Easy NixonAbout

Conversation: 555-006

Prev:  555-005 Next: 555-007

Start Date: 5-Aug-1971 1:46 PM

End Date: 5-Aug-1971 2:40 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Butterfield, Alexander P.Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Sanchez, ManoloBull, Stephen B.Colson, Charles W.

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 01:23:16

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 02:20:57

555a.mp3

555b.mp3

555c.mp3

NARA Description:

On August 5, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, Stephen B. Bull, and Charles W. Colson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:46 pm to 2:40 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 555-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 555-6

Date: August 5, 1971
Time: 1:46 pm - 2:40 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

     Press

     Bill signing

     President’s schedule
          -Forthcoming meeting with James Buckley
                -John N. Mitchell
                -Clark MacGregor

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 1:48 pm.

             -Mitchell
             -Forthcoming meeting with representatives of farm journals
                  -Clifford M. Hardin
                  -President’s role
                  -Purpose
                  -Duration
                  -Herbert G. Klein
                  -John C. Whitaker
                  -Format
                  -Origin

Butterfield left at 1:50 pm.

[Pause]

                  -Format
             -Scheduling questions
                  -Catholic journals
                  -Farmers groups
                       -Dairy
             -Forthcoming meeting with Carl B. Albert
                  -Henry A. Kissinger
                                             17

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 10/06)
                                                                     Conv. No. 555-6 (cont.)


                -Agenda
                     -Trip to Thailand
                -Michael J. Mansfield, Russell B. Long
                -Kissinger
                -MacGregor
                -Mansfield

Manolo Sanchez and Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 1:50 pm.

          -Refreshment
          -Charles W. Colson

Sanchez and Bull left at an unknown time before 2:00 pm.

          -President's trip to New York City
                -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS] television coverage
                      -President's visit to theater
                             -Ruby Keeler
                             -Interaction with public
                                   -Discussion of show
                                   -Autographs
                -"Today" show
                      -Crowd
                      -Prisoners of war [POWs] question
                -Broadway theater crowd
                      -CBS
                      -National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
                      -Mood
                      -Organized opposition
                             -Effect
                -Trips
                      -Advance notice
                             -Ronald L. Ziegler
          -Forthcoming trip to Dallas
                -Arrival
                -Reception
                      -Locale
                -Demonstrators
          -New York trip
                -Public reception of President
                      -Bull
                                             18

                             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                      Conv. No. 555-6 (cont.)


                     -Mood
                     -People's Republic of China [PRC] announcement
          -Trip westward
                -Springfield, Illinois
                     -State Fair
                     -Old State Capitol
                           -Lincoln Home National Historic Site establishment
                                  -Bill signing
                     -Fair
                           -Richard B. Ogilvie
                           -Public mingling
                           -Size
                     -Motorcade

Colson entered at 2:00 pm.

     Cabinet
          -Briefing
                -John Volpe's proposal
                     -Economic fact sheet
                           -Cabinet meeting
                           -John B. Connally
                           -George P. Shultz
                -Dissemination of economic information
                     -Volpe
                     -Statistics
                           -Inflation
                           -Talking papers
                                 -Wholesale price index
                                 -Automobile sales
                           -Briefing book
                     -Congress
                           -Speeches
                -Speeches
                     -Butterfield
                     -William L. Safire
                     -Paul W. McCracken
                     -Charles Duke
                -Forthcoming Sub-Cabinet briefing
                -Problem
                     -Making material useful
                                      19

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                              Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. 10/06)
                                                                Conv. No. 555-6 (cont.)


          -Fact sheet
                -Possible comments to Cabinet
                -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                -Klein
                -Price
                -Connally
          -News coverage
                -Peace issue
                -Economic picture
                      -Unemployment on Vietnam War casualties
                            -Political effect
          -Connally
          -Volpe
          -President's instructions to Colson
                -Economic fact sheet
                      -Request to see
                      -Patrick J. Buchanan
                      -Safire

Economy
    -Meeting with Congressmen
         -MacGregor, Donald H. Rumsfeld, Colson
    -Performance
         -Post-World War II
               -Compared to other countries
                    -Dwight D. Eisenhower administration
         -Unemployment
               -Eisenhower administration
                    -Figures
               -John F. Kennedy administration
                    -Lack of press coverage
    -Members of administration
    -Congressmen and Senators
         -Jack R. Miller
               -Comment
                    -Possible motivation
                          -PRC trip
               -Speech
    -Unemployment statistics
         -Briefing
               -James D. Hodgson
                                         20

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/06)
                                                               Conv. No. 555-6 (cont.)


                      -Previous month’s briefing
          -Trends
     -Psychological issue
          -Need to defend administration
               -Connally
               -Hodgson
               -Shultz
               -McCracken
               -Maurice H. Stans
               -Small business
               -Wall Street
                      -New York Times, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek and major
                           television networks
                      -Vacillation

Foreign policy
     -President as world leader
           -Emphasis
                 -Speeches
           -PRC trip
                 -Appeal to public
                 -President’s recent press conference
                 -Kissinger
           -PRC
           -Stature
                 -World War II
           -Look article
                 -Haldeman interview
           -PRC
                 -Mao Tse-tung
                 -Chiang Kai-shek
                 -Gen. Francisco Franco
                 -Haile Selassie
                 -Konrad Adenauer
                 -Winston S. Churchill
                 -Gen. A.J.M. Charles de Gaulle
                 -Josef V. Stalin
                 -Eisenhower
                 -Edward R.G. Heath
                 -Georges J.R. Pompidou
                 -Willy Brandt
                                        21

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/06)
                                                                  Conv. No. 555-6 (cont.)


                -Latin America
                -Europe
                -Connally
                -John F. Kennedy

John Kennedy
     -Edward M. Kennedy
     -Domestic policy
     -Foreign policy
           -Berlin Wall
           -Cuban confrontation
                 -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
                 -Adlai E. Stevenson, II
                 -Turkey
           -Vienna Conference
     -Boston Globe article
     -Kennedy Library
           -Release of personal pre-presidential papers
     -PT 109
     -Profiles in Courage
     -Health
     -Boston newspapers
           -John Kennedy’s college years
     -Reading speed

Economy
    -Connally
         -Public opinion
               -Franklin D. Roosevelt
    -Business community
         -Pierre Rinfret
               -Dun’s
               -Interests
    -Unemployment
         -Arthur F. Burns
         -Dan Rather
               -Reporting
                     -Statistics
                           -Source
                                 -Capitol Hill
                                      -Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS]
                                          22

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 10/06)
                                                            Conv. No. 555-6 (cont.)



Cabinet
     -Connally
         -Compared to President
         -Republicans

Busing
     -Texas
          -Responsibility

Press
        -Forthcoming presidential election
        -Past relations with administration
              -1969
                    -President’s November 3 speech
              -1970
                    -Cambodia
        -1971

Economy
    -Unemployment figures
         -Gordon L. Allott
         -Howard H. Baker, Jr.
              -Comments
    -Defenders of administration
         -Robert J. Dole
              -Republican National Committee [RNC]
              -Lockheed vote
                    -Democrats
         -Barry M. Goldwater
              -Pentagon Papers
    -Anecdote
         -Lack of public understanding
              -Addressing
                    -President’s use of television
                          -Cambodia
                          -Press
                          -Timing
                    -Radio
                          -Effectiveness
         -Donald C. Burnham of Westinghouse
                                              23

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                               Conv. No. 555-6 (cont.)


                      -Profits
                      -Wage and price guidelines
           -Public reaction to President
                -Ohio, Iowa
                -New York City trip
                -PRC
                -New York City trip
                      -News coverage
                            -Gerald L. Warren
                -Ohio
                      -Robert A. Taft, Jr.
                      -William B. Saxbe
                -Miller
                      -Iowa
                -New York
                -Public attitudes
                      -Louis Harris
                      -Harris
           -Television
                -President's effectiveness
                      -Rather

Colson left at 2:37 pm.

     President's schedule
          -Trip to Manchester, New Hampshire
                 -Cynthia Frink
                 -Helen M. (“Obie”) Shultz
                      -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                 -John A. Scali
          -Bangor, Maine
                 -Republicans
                      -Margaret Chase Smith
          -Springfield, Illinois
          -Grand Tetons
                 -Jackson Hole
                 -Cruise
                 -Yosemite Valley
          -Montana
                 -Mansfield
                      -Timing of forthcoming trip
                                             24

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                      Conv. No. 555-6 (cont.)


                            -Television
                                 -Springfield
                                 -Grand Tetons
                                 -Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW] appearance
                                       -Preparation
                                            -Dallas
          -Grand Tetons
          -VFW appearance
               -Television

Haldeman left at 2:40 pm.