeat of transportation strikes bill supported by White House
-Results of administration's decision not to press legislation
-Robert W. Packwood
-Effects upon Congressional opponents
-Effects upon Congressional supporters
-Misleading by administration
-Packwood
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar-02)


-Reason given by administration for decision
-Difficulty of passage
-Packwood's opinion
-Others' opinions
-Congressional leaders
-Shultz
-Decision not to press legislation concerning strikes
-Meany's opposition
-Effects of decision and announcement
-Packwood
-Manner of announcement of decision
-White House reaction
-Announcement by Packwood
-Packwood's attitude
-Details in report given to the President
-Result of Packwood's announcement
-Assignment of blame for defeat
-Democrats
-Packwood's announcement
-Media
-Laurence H. Silberman
-Chance of labor bill's passage
-Election year
-House of Representatives
-Senate

Los Angeles Times
-Treatment of news compared with Washington Post
-Story and headline
-Hostility toward the President
-Compared to New York Times and Washington Post
-Editorial policy
-Treatment of news
-Compared to New York Times
-Quality of management

Marvin L. Kalb
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Unknown person
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar-02)


Television networks
-Reports of U.S. soldiers killed in action
-National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
-American Broadcasting Company [ABC]


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 55s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

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Mitchell's schedule

Haldeman's forthcoming call to Mitchell

Stories for release
-Economy
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Schedule
-The President’s schedule
-Possible meeting
-Camp David
-Possible cancellation
-Trip
-Oregon, Alaska
-[Recommendation of nomination for second term]
-The President’s view of story
-Agnew's meeting with press
-Announcement
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Agnew’s meeting with the President
-Agnew’s meeting with press
-Timing
-The President’s meeting with John B. Connally
-Agnew’s meeting with press
-Place
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar-02)


-Ziegler’s briefings
-Timing

Haldeman talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 12:07 pm and 1:02
pm.

[Conversation No. 749-5B]

[See Conversation No. 27-31]

Haldeman talked with Ziegler at an unknown time between 12:07 pm and 1:02 pm.

[Conversation No. 749-5C]

[See Conversation No. 27-31]

[End of telephone conversation]

Ziegler's schedule
-Possible briefing

Wire stories
-Announcement by the President
-[Ziegler]
-Timing
-Agnew’s forthcoming comments
-Notification

Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 12:07 pm and 1:02 pm.

[Conversation No. 749-5D]

Mitchell's schedule

[End of telephone conversation]

Mitchell's schedule

Unknown person's interest in history
-Historical association


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 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar-02)



BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 6m 4s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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Transportation strikes bill
-Packwood's announcement
-John D. Ehrlichman's responsibility
-Timing of the Administration’s decision
-Shultz's opinion of the President's decision
-Public perception of the President's decision
-Labor

1972 elections
-Agnew's impending announcement
-Timing
-Meeting with the President
-Cabinet meeting
-Competition with economic news
-Agnew's forthcoming trip
-Questioning by press
-Ziegler
-Place
-Airport
-Coverage in newspapers
-Agnew’s knowledge
-Ziegler
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar-02)


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 40s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6

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Charles W. Colson's schedule

Instruction to Haldeman
-Note

The President left at an unknown time after 12:07 pm.

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 12:07 pm.

Colson's schedule

Bull left at an unknown time before 1:02 pm.

The President entered at an unknown time after 12:07 pm.

Note

Agnew
-Contacts
-Congressmen and Senators
-The public
-Secret Service constraints
-Airports

Bull entered at an unknown time after 12:07 pm.

Colson's schedule
-Connally

Bull left at an unknown time before 1:02 pm.
 13

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar-02)



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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 58s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7

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Poll of journalists in Washington
-Perceived reliability of newspapers
-New York Times
-Baltimore Sun and Washington Star
-Christian Science Monitor and Wall Street Journal
-Washington Post and Chicago Tribune
-New York Times compared with Washington Post
-Washington Post compared with Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune
-Changes in quality

Los Angeles Times
-Change in attitude, 1960, 1962
-Kyle Palmer's departure
-Take-over by Buck and Otis Chandler from Norman
Chandler


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 32s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
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An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 12:07 pm.
 14

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar-02)



The President's attempt to telephone Colson

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 1:02 pm.


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m 37s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9

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Congressional relations
-Public relations
-Public impressions of the President in his disputes with Democratic Congress
-Media
-White House strategy
-Votes
-The President on social legislation
-Water bill
-The President and big corporations
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-Possible strategies for the President
-Delay
-Ehrlichman
-Politics
-Public impressions
-Pennsylvania flood disaster
-Compared with revenue sharing
-Political counter efforts
-Reduction of legislative issues

Press relations
-Democrats
-Campaigns
-Democratic National Convention
-John Chancellor
 15

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar-02)


-Walter L. Cronkite, Jr.
-[Arnold] Eric Sevareid
-David Brinkley
-Newsmen from two major networks
-Howard K. Smith
-Roger H. Mudd
-McGovern
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Daniel L .Schorr
-Dan Rather
-McGovern
-Robert Pierpoint
-NBC
-Richard Valeriani
-Administration
-Chancellor
-New York Times headlines
-Favorable headlines on AFL-CIO [position on presidential endorsements]
-Compared to New York Times and Washington Post

The President’s schedule
-Alexander P. Butterfield

The President and Haldeman left at 1:02 pm.