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Conversation: 498-015

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Start Date: 13-May-1971 3:40 PM

End Date: 13-May-1971 4:27 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Beall, J. Glenn, Jr.White House operatorMacGregor, ClarkEhrlichman, John D.Connally, John B.

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 04:28:31

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 05:11:15

498a.mp3

498b.mp3

498c.mp3

NARA Description:

On May 13, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, J. Glenn Beall, Jr., White House operator, Clark MacGregor, John D. Ehrlichman, and John B. Connally met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:40 pm to 4:27 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 498-015 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 498-15

Date: May 13, 1971
Time: 3:40 pm - 4:27 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

     The President's schedule
          -James M. Roche
          -Individuals
          -Groups
                                              44

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)



     Roche

     The President's schedule
          -Individuals
          -Groups

     Supersonic Transport [SST]
          -Gerald R. Ford
          -William M. Magruder
                -Work in Senate

[The President talked with J. Glenn Beall, Jr. between 3:43 pm and 3:44 pm]

[Conversation No. 495-15A]

[See Conversation No. 3-45]

[One item has been withdrawn from the conversation]

[End of telephone conversation]

     SST
           -Ford
           -Senate
           -Magruder's title

[The President talked with the White House operator at 3:46 pm]

[Conversation No. 498-15B]

[See Conversation No. 3-46]

[End of telephone conversation]

           -Magruder's location
           -St. Croix

     SST
           -Forthcoming Senate vote

[The President talked with the White House operator at 3:46 pm]
                                            45

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 9/08)



[Conversation No. 498-15C]

[See Conversation No. 3-47]

[End of telephone conversation]

     Magruder
         -Location                                                Conv. No. 498-15 (cont.)
              -White House operator
         -John D. Ehrlichman

     Ehrlichman
           -Meeting with John N. Mitchell

[Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 3:46 pm and 3:47 pm]

[Conversation No. 498-15D]

     Ehrlichman's schedule

[End of telephone conversation]

[The President talked with Clark MacGregor between 3:47 pm and 3:48 pm]

[Conversation No. 498-15E]

[See Conversation No. 3-48]

[End of telephone conversation]

     The President's schedule
          -Forthcoming meeting with Edward W. Brooke
               -Henry A. Kissinger
               -MacGregor
               -Charles W. Colson
               -MacGregor
               -Kissinger
               -Colson

John D. Ehrlichman entered at 3:49 pm

     National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA]
                                             46

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 9/08)



           -Apollo program
                 -A meeting, May 12, 1971
                 -Budget
           -Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application [NERVA]
           -Space shuttle
           -Priorities
                 -Apollo program
           -Research and development                              Conv. No. 498-15 (cont.)
           -Funds, mission, name

MacGregor entered at 3:50 pm

     SST
           -The President's previous attempt to call Magruder
           -The President's conversation with John B. Connally
                -Connally's forthcoming conversations
                      -John V. Tunney, Alan Cranston, David H. Gambrell, Clinton P.
                            Anderson, unknown Floridan [Lawton M. Chiles, Jr.?], Lloyd
                            Bentsen
           -Gambrell's views
                -The President's conversation with George Meany, May 12, 1971
                      -Meany's location
           -Forthcoming Senate vote
                -Lockheed
                      -Connally
                -Boeing
                      -Daniel J. Evans
                      -Ehrlichman's attempted meeting with chairman, May 12, 1971
                      -Jobs, profits

[John B. Connally talked with the President between 3:52 pm and 3:53 pm]
                                               47

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 9/08)



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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 2m 35s ]

[Conversation No. 498-15F]
                                                                       Conv. No. 498-15 (cont.)
[See Conversation No. 3-49]
[One item has been withdrawn from the conversation]

[End of telephone conversation]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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


     SST
           -Forthcoming Senate vote
                 -Republicans
                 -Issue
                 -The President's conversation with James L. Buckley
                       -Environment
                 -Clifford P. Hansen, Jack P. Miller, Winston L. Prouty, Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
                 -The President's conversation with Hansen
                 -Miller
                 -The President's conversation with Hansen
                 -Costs of termination
                       -Effect in House
                       -Lockheed
                 -Boeing
                       -Magruder's conversations
                             -Thornton ("T.") Wilson
                             -Lowell Mickelwait
                       -Statement after House vote
           -Evans' statement
                 -Jobs
           -Efforts of Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson and Warren G. (“Maggie”) Magnuson
           -Ehrlichman's forthcoming call to Evans
           -Forthcoming Senate vote
                                        48

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



           -Boeing
                 -Termination costs
                 -Magruder's agreement with Wilson
                 -Unemployment in Seattle
                       -Newspapers position
           -Timing
                 -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield, Hugh Scott
                 -William Proxmire's view                       Conv. No. 498-15 (cont.)
           -Senators
      -Popular opinion
           -Effect on Senators
           -Considerations
      -Senate Appropriations Committee action

U.S. troops in Europe
      -Mansfield's view

SST
      -Forthcoming Senate vote
           -Business Council's possible actions
                -Ehrlichman's forthcoming call to Peter M. Flanigan
                      -Telegrams
                      -Meetings at Hot Springs
                -Roche
           -Labor's possible action
                -Colson
                -Meany
                      -Telegrams from labor
           -Lockheed
                -Future
                -Connally
                -Magruder’s role
                -MacGregor's forthcoming meeting with Connally
                      -Connally
           -Commitments by senators
                -Hansen's experience

Forthcoming Senate vote
     -North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
          -Situation
          -George W. Ball
                                             49

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)



     SST
           -Forthcoming Senate vote
                -Commitments
                -Buckley
                -Bentsen
                     -Connally's efforts

     Forthcoming Senate vote on NATO                               Conv. No. 498-15 (cont.)
          -MacGregor's efforts
          -NATO council statement distribution
          -Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction [MBFR]
          -European efforts
          -Spending
          -MBFR
                -Compare to Vietnam War
                -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
          -MacGregor's schedule
                -Possible meeting with Ford
                -Lunch
          -List of Senators
                -Copies
                -Mansfield Amendment [?]
                -A meeting
          -Ball
          -List of senators

MacGregor left at 4:11 pm

     Connally's schedule
         -European trip
         -Possible May 25, 1971 briefing in Birmingham, Alabama
                -Reorganization
         -European trip
         -Possible Alabama briefing
                -Paul W. McCracken
                -Ehrlichman
                -George W. Romney, Elliot L. Richardson, Robert H. Finch, Donald H.
                      Rumsfeld
                -Mitchell
                -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
         -Florida trip
         -Lyndon B. Johnson Library trip with the President
                                         50

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 9/08)



     -Florida trip
           -Connally
           -Idanell B. (“Nellie”) Connally
           -Accommodations
     -Possible Alabama briefing
     -Congressional testimony

The President's schedule                                        Conv. No. 498-15 (cont.)
     -Florida trip
           -George A. Smathers
     -Johnson Library trip

Connally

The President's schedule
     -Florida
           -Possible press announcements
     -Johnson Library
     -Florida
           -Possible press announcements, radio address
           -Red Cross
     -Interview with ten business magazines
           -Maurice H. Stans dinner

Fortune magazine
     -Forthcoming article on George P. Shultz
          -Arthur F. Burns
          -Interview with Time magazine reporter
          -Shultz's meeting with businessmen in New York City
          -Shultz

Burns

International monetary situation
      -Burns
      -Connally
      -Paul A. Volcker

Shultz
     -Forthcoming Fortune article
          -Burns
          -Motives
                                          51

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 9/08)




Connally
    -Internal Revenue Service [IRS] investigation of unknown
     people's income tax returns
    -John S. Nolan's appointment

H. Ross Perot
     -Bargain with administration over third largest brokerage house
                                                                 Conv. No. 498-15 (cont.)

New IRS head
    -Johnnie M. Walters
         -Mitchell
    -Nolan
    -Roger Bersh [?]
         -Views regarding Nolan
               -Edwin S. Cohen
    -Walters
         -Ehrlichman's forthcoming conversation with Mitchell
    -Requirements
         -Investigations
         -Nolan
         -Ronald W. Reagan in California
         -John J. Rhodes
         -Democrats
         -Law
         -The President's experience
               -Kennedy [John F. or Robert F.?]
         -Finch
         -Requirements
               -Walters
               -Richard G. Kleindienst
         -Kleindienst

International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
      -Kleindienst's deal regarding anti-trust action
           -ITT and Hartford
           -ITT and Grinnell
                 -Timing
      -Harold S. Geneen
           -Possible campaign contribution
                 -Kleindienst's contact on ITT board
                                               52

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)



                      -Herbert W. Kalmbach
                      -Possible campaign finance law
                           -Effect

     SST
           -Ford's efforts in House
           -Importance
                -Jobs                                               Conv. No. 498-15 (cont.)
           -Termination costs
           -Boeing
                -Possible future administration action
           -Magruder
                -Location
                       -Virgin Islands


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Privacy]
[Duration: 17s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

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


     Connally's schedule
         -Possible Alabama briefing, meeting with the President, congressional testimony

Haldeman and Ehrlichman left at 4:27 pm