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Conversation: 550-003

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Start Date: 28-Jul-1971 5:16 PM

End Date: 28-Jul-1971 6:22 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Butterfield, Alexander P.Ehrlichman, John D.White House operatorConnally, John B.Shultz, George P.Sanchez, ManoloRogers, William P.

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:21:21

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:19:23

550a.mp3

NARA Description:

On July 28, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, John D. Ehrlichman, White House operator, John B. Connally, George P. Shultz, Manolo Sanchez, and William P. Rogers met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:16 pm to 6:22 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 550-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 550-3
                                                                      Conv. No. 550-1 (cont.)
Date: July 28, 1971
Time: 5:16 pm - 6:22 pm
Location: Oval Office

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

     The President's schedule
          -Elliot L. Richardson
                -Veteran’s legislation
                -Goals meeting
                -Welfare
                      -The President's forthcoming conversation with Ronald W. Reagan
                -Timing
          -”Early Bird” group
                -Size
                -Purpose of event
                -John N. Mitchell
                -Clark MacGregor and William E. Timmons
                -Leslie C. Arends
                -Timing
                -Karl E. Mundt, Arends, William G. Bray, Joel T. Broyhill, Ancher Nelsen,
                      Donald L. Jackson
          -Richardson meeting
                -John D. Ehrlichman
          -California trip
                -Reagan
                      -Meeting with the President
                      -Henry A. Kissinger

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 5:18 pm.

           -"Early Bird" Group
                -Arends’ attendance at reception
                      -Stephen B. Bull
                                               5

                               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 10/08)




Butterfield left at 5:20 pm.

           -Richardson
           -Catholic war veterans group
                -Size

Butterfield entered at 5:24 pm.

           -Arends
                -Postponement of reception
                     -Rescheduling

Butterfield left at 5:28 pm.

           -July 29, 1971 meeting with Sen. John G. Tower and Mitchell
                 -Purpose of meeting
           -July 29, 1971 meetings
                 -William D. Eberle
                 -Martin C. (“Marty”) Anderson
                       -Ehrlichman
           -Catholic War Veterans

     Spiro T. Agnew
          -Memorandum
                -News story
                      -People’s Republic of China [PRC] initiative
                           -Possible White House source for story
          -Relations with Robert H. Finch
          -Meeting with the President, William P. Rogers, Kissinger
          -Trip to Africa and Asia
                -Golf
                -Compared to the President's handling of trips

     Conservatives
         -Patrick J. Buchanan’s role

     White House staff
          -MacGregor, Finch, Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan

     Congress
         -Arends, Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
                                              6

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 10/08)



                -Rogers

     The President's schedule
          -Morning schedule, July 29, 1971
               -Tower, Mitchell

     Mitchell
          -Trip to Switzerland                                      Conv. No. 550-3 (cont.)
                -Swiss Banks
                     -Accounts
          -Trip to Great Britain
                -Meetings with foreign officials
                     -Elizabeth II [Elizabeth, Queen of England]
                     -[James] Harold Wilson
          -Switzerland

     White House staff
          -Finch, Donald H. Rumsfeld
          -Rumsfeld
               -Possible post
                    -White House staff
                    -Diplomatic assignment
                    -Foreign travel

     Foreign travel by the President
          -Unknown place
                -Reception

     Steel industry

[The President talked with Ehrlichman at an unknown time between 5:28 pm and 5:39 pm]

[Conversation No. 550-3A]

     The President's schedule
          -Ehrlichman, George P. Shultz
          -Mitchell, Tower

     Steel industry
           -Status of labor negotiations

[End of telephone conversation]
                                              7

                             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/08)




[Pause]

[The President talked with the White House operator at 5:39 pm]

[Conversation No. 550-3B]

[See Conversation No. 7-18]                                        Conv. No. 550-3 (cont.)

[End of telephone conversation]

Ehrlichman entered at an 5:39 pm.

     Welfare legislation
          -Status in Congress
          -The President's forthcoming meeting with Reagan
          -Ehrlichman's conversation with Richardson
                -Nelson A. Rockefeller

     The President's schedule
          -Forthcoming meeting with Rockefeller
          -New York trip
          -John A. Volpe
               -Trip report

     Department of Transportation
         -Volpe
         -Work
         -Requested policy work

[The President talked with Connally between 5:41 pm and 5:43 pm]

[Conversation No. 550-3C]

[See Conversation No. 7-19]

[End of telephone conversation]

Shultz entered at 5:44 pm.

     Schedule
          -Meeting
                                          8

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/08)




Labor disputes
     -Railroads
           -Willie J. Usery, Jr.
                 -Proposed meeting with Charles Luna

Pentagon Papers
                                                               Conv. No. 550-3 (cont.)
Labor disputes
     -Railroads
           -James D. Hodgson
     -West Coast longshoremen
           -J. Curtis Counts
           -Meeting with Reagan, Tom McCall, Daniel J. Evans
     -Steel industry
           -Lack of progress
     -Evans meeting with Shultz

Arthur F. Burns
     -The President's conversation with Connally
     -Meeting request
     -Previous meeting with the President
           -Burns’ stance
     -Ronald L. Ziegler's press comment

Economy
    -1971, 1972 forecasts
          -Stock market
    -Profit statements
    -International economic situation
          -Effect on business community
                 -Sales
                 -Machine tools
          -Paul A. Volcker's view
    -Release of statistics
          -Budget figures
          -Balance of payments
          -Retail sales
          -International debt

Schedule
                                               9

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 10/08)



Shultz left at 5:51 pm.

     Schedule
          -Shultz
               -Interruption of meetings

     Connally
         -Forthcoming Newsweek cover story                     Conv. No. 550-3 (cont.)
              -Compared to Agnew

     Economy
         -International economic news
               -Timing
                     -July-August comparison
                     -Steel
                     -Budget
         -U.S. situation
               -Public attitude
                     -Sales figures
                     -Advertising
                     -Balance of payments

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 5:51 pm.

     Refreshment

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 6:00 pm.

     The President’s schedule
          -Shultz
                -Proposed telephone call
          -Ehrlichman
                -Bull
                -Schedule

Ehrlichman left at 6:00 pm.

     The President's schedule
          -Shultz's interrupted meeting
                -Connally
          -Call to Rockefeller
                -New York businessmen
                                              10

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/08)



          -Appropriations Committee
               -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
          -Forthcoming American Broadcasting Corporation [ABC] interview
               -Football questions
                    -Vince Lombardi
          -Speech preparation
               -Length
                    -Outdoor settings for speeches                 Conv. No. 550-3 (cont.)

     Meeting
          -Schedule decision
          -Effect of People’s Republic of China [PRC] initiative on the President's image

     Agnew
         -Memorandum to the President
              -White House news source
                    -Haldeman
         -Perceptions
              -News story source
                    -Finch
                    -Haldeman
                         -Bryce N. Harlow
                    -Leonard Garment
                    -PRC initiative
              -Moynihan

[The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 6:00 pm and
6:04 pm]

[Conversation No. 550-3D]

[See Conversation No. 7-20]

[End of telephone conversation]

     Agnew
         -White House staff
              -Moynihan
              -Kissinger

     The President's July 29, 1971 schedule
          -Shultz
                                              11

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 10/08)



          -Time of meetings

[The President and Haldeman talked with Rogers between 6:04 pm and 6:19 pm]

[Conversation No. 550-3E]

[See Conversation No. 7-21; two items have been withdrawn from the conversation]
                                                                     Conv. No. 550-3 (cont.)
[End of telephone conversation]


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 22s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6

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The President and Haldeman left at 6:21 pm.