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Conversation: 489-021

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Start Date: 26-Apr-1971 5:28 PM

End Date: 26-Apr-1971 6:36 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Long, Russell B.Bennett, Wallace F.Hodgson, James D.Richardson, Elliot L.Veneman, John G.Ehrlichman, John D.MacGregor, ClarkCowen, Eugene S.White House photographer[Unknown person(s)]

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 04:09:57

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 05:21:01

489a.mp3

489b.mp3

489c.mp3

489d.mp3

NARA Description:

On April 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Russell B. Long, Wallace F. Bennett, James D. Hodgson, Elliot L. Richardson, John G. Veneman, John D. Ehrlichman, Clark MacGregor, Eugene S. Cowen, White House photographer, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:28 pm to 6:36 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 489-021 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 489-21

Date: April 26, 1971                                                  Conv. No. 489-19 (cont.)
Time: 5:28 pm - 6:36 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Russell B. Long, Wallace F. Bennett, James D. Hodgson, Elliot L.
Richardson, John G. Veneman, John D. Ehrlichman, Clark MacGregor, and Eugene S. Cowen;
the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

     Greetings

     Schedule
          -Meetings with demonstrators

[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under court order from
December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access 8, Ronald V. Dellums, et al. v. James M.
Powell, et al., No. 71-2271. The National Archives and Records Administration produced this
transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]

[End of transcript]

     Photo session
          -Grouping

     Welfare policies
          -Richardson

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 5:28 pm.

     Refreshment

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 6:36 pm

[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under court order from
December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access 8, Ronald V. Dellums, et al. v. James M.
Powell, et al., No. 71-2271. The National Archives and Records Administration produced this
                                               55

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transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]

[End of transcript]

     Vietnam
          -Administration policies
              -Congress
                    -Support
                    -Southern Democrats
                          -Long

     Gen. Douglas MacArthur
          -Presidency
                -Dwight D. Eisenhower
                -Richard B. Russell
                -Television
                -Lyndon B. Johnson [?]
                -Robert R. Siegrist

     Vietnam
          -President’s policies
                -Long’s view
          -Popular reaction
          -Communist takeover
          -Prisoners of war [POWs]

     Legislation
          -Health bill
          -Welfare bill
          -Revenue sharing
          -President's conversation with Richardson
          -Welfare
                -Long’s committee
          -Health
                -Long
                -Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy's plan
                      -Costs

     Health bill
          -Senate Finance Committee
                 -Possible vote
                 -Kennedy bill
                                      56

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          -Catastrophic protection
          -Richardson's testimony
     -Taxes
     -Proposals
     -Kennedy bill
          -President’s view
                -Costs
                -Medical care                             Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
                -Doctors
                -Costs
          -Long’s view
                -Costs
                -Medicare
                -Costs
                -Dentist
                -1975 projections
                      -1990 projections
          -Psychiatrists
          -Contact lenses
          -Prosthetic devices
          -Plastic surgery
          -Contact lens
          -Braces
          -Stock market
                -Bausch and Lomb
                      -Contact lens
     -Medicare
          -Costs
     -Medicaid
     -Costs
          -Calculations
     -Senate Finance Committee
          -Kennedy bill
                -Herman E. Talmadge
                -Long
                -Harry F. Byrd, Jr.
                -Jack R. Miller
                      -Possible Amendment
                      -Background

George McKenna
    -Circuit Court
                                       57

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                               Tape Subject Log
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     -Services in Congress
          -Amendments
                -Senate Labor Committee

Health bill
     -Senate Finance Committee
            -Possible vote
     -House                                                   Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
            -Kennedy bill
                 -Possible vote
            -Ways and Means Committee
                 -Wilbur D. Mills
                 -Martha W. Griffiths
     -Walter Reuther’s role
            -Kennedy
            -Labor
     -Kennedy's testimony
            -Veterans
     -Catastrophic illness
     -Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's [HEW] cost projections
            -Kennedy bill
                 -Taxes
                 -Financing
     -Senate Finance Committee
            -Possible vote
                 -Long and Talmadge
                 -Byrd
                 -Miller
                        -Iowa
     -American Medical Association [AMA]
            -Medicredit bill
                 -Clifford P. Hansen
                 -B. Everett Jordan
                 -Carl T. Curtis
            -Compared with Kennedy bill
     -Administration bill
            -Bennett's conversation with Hansen
            -American Medical Association [AMA]
     -Kennedy
            -Abraham A. Ribicoff
     -President's possible conversation with Ribicoff
            -Possible compromise
                                    58

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

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-Liberal Democrats
-Ribicoff
-Insurance industry
      -Hartford
-Scope and benefits
      -Mandated coverage
            -Costs
            -Ribicoff’s possible supports            Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
-Private insurance
-Social Security program
-Reserves
-Insurance carriers
      -Consortium
-Administration of program
-Pan American
      -Louisiana
-Ribicoff
-Blue Cross, Blue Shield
      -Bennett’s comments
-Long
-Catastrophic protection
      -Hubert H. Humphrey
-Doctors
-Medical profession
-Kennedy bill
-AMA bill
      -Hansen's testimony
      -Tax credits
      -Approach
      -Cost
-Responsibility for insurance
      -Private sector
      -Government assistance to the poor
-Kennedy bill
-Private insurance sector
-Long's possible initiative
-Free medicine
-Senate committee hearing
      -Long
      -Public relations
            -Education
            -Educational process
                                   59

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                           Tape Subject Log
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-Kennedy bill
      -President’s view
      -Costs
      -Effect on private insurance sector and medical profession
      -Congressional hearings
            -Chamber of Commerce
-Welfare program
-Kennedy bill                                                Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
      -Hearings
            -Budget for health
            -Health expenditures
            -Costs
      -Compared with wage and price controls
      -Centralization
      -Costs
            -Richardson’s view
            -Federal Government
                  -Problems of centralization
      -Medicare
      -Costs
      -Pressures
      -Allocating resources
      -Penicillin
            -Costs
            -Tuberculosis
      -Cancer
            -Cure
-Medical care
      -Costs
            -X-rays
            -Treatments
-Medical science
      -Innovation
      -Ceiling
-Levels of care
-Private sector
      -Lid
      -Care
-Union insurance plans
-Unions
-Kennedy bill
      -Support
                                  60

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                           Tape Subject Log
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-Administration bill
      -Benefits
      -Catastrophic protection
      -President's schedule
            -Possible meeting with Ribicoff
      -Long’s action
-Kennedy bill
      -President’s view                                   Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
      -Political appeal
      -Unions
-Catastrophic protection
      -Ribicoff's views
      -Medical bills
            -Costs
-Senate Finance Committee
      -Possible vote
            -Ribicoff
            -Liberals
-President's possible position
-Southern Democrats
      -Support
      -John C. Stennis
      -Republicans
            -George P. Shultz
      -Stennis
-Johnson
-President's possible position
-Senate
      -Report
            -Possible vote
            -Long and Allen J. Ellender
            -John L. McClellan
            -[Unintelligible name]
            -Stennis
            -William B. Spong, Jr.
            -James B. Allen
            -Talmadge and David H. Gambrell
            -Samuel J. Ervin, Jr., and Jordan
            -Virginia
                  -Spong and Henry F. Byrd, Jr.
            -West Virginia
                  -Jennings Randolph and Robert C. Byrd
                                            61

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                   -Texas
                         -Lloyd M. Bentsen
                   -Southerners
                   -Nevada
                         -Alan Bible
                   -Republicans
                         -Defectors
                         -Paul J. Fannin                          Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
                         -Bennett’s possible conversation
                   -Sponsors
                         -Fannin
                         -Jordan, Roman L. Hruska and Clinton P. Anderson
                         -Hugh Scott and Robert P. Griffin
         -Medical profession
         -Medicare
             -1972 campaign


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 16s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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              -1964 campaign
                   -AMA
                   -Johnson and Barry Goldwater
                   -Long and Mills
                   -Anderson bill
                   -Reaction
                   -Goldwater's political prospects
                   -Johnson's program
                   -[unintelligible name]
              -Health insurance
              -AMA
                                       62

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                               Tape Subject Log
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Welfare
     -Administration's welfare program
     -Work requirement
     -John R. Williams
     -Richardson
     -Congressional hearings
     -Loopholes
     -President's previous speech at Chamber of Commerce       Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
     -Senate Finance Committee
           -Hearings
           -Housing
     -President's remarks at Republican Governors Conference, Williamsburg
           -Mrs. Long
     -Incentive to work
           -Long
           -The President
     -Menial work
     -Incentives
     -Work requirements
     -Fathers
           -Responsibility
           -Contributions to family
           -Mills
           -Aid to mothers
     -Working people
     -Long's political activities
     -American Federation of Labor [AFL] convention in Louisiana
           -Blacks
     -Administration Bill
     -President's previous remarks to Chamber of Commerce
     -Incentive to work
     -Child support
           -Taxes
           -Fairness
           -Bill
                 -Long’s view
                 -Changes
     -Family support
           -President's meeting with Curtis
     -Possible administration position
     -Child support
           -Responsibility
                                         63

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                                 Tape Subject Log
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             -Approach
             -Long's maid

Blacks
     -Civil Rights Act
           -Long
     -Concerns
     -Jobs                                                     Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
     -Schools
     -Civil Rights Act
     -Housing

Employment
    -Liberal activists
    -Blacks and whites
         -Housing

Welfare
     -Bill
             -Blacks
                   -Long's appearance before AFL
                   -Issue
                   -Leaders
                         -Equal rights
                         -Audience
                         -Work
                         -Unknown man's views
                   -Mills
             -Improvement of conditions
                   -Employment
                         -Provisions
                         -Transition
                   -Burden
             -Tax credits
                   -Environmental Proctection Agency [EPA] example
                   -Loan guarantees
             -Economic development programs
                   -Marginal jobs
                         -Civilian Conservation Corps [CCC]
                   -Work
                   -National Welfare rights
             -President's schedule
                                                 64

                              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
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                        -Meeting with Senators
                            -White House staff

      Legislation
           -Long
           -Health bill
           -Welfare bill
                                                                   Conv. No. 489-21 (cont.)
      Vietnam
           -Support from Southern Democratic Senators

      Presentation of gifts
           -Cuff links
           -Key chain
           -Long's family
           -Paperweight

      President's Vietnam policies

Long, et al., left at 6:36 pm.