Conversation: 124-006
Prev: 124-005 Next: 124-007Start Date: 7-Jun-1973 10:04 AM
End Date: 7-Jun-1973 11:19 AM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Cabinet officers; Agnew, Spiro T. (Vice President); Rogers, William P.; Shultz, George P.; Clements, William P., Jr.; Richardson, Elliot L.; Morton, Rogers C. B.; Butz, Earl L.; Dent, Frederick B.; Weinberger, Caspar W. ("Cap"); Hyde, Floyd H.; Ash, Roy L.; Armstrong, Anne L.; Scali, John A.; Laird, Melvin R.; Brennan, Peter J.; Bush, George H. W.; Connally, John B.; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Flanigan, Peter M.; Cole, Kenneth R., Jr.; Timmons, William E.; Scowcroft, Brent G. (Gen.); Price, Raymond K., Jr.; Gergen, David R.; Parker, David N.; Warren, Gerald L.; Malek, Frederic V.; Sohmer, Arthur J.; Stein, Herbert; White House photographer;Recording Device: Cabinet Room
NARA Description:
On June 7, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and Cabinet officers and staffers, including William P. Rogers, George P. Shultz, William P. Clements, Jr., Elliot L. Richardson, Rogers C. B. Morton, Earl L. Butz, Frederick B. Dent, Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, Floyd H. Hyde, John W. Barnum, Roy L. Ash, Anne L. Armstrong, John A. Scali, Melvin R. Laird, Peter J. Brennan, Hugh Scott, Gerald R. Ford, George H. W. Bush, John B. Connally, General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Peter M. Flanigan, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., William E. Timmons, General Brent G. Scowcroft, Raymond K. Price, Jr., David R. Gergen, David N. Parker, Gerald L. Warren, Frederic V. Malek, Arthur J. Sohmer, Herbert Stein, and the White House photographer, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 10:04 am to 11:19 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 124-006 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 124-6
Date: June 7, 1973
Time: 10:04 am - 11:19 am
Location: Cabinet Room
16
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
The President met with Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, William P. Rogers, George P. Shultz,
William P. Clements, Jr., Elliot L. Richardson, Rogers C. B. Morton, Earl L. Butz, Frederick B.
Dent, Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger, Floyd H. Hyde, John W. Barnum, Roy L. Ash, Anne L.
Armstrong, John A. Scali, Melvin R. Laird, Peter J. Brennan, Hugh Scott, Gerald R. Ford,
George H. W. Bush, John B. Connally, General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Peter M. Flanigan,
Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., William E. Timmons, General Brent G. Scowcroft, Raymond K. Price, Jr.,
David R. Gergen, David N. Parker, Gerald L. Warren, Frederic V. Malek, Arthur J. Sohmer, and
Herbert Stein; the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting
[General conversation/Unintelligible]
Agenda
White House staff
-Chief of Staff
-Haig
-Army career
-Compared to General Harry H. Vaughn
-Reorganization
-Laird
-Domestic Council
-Cole
-Vice President
-Laird’s role
-Domestic affairs
-National security
-Future efforts
-Domestic policy
-Compared with the President’s foreign policy
-Revenue sharing
-Partnership
-Strategy
-Agencies
-Laird’s role
17
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
Cabinet
-Laird
-The President’s conversation with Connally and Bryce N. Harlow
-Role
-Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration
-Ideas and suggestions
-Policy
-Laird
-Objectives
-Schedule
-Cabinet officers
-Congress
-Ash’s role
-Responsibility
Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] director
-Search
-Richardson
-Choice
-J. Edgar Hoover
-Clarence M. Kelley
-Age
-Background
-Relationships with Thomas F. Eagleton and W[illiam] Stuart Symington
-Law enforcement support
-Meeting with the President in 1970
-Kansas City
-Qualifications
-Conversation with the President, June 6, 1973
-Upcoming Senate confirmation hearings
-Responsibilities
-Cooperation with other federal agencies
-Hoover
-President’s policy
-Staff changes
-Personnel problems
-Discipline
-Leaks
-L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
-Efforts
-Compared with Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Dr. James R. Schlesinger and Richard M. Helms
18
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Cooperation with local law enforcement agencies
-Hoover
-Public’s concern
-Organized crime and white collar crime compared to
street crime
-Los Angeles police chief
-Crime
******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 17s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
******************************************************************************
-Richardson’s conversations
-Scott
-Impressions
-Support
-Kelley’s involvement in Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
[LEAA]
-Assistance from Cabinet
-Transition from Kansas City to Washington, DC
-Richardson’s conversation with Jim Wilden [sp?]
-Efforts in Kansas City
Domestic intelligence
-Huston Plan
-Helms, Hoover, and Admiral Noel Gayler
-Pre-1967 activities
-Hoover’s objection
-Implementation
-Need for cooperation
Kelley
-Compared with Orlando W. Wilson of Chicago
-Richard J. Daley
19
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
Appointments
-The President’s meeting with congressmen, June 5, 1973
-Cabinet cooperation with congressmen
-Bush’s view
-Importance
-Laird
-Appointments
-Procedures
-Input from congressmen
-Cabinet members’ cooperation
-Jerry H. Jones
-Congressmen
-Bush and Republican National Committee [RNC]
-Democrats
-Kelley
-Political affiliation
-Religious affiliation
House and Senate reaction
-Ford and Scott’s attendance at Cabinet meeting
-Ford’s view
-Ford’s conversations
-Carl B. Albert
-Thomas P. (“Tip”) O’Neill, Jr.
-Laird’s appointment
-Haig’s appointment
-Legislation
-Cabinet consultation with Congress
-Timing
-Congressional expertise
-Ford’s forthcoming meeting with Brennan
-Pesticides
-Minimum wage
-Congress
-Need for Cabinet cooperation
-Need for Democratic cooperation on legislation
-Republicans
-Ford’s assistance
-Leslie C. Arends’ cooperation
-Ash
-Department of Energy and Natural Resources
20
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Press
-Health insurance
-Weinberger
-Procedures
-Complexity
-Potential problems
-Wilbur D. Mills’ possible reaction
-Domestic Council
-Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
-Procedures
-Better Schools Act
-Problems
-Discussions of options
-Community Development Bill
-Cabinet members’ experience
-Laird
-Role
-Ford’s meeting with Weinberger and others
-Better Schools Act
-Sponsorship of Employment Bill
-Herman T. Schneebeli
-Mills
-Role of leaders
-Bipartisan support
-Mills
-Timmons role
-Democrats
-Scott’s meeting with Ford
-Cabinet-Congress cooperation on legislation
-Possible vetoes
-Alternative legislation
-John N. Erlenborn’s amendment
-Administration’s positions on proposed amendments
-John G. Tower
-Wallace F. Bennett
-Number of votes in Senate in 1972
-Robert C. Byrd
-Possible vetoes
-Compromise positions
-Various bills
Revenue sharing
21
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Effect on current programs
-Day care
-Libraries
-The President’s possible meeting with bipartisan congressional leaders
-Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
-Staff
-Albert and Wayne L. Hays
White House staff members’ meetings with congressmen
Agenda
Possible compromises on pending legislation
-The President’s meeting with Elford A. Cederberg on education
-White House staff role
-Laird and Cole
-Compared with labor-management bargaining
Foreign policy
-Vietnam peace negotiations
******************************************************************************
France
[To listen to the segment (18s) declassified on 02/28/2002, please refer to RC# E-626.]
******************************************************************************
Domestic policy
-Connally’s role
-Energy
-Forthcoming announcement
-National economy
-Wage-price controls
-Shultz’s role
-Meetings with Stein, Cole, Connally, Arthur F. Burns, and John T.
Dunlop
-Consideration of options
-Ash’s role
22
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-President’s decision
-Input from others
-Possible effect of public knowledge of discussions
-Wholesale Price Index rise
-Food
Vietnam veterans program
-Job placement
National mood
-Administration’s activities
-Brennan’s efforts
-Labor rank and file
-Compared to press accounts
-Administration’s policies
-Foreign policy
-Domestic policy
-Watergate
-Cabinet members’ schedules
-Statements
-Future schedule
The President’s schedule
-Leonid I. Brezhnev’s visit
The President’s policies
-Popular opinion
-Vietnam war
-Draft
-Riots
-People’s Republic of China [PRC] relations
-Soviet Union relationship
-Middle East problems
-Popular opinion
National concerns
-Inflation
-Watergate
-Inflation
-Connally’s conversation with Louis Harris
-Watergate
-Compared with other crises
23
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-December bombing
-Cambodia incursion
-May 8 bombing
-Opponents
-Future
-President’s policies
-Foreign policy
-Domestic policy
-Economy
-Inflation
-Transportation
-Agriculture
-Inflation
-Adminstration’s activities
[General conversation/Unintelligible]
The President, et al. left at 11:19 am