Conversation: 254-004
Prev:  254-003 Next: 254-005Start Date: 28-May-1971 3:00 PM
End Date: 28-May-1971 5:01 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.; Shultz, George P.; Sanchez, Manolo; White House operator; Bull, Stephen B.; Peterson, Peter G.; White House photographer; Butterfield, Alexander P.; Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:05:17
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:22:03
NARA Description:
On May 28, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, George P. Shultz, Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, Stephen B. Bull, Peter G. Peterson, White House photographer, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:00 pm to 5:01 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 254-004 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 254-4 Date: May 28, 1971 Time: 3:00 pm - 5:01 pm Location: Executive Office Building The President met with John D. Ehrlichman and George P. Shultz Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:00 pm ****************************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5 [Personal Returnable] [Duration: 26s ] END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5 ****************************************************************************** Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:10 pm 3 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) [The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 3:00 pm and 3:10 pm] [Conversation No. 254-4A] [See Conversation No. 3-179] [End of telephone conversation] Conv. No. 254-4 (cont.) Proposed statute on executive pay [The President talked with Stephen B. Bull between 3:10 pm and 3:11 pm] [Conversation No. 254-4B] [See Conversation No. 3-180] [End of telephone conversation] Executive pay -Assistant secretaries -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman -John B. Connally -Staff needs -Department of Transportation [DOT] -Position levels -Arthur [F. Burns?] -Salaries -Connally -Pay increase for government employees -Public opinion -Level 1 -Deputies -Amount -Timing -Level 1 -DOT -Connally -Press -Number -A commission -Level 4 4 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Amount -New positions -Considerations -Department of Treasury, Department of Commerce -Office of Management and Budget [OMB] -Super grades -Connally -Level 3, level 2 Conv. No. 254-4 (cont.) Technology -Studies -National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA], saline water, breeder reactor -Peter G. Peterson -Meetings with outside groups -Technical issues -Bernard Freer [?] -Del Shriver [?], Peter M. Flanigan -Government research and development [R&D] -Gayford [?] Commission -Purpose -Recommendations -A possible new commission -Gayford [?] Commission -Report -Shriver -Saline water -William E. Kreigsman -Arthur Loeb [?] -Atomic Energy Commission [AEC], Office of Science and Technology [OST] -Admiral Lewis L. Strauss -John A. McCone -Lyndon B. Johnson -Saline water -AEC -Department of the Interior -NASA -Funding, bureaucracy -Peterson -Assessment of report -Bell and Howell experience 5 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Johnson -Olsa Island project -Baja California -Problems -Effect -NASA -Energy (breeder reactor, desalinization) -Discontinuation of moon shots Conv. No. 254-4 (cont.) -Staff -Timing -Staff -Announcement -Department of the Interior -Breeder reactor -Ehrlichman’s conversation with McCone -Shriver -Staff -McCone -Breeder reactor -Shriver -Peterson -Reaction of John O. Pastore -Antiballistic Missile [ABM] -Possible meeting with President, Peterson, Shriver, and Shultz -Time Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:11 pm ****************************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6 [Personal Returnable] [Duration: 12s ] END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6 ****************************************************************************** Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:48 pm 6 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) Technology -Breeder reactor -Shriver, Peterson, Dr. Edward E. David, Jr., Flanigan, McCone meeting -Scheduling Peterson dinner meeting, June 2, 1971 -Ben W. Heineman Conv. No. 254-4 (cont.) -Dr. Edwin H. Land -Polaroid -Patrick E. Haggerty -Unknown person Cancer program -Political considerations -Bureaucracy -James C. Fletcher -Experience in artificial heart and kidney work -Roy L. Ash -[Forename unknown] Norton -Biological and social sciences -Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan -Dr. Arnold A. Hutschnecker -Work on violence -Peterson’s approach National goals -Peterson dinner Proposed group on domestic R&D -Shriver -David -Flanigan -Purpose Cancer program -Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW] Rogers C. B. Morton Antitrust -Peterson 7 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -An option paper Bull entered at an unknown time after 3:11 pm Peterson’s schedule Bull left and Peterson and the White House photographer entered at 3:48 pm Conv. No. 254-4 (cont.) Photo arrangements -Bell and Howell camera -Japan The photographer left at an unknown time before 4:51 pm Peterson’s dinner meeting -Jack J. Dreyfus, Jr. -Land -A Polaroid official -Dreyfus Antitrust -Peterson Shriver and Flanigan -R&D for domestic programs -National Science Foundation -A list -McCone -Shriver Antitrust -Ralph McLaren -Administration policy -Peterson, Flanigan, Lee Whitten [?] meeting -Administration policy -President, Courts -Domestic -Foreign -Peterson or Flanigan -Justice Department -Martin C. (“Marty”) Anderson [?] 8 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) David R. Young, Jr. -President’s signature -Work for Henry A. Kissinger Textiles Shoes President’s schedule Conv. No. 254-4 (cont.) -Bull -A 5:30 meeting Textiles and shoes -Labor position -Quotas, investment abroad, jobs Shoes -Foreign action -Common Market -Legislation on trade -Flanigan -Europeans -Italians -Spaniards Oil -David -Taiwan Japanese -Okinawa Korea -A meeting -Exports -Industry -Roger Milliken -Department of Commerce Economy -Steel quotas -George [P. Shultz?] -Testimony 9 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Investments -Wages and prices -Labor -Protection -Japan -Peterson’s conversation with unknown man [George Meany?] -Quotas -United Auto Workers, American Federation of Labor-CongressConv. of Industrial No. 254-4 (cont.) Organizations [AFL-CIO] -Concern for jobs -Labor’s position -Trade -An unknown man -Goals after Vietnam -Jobs -Future -Republican House leaders -American position -Japan -Future -Revenue sharing -Public opinion -Ehrlichman -Compared with moon shots -Public opinion -David -Desalinization work with Peterson -Goals -Creating new and better jobs -Markets -Social aspects -Desalinization and breeder reactor -Political and social aspects -Ehrlichman -William L. Safire -John A. Scali -Richard A. Moore -New jobs -Investment capital -Japan’s percent of Gross National Product [GNP] compared to US -Industrialized countries -Labor 10 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Plant modernization -Public opinion -Congress -Entrepreneurs -Public opinion -Effect on jobs -Building trades -Tax break for businesses Conv. No. 254-4 (cont.) -Labor’s position -George Meany -Productivity study -Great Britain -R&D -Labor’s position Antitrust -Peterson’s meeting with Ehrlichman -Regulations -A study on Japan -R&D -High technology -Effect on international competition -Public opinion Goals -Need for planning -Dwight D. Eisenhower -Charles H. Percy -John F. Kennedy -Long-range plans -Business -Space program -Japanese, Soviet, and Office of Price Administration [OPA] methods -Public opinion -Economists, scientists, businessmen -US -Space, defense -Bernard Shrever [?] -Bicentennial -Technology and social plans -David, Council of Economic Advisers [CEA], Shultz -Shrever 11 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Credibility -Follow-up -1972 -Dr. Arthur A. Fletcher of Labor Department -Pollution program -Interim goals and monitoring -Interim goals -”Soft sciences” Conv. No. 254-4 (cont.) -Environment, health, social programs -Space programs -Necessity for bi-partisan group -President’s role -Outside groups -Press -Youth -1972 -Democrats -John W. Gardner -Position on Vietnam -President’s role -Need for publicity -President’s photos with Congressional leaders -Business Week -US News & World Report -Possibility of speech by President -President’s concession speech in 1960 -Kennedy -Television or radio series [Machine noise - 4 seconds] -Theme -Johnson’s “Great Society” speech in Ann Arbor -Theme -Proposed personnel -[Name unintelligible] -Haggerty -Heineman -Ash -Charles L. Shultze of Brookings Institute [Machine noise - 3 seconds] 12 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Unknown man -Heineman -Advice to President -Kissinger, Shultz Camp David -Possible meeting of Peterson’s group Conv. No. 254-4 (cont.) -Domestic Council staff Meetings -Budget -International events -Dates -Budget Safire Fiscal Year [FY] 1973 budget -Policy -Taxes -Meetings Peterson’s group -Future of US Arthur B. Laffer US future -Liberals -Possible discussion with press -Productivity, motivation Blue-collar wage bill -Public opinion research 13 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) ****************************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2 [Personal Returnable] [Duration: 3m 21s ] END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2 Conv. No. 254-4 (cont.) ****************************************************************************** [The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 3:48 pm and 4:51 pm] [Conversation No. 254-4C] [See Conversation No. 3-181] [End of telephone conversation] Union positions -Public opinion [The President talked with Alexander P. Butterfield between 4:51 pm and 4:52 pm] [Conversation No. 254-4D] [See Conversation No. 3-182] [End of telephone conversation] Unions -Public opinion -Railroads -Construction industry -A poll by Opinion Research Corporation in New York -Legislation -Situation -President’s position -Oil and steel industries -Germany and Britain [?] -Administration position 14 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Right to work, Davis-Bacon Act -Davis-Bacon Act -Construction trades’ position -Operation ****************************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4 [National Security] Conv. No. 254-4 (cont.) [Duration: 1m 6s ] BRITAIN END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4 ****************************************************************************** US position -Unions California meeting Camp David meeting -Purpose Peterson’s schedule Ehrlichman, Shultz, and Peterson left at 5:01 pm