Conversation No. 492-3

Date: May 5, 1971
Time: 3:01 pm - 4:41 pm
Location: Oval Office

President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, Peter M. Flanigan, and Caspar W. (“Cap”)
Weinberger

     Unemployment
         -Key states
                                  2

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-Department of Defense [DOD] budget review
-Pennsylvania
      -National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA]
-Public works program
-Unidentified men at DOD
-California
      -Importance
      -Los Angeles
-Washington state
      -Portland to Seattle
      -Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
      -Daniel J. Evans
      -San Francisco
-California
      -Importance
      -Other states
-Senators and Congressmen
      -John G. Tower
-Texas
      -Importance
      -Economy
      -Weather
      -Clifford M. Hardin, General George A. Lincoln
      -Tower
-Los Angeles earthquake relief
-Hardin and Lincoln
-Follow-up
      -Tower
-Texas
-Administration actions
-Hardin’s actions
      -Grain
-Texas [?]
      -Aid requested
      -Publicity
            -Importance
      -Administration actions
            -Importance
-Publicity
      -Texas drought [?]
      -Los Angeles earthquake
      -John B. Connally
                                            3

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******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Privacy]
[Duration: 11s ]
                                                             Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7

******************************************************************************


               -Texas drought
         -California
               -Timetable
         -Announcements of funds
         -California
               -Aerospace industry
                     -Space shuttle
               -Stockpile
                     -Merchant Marine contract
                           -Status
                           -[James T.?] Lynn
         -Aid
               -Factors to consider
               -Seattle
                     -Population problems
               -California
                     -Population problems
                     -Importance
         -Ohio
               -Compared with California
               -Economy
               -Importance
                     -Compared with California
         -Illinois
         -Florida
               -Compared with Texas
         -Aid
               -Distribution
                                             4

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                -California
                -Publicity
                -Congressmen and Senators
                -Office of Management and Budget [OMB] staff
                -Administration distribution
          -Pennsylvania, New York, East
          -Massachusetts
                -Future aid                                          Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
                -A space facility
                      -John A. Volpe
                      -Florida
                      -Effect
          -Michigan
          -Illinois, Ohio
          -Michigan
                -Auto industry
                -Economy
          -Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York
          -Missouri
                -Economy
                -McDonnell-Douglas
          -Texas, Florida, California
          -California
                -Housing industry
                -Breeder reactor
                -Desalinization

[The White House operator talked with the President at an unknown time between 3:01 pm and
3:31 pm]

[Conversation No. 492-3A]

[See Conversation No. 2-89]

[End of telephone conversation]

     Unemployment
         -California
               -Announcements
                     -White House
                     -Alan Cranston
                     -John V. Tunney
                                         5

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                -Robert H. Finch
                -Ronald W. Reagan
                -Cranston, Tunney
                -White House
          -Breeder reactor
                -Chet Holifield
                -Votes in Congress
                -Holifield, senators                      Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
     -DOD
          -David Packard and staff
          -Base closings
                -Massachusetts, California [?]
                -Weinberger’s work
     -Ship industry
          -Liquefied natural gas tankers
                -General Dynamics contract
          -Containerized ships
                -Oversupply
          -Texas or Louisiana
                -An owner
          -Louisiana
                -Importance
          -Potential contracts
                -Packard
                -Competitive bidding

Highway funds
    -Laws

California
     -General Services Administration [GSA]
           -A new federal building in San Diego
           -Other buildings in California
           -Desalinization
           -George P. Shultz
     -Mass transit funds
     -Rental housing
     -Mass transit program
           -Massachusetts
                -Volpe
           -Needs
           -Technology funds
                                         6

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     -Rental housing
          -George Romney
                -Los Angeles
     -Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] funds
          -William D. Ruckelshaus
                -Forthcoming meeting with Flanigan and Weinberger

President’s appointees                                             Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
     -Function

Disasters
     -Handling
     -Earthquake in California
          -Publicity
          -President’s actions
     -Drought in Texas
     -Earthquake relief
          -Early handling
          -Current situation
          -Publicity
                -Warren Daugherty
          -Processing methods

Budget review
    -Factors to consider
          -Weinberger, Flanigan
    -California, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana
    -Possible effect on Indiana Senate race of 1970
          -Indiana steel strike
    -Factors
          -Congressmen and senators
                -Housing money
                      -Democratic districts
    -Water projects
          -Hardin
          -White House action
                -Factors

Cabinet members
     -Volpe
          -Interests
                -Italian voters
                                               7

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                      -Transportation issues
                           -National Railroad Passenger Corporation/American Track
                                 [AMTRAK] in Montana
                           -Value
     AMTRAK
        -Volpe’s actions before Congress
        -Passenger service future
             -Costs                                                     Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
                   -Metroliner to Boston compared to airplane
             -European trains
             -Road beds

     Budget review
         -Shultz
         -Weinberger, Flanigan
               -Factors to consider
               -Money for campaign
         -New fiscal year

     [General conversation/Unintelligible]

John N. Mitchell, Leslie C. Arends, and Gerald R. Ford entered at 3:31 pm

     Greetings

Flanigan and Weinberger left at 3:31 pm

     A picture of Mitchell
          -Mitchell
          -Robert C. Mardian’s secretary

[Transcript #1: A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under
court order from December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access [SA] 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 guaratnee its accuracy.]

[End of transcript]

     Congressional leaders
         -A statement by President at meeting
               -Democrats, Republicans and Southerners
                     -81st and 82nd Congresses
                                             8

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                          -Samuel Rayburn
                     -Connally
                          -Talks with President and Mitchell
          -Republican Senate leadership
               -Hugh Scott
          -Senators
               -Robert A. Taft, Jr.
          -House leadership                                          Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
               -[Thomas] Hale Boggs
               -Carl B. Albert
               -George H. Mahon
                     -Democrats’ support
               -Democratic “Establishment”
                     -Connally
                     -Republicans
                          -Ford, Arends
                     -Southern Democrats
                     -Connally’s conversations with Mitchell and Mahon
                     -Administration action
               -Joe D. Waggonner, Jr.
               -Mahon
          -Waggonner
                     -A newsletter
          -Albert
               -Health
               -Schedule
                     -A dinner in Sioux City, Iowa
                          -Charlie Hooton [?]
                          -Wiley Mayne
               -Health
          -Waggonner
               -A newsletter statement

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:31 pm

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 4:25 pm

     Congressional leadership
         -House
               -Democrats
                     -Albert
                          -Health
                                               9

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                      -Wilbur D. Mills, Boggs, Morris K. Udall
                      -Possible coalition with Republicans
                           -William M. Colmer
                           -Forthcoming lunch with President
                           -Waggonner
                           -Mahon
                           -Work
                      -Mills                                             Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
                      -Albert
                           -Health
                           -Conversation with Colmer
                      -Forthcoming Ford/Arends meetings
                           -Omar Burleson
                           -Considerations

     Republican Party
         -Vietnam War

[Transcript #2: A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under
court order from December 1978 through March 1979 for SA 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]

           -Congress
               -Possible coalition with Democrats
                     -Forthcoming Ford/Arends meetings
                     -President’s possible statements
                     -Clark MacGregor and William E. Timmons
                     -Mitchell
                           -Relations with Congressional Democrats
                     -James O. Eastland
                           -Support for Administration policies
                     -John C. Stennis
                     -House
                     -Mitchell
                     -Congressional liaison office
                     -President’s role
                     -Ford’s role
                     -National security issues
                     -Revenue sharing
                                         10

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                -Civil rights issue
                -F. Edward Hébert
                -Mahon
                -Colmer
                -Wayne N. Aspinall
                -Albert
                -Colmer, Hébert
                      -Arends’s conversations                Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
                -Bella S. Abzug
                -Richard J. Daley

Daley
     -Forthcoming meeting with President
          -Revenue sharing
          -Washington, DC demonstrations
                -Handling
                -Compared with 1968 Chicago demonstrations
     -Frank J. Brasco of New York, New York
     -Revenue sharing
          -Nelson A. Rockefeller
          -John V. Lindsay
                -Layoffs in New York, New York
          -Frank Annunzio of Chicago
                -Possible meeting with Daley
     -Forthcoming meeting with President
          -Timing

Supersonic Transport [SST] vote
     -Effect of Vietnam War
     -President’s opponents
     -Effect
     -Ford’s statement
     -Ford’s work
     -Appropriations bill
           -Boeing and General Electric
           -Possible amendment
     -Chicago delegation
           -Dan Rostenkowski
           -Daley’s role
                 -Effect of mayoral election
                 -Possible call from Mitchell
                                         11

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                                    (rev. 9/08)



Daley
     -Revenue sharing

SST
      -Forthcoming appropriations bill
            -Daley
            -Lockheed
                  -Albert H. Smith, Jr. [?]                        Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
            -White House role
            -Edward P. Boland
                  -Possible conversation with Volpe
            -President’s position
            -Lockheed
                  -Connally [?]
      -Jackson
            -Organization’s role
                  -Political role
      -California senators
            -Tunney
                  -Possible vote change
                  -Jewish support
                        -Taft Schreiber
      -Forthcoming appropriations bill
            -Date of vote
            -Daley’s role
                  -Forthcoming meeting with President or call from Mitchell
            -Philadelphia delegation
            -Possible vote changes
                  -William C. Wampler, William E. Minshall, and John Duncan
      -Senate
            -Tunney’s, Cranston’s, and David H. Gambrell’s position
                  -Lockheed
      -Forthcoming appropriations bill
            -Possible arguments
      -Subcontracts
            -Southern California, Washington state
            -William M. Magruder
            -Washington
                  -Boeing
                  -Number of jobs affected compared with Southern California
            -Los Angeles Times
                  -Position on administration, environment, SST
                                   12

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                           Tape Subject Log
                              (rev. 9/08)



-Environmental issue
     -Support
     -Importance versus jobs
-Forthcoming appropriations bill
     -Job prospects for completed contract
     -Tax write-offs for Boeing and subcontractors for canceled contract
     -Magruder
     -President’s statement                                  Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
           -Figures on cancellation costs
     -Possible vote in House
     -Senate
           -Tunney, Gambrell, Hubert H. Humphrey
     -George Meany
           -Humphrey
           -Forthcoming meeting with President, call from President
           -American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organization
                 [AFL-CIO] meeting
     -Significance
-Public opinion
     -Polls
     -Jobs
-Forthcoming appropriations bill
     -President’s role
           -Magruder
     -Boland
           -Conversation with Frank T. Bow
           -Previous speech and vote
           -President’s forthcoming action
     -Chicago delegation
           -Tom Bradshear [?]
           -Daley’s role
           -An unknown man
     -Possible amendment
           -Committee and floor fights
           -Richard K. Cook, MacGregor
           -Voting date
           -Cook and MacGregor
           -Department of State [DOS] and DOD
           -Charles A. Mosher of Ohio
           -Voting date
           -Howard W. Robison, Mosher
                                               13

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
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[Transcript #3: A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under
court order from December 1978 through March 1979 for SA 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]

     Republican Party                                                    Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
         -Congress
               -Possible coalition with Democrats
                     -Colmer, Waggonner and others
                     -Troop withdrawal vote
                     -Thomas G. Abernethy
                     -Mahon
                          -Possible conversation with Connally
                     -Troop withdrawal vote
                          -Republicans, Democrats
                          -Importance
                          -Compared with SST vote

[Transcript #4: A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under
court order from December 1978 through March 1979 for SA 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]

                           -House
                           -Compared with SST vote
                      -Joseph M. McDade
                           -Robison
                           -Position on SST
                      -Troop withdrawal vote
                           -Public opinion
                           -Arends’s district
                           -Forthcoming Opinion Research Corporation poll compared with
                                 Gallup poll
                           -Columbus, Ohio district
                           -Gallup poll
                      -SST appropriations bill
                           -White House role
                           -Meany, Daley
                                                14

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                                           (rev. 9/08)



                             -Mitchell’s role
                             -Daley
                        -Troop withdrawal vote
                             -Polls
                             -Distribution
                        -Forthcoming Ford/Arends meetings
                             -Timing
                             -Colmer and Waggonner                        Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
                        -Albert
                             -Possible position on an amendment [troop withdrawal?]
                        -John W. McCormack
                             -Possible position on troop withdrawal vote, previous SST vote
                        -Mahon
                             -Mitchell, Connally
                        -Mitchell’s role
                        -Purpose
                        -Forthcoming SST vote
                             -Importance
                        -Robert A. Taft, Sr.
                             -Republicans, southern Democrats
                        -Southern Democrats
                        -Northern Democrats
                             -Boland
                             -Albert W. Johnson
                             -Aspinall
                        -Mitchell’s role
                        -White House role
                             -Haldeman

     An action by President

     Gifts
             -Golf balls
             -A friend of Ford’s
             -A gift for a secretary
             -Cufflinks
             -Macy’s

     Forthcoming SST vote

Ford and Arends left at 4:23 pm
                                               15

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     President’s schedule
          -A 5:00 meeting
                -Shultz
                      -A 4:00 meeting
                -Connally
                -Arthur F. Burns
                -Connally
                -Burns                                                   Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)
                -Shultz, Connally
                -Burns

Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 4:23 pm
[Transcript #5: A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under
court order from December 1978 through March 1979 for SA 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]

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 4:25 pm

     President’s schedule
          -Lee R. Nunn

     Republican Party
         -Congress
               -Possible coalition with Democrats
                     -President’s role, Mitchell’s role

Nunn entered at 4:25 pm

     Greetings
                                               16

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******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 8m 21s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5                                       Conv. No. 492-3 (cont.)

******************************************************************************


     Republican Party
         -Paul N. (“Pete”) McCloskey, Jr.
               -[Forename unknown] McCarthy
                      -Jack J. Dreyfus, Jr.
                      -Howard Stein
               -Infiltration
                      -Mata Hari
                      -Common Cause

******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 6m 54s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6

******************************************************************************


Haldeman, Mitchell, and Nunn left at 4:41 pm
                                               17

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
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