The recording begins with the conversation already in progress. Eisenhower and his
guest are talking about investments to increase individual income. Eisenhower tells his
guest that he has the "meager savings of a public employee" and his is not very
knowledgeable about buying stocks . Eisenhower says he would like to see the price of
land go down so that a tenant farmer could earn a good living from it . They then begin
discussing possible places where Eisenhower could buy a farm. Eisenhower remarks that
he does not want land in an area where the soil is "worn out." They discuss Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania, whereupon the guest states that his family came from Sperryville,
in northern Virginia . They discuss government subsidies and price supports . Eisenhower
questions Congress's motives in such support. He asks, "Are they doing it to hold up the
economy or to buy the votes ofthese men? I think there's a difference."
Eisenhower's guest speaks very softly and is apparently going over some charts of
economic and business trends with him. They discuss the gross national product for
1949, the money supply and the effect of "cycles of emotional reactions" on the
economy.