Conversation: 260-021
Prev: 260-020 Next: 260-022Start Date: 2-Jul-1971 5:39 PM
End Date: 2-Jul-1971 6:29 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan); Ehrlichman, John D.; Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); White House operator; Woods, Rose Mary;Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 02:11:23
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 03:03:02
NARA Description:
On July 2, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:39 pm to 6:29 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 260-021 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 260-21 Date: July 2, 1971 Time: 5:39 pm - 6:29 pm Location: Old Executive Office Building The President talked with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon. [Conversation No. 260-21A] [See Conversation No. 6-103; one item has been withdrawn from the conversation] John D. Ehrlichman entered at 5:40 pm. Pentagon Papers case -Security -Department of Defense -Rand Corporation -Brookings Institute -Security clearances -Rescission -Declassification H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 5:43 pm. -July 2, 1971 article by the Wall Street Journal -Court decision -Washington Post and the New York Times -The First Amendment 9 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/08) -Criminal liability -Justice Byron R. White -Justice Hugo L. Black -Opinion -First Amendment -US prisoners of war [POWs] -Daniel L. Schorr report -Washington Post -Transcript -Potter Stewart -[Unintelligible name] -Request of documents -Implications of documents’ release -Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] agents -Possible action -Declassification and document protection -Ehrlichman’s role -Conspiracy investigation -Daniel Ellsberg's press conference [The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 5:40 pm and 5:49 pm] [Conversation No. 260-21B] [See Conversation No. 6-104] [End of telephone conversation] -Investigation by the House of Representatives -Congressman Richard S. Ichord -Possible political plans -Witnesses -Morton H. Halperin, Leslie H. Gelb -Clark M. Clifford -Background preparation -Hiss investigation -Executive branch investigation -J. Edgar Hoover -Call from Melvin R. Laird The White House operator talked with the President at 5:49 pm. 10 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/08) [Conversation No. 260-21C] [See Conversation No. 6-105] [End of telephone conversation] -House investigation -Call to Congressman Gerald R. Ford Conv. No. 260-21 (cont.) -Possibility of Ichord investigation -Senate investigation -Senator John L. McClellan -Possible objection by John N. Mitchell White House staff assignments -Lawyers -Edward L. Morgan -Types of cases handled -Assignment Funding and appropriations -Congress -Leonard Garment, Elliot L. Richardson -Congressman Roman C. Pucinski -Support for the President's programs -$l.5 billion funding -Busing -Education of inner city children -Ehrlichman’s upcoming lunch with Pucinski -George P. Shultz, Garment -Use of funds -Busing -Teacher salaries, school buildings ********************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2 [Personal Returnable] [Duration: 22s ] END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2 11 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/08) ********************************************************************** Department of Labor -Philadelphia jobs plan -Hardhats -Peter J. Brennan's 1970 meeting -Arthur A. Fletcher's comments Conv. No. 260-21 (cont.) -Union members -Blacks, whites -New York membership in construction trades Fletcher -Domestic Council -Assignment to special project on economic discrimination -James D. Hodgson ********************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3 [Personal Returnable] [Duration: 13s ] END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3 ********************************************************************** Fletcher -Assignments for the Administration -Appearances before Black groups -Speech topics -Building trades -Minority business goals -Welfare reform -Revenue sharing -School integration -Number of speaking engagements -Hodgson, Brennan 12 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/08) Pentagon Papers -Participants -Vietnam negotiations -Conduct of the war -Protection of lives -Conspiracy investigation -Proper handling -Possible White House operation contrasted with outside Conv. No. operation 260-21 (cont.) -Charles W. Colson -Other operations -Colson-Ehrlichman cooperation -Congress -The press -Programming of columnists -[Unintelligible name] -Denver congressman -Congress -The Hiss case -Ichord -Ehrlichman's forthcoming conversation with Ford -Laird -Warren E. Hearnes -Unnamed Admiral, unnamed General -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] -Military investigative unit -Staffing -Ehrlichman -Morgan -John F. Evans, Jr. -Former Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] employee described by Colson [E. Howard Hunt, Jr.?] -Richard V. Allen -Possible role -Colson ****************************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4 [Privacy] [Duration: 1m 16s ] 13 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/08) END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4 ****************************************************************************** -First Amendment protection Conv. No. 260-21 (cont.) -Call to Ehrlichman from Allen -Recommendation -Television -Dr. Jerome H. Jaffe [The President talked with Rose Mary Woods at an unknown time between 5:49 pm and 6:10 pm] [Conversation No. 260-21D] Speech draft -John K. Andrews, Jr. -Copy distribution -Time [End of telephone conversation] Pentagon Papers -Conspiracy investigation -Unknown man -John G. Tower, Strom Thurmond -Lyndon B. Johnson -Morgan -Congressman -Need for committee backing -Ichord [The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 5:49 pm and 6:10 pm] [Conversation No. 260-21E] [See Conversation No. 6-106] 14 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/08) [End of telephone conversation] Unemployment figures -Statistical aberration, Bureau of Labor Statistics The President talked with William E. Timmons between 6:10 pm and 6:16 pm. [Conversation No. 260-21F] Conv. No. 260-21 (cont.) [See Conversation No. 6-107] [End of telephone conversation] Pentagon Papers -Conspiracy investigation -House Internal Security Committee -Members -John Birch Society -John N. Ashbrook, Fletcher S. Thompson, John G. Schmitz, Roger Zion -White House action -Committee counsel Donald G. Sanders -Timmons -Special Counsel -Chance for statements about national security by Internal Security committee members -Investigation into duplication of the Pentagon Papers -Call from Defense Department staff member to Ehrlichman -Approach by Congressional committee -Coordination -Colson -FBI -Mitchell -Morgan -Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr. -Declassification of documents -William H. Rehnquist -Allen -Need for understanding of subjects -Cuban Missile Crisis -The Bay of Pigs invasion -Lebanon crisis -The U-2 incident 15 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/08) -Bi-partisan aspect of topics -Mechanics of declassification The President's and First Family's schedule -Mrs. Nixon, Tricia Nixon Cox -The President's July 3, 1971 speech at the National Archives -John Brown anecdote -William L. Safire, Raymond K. Price, Jr. drafts Conv. No. 260-21 (cont.) -Pace of reading speech Cyclamates -Indemnification issue -Mitchell's recommendation -Administration position against pesticides indemnifications -Non-precedential nature of decision Construction project -Nathaniel A. Owings -Department of Interior -Skidmore, Owings and Merrill's proposed contract Rose Mary Woods entered at 6:20 pm. The President's July 3, 1971 speech draft -Length -Inclusion of anecdote at end of speech Woods left at 6:24 pm. The President's July 3, 1971 speech -Andrews’ draft -Wording -Anecdote -Pace of reading speech -Chief Justice Warren E. Burger's speech on the Bill of Rights -Length -Speaker of the House -Speech on the Constitution Conspiracy investigation Ehrlichman and Haldeman left at 6:29 pm. 16 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/08)