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Conversation: 556-005

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Start Date: 6-Aug-1971 11:39 AM

End Date: 6-Aug-1971 12:02 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Arends, Leslie C.Ford, Gerald R.Griffin, Robert P.Scott, HughTimmons, William E.White House photographer

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 01:14:32

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:47:30

556a.mp3

556b.mp3

NARA Description:

On August 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Leslie C. Arends, Gerald R. Ford, Robert P. Griffin, Hugh Scott, William E. Timmons, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:39 am to 12:02 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 556-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 556-5

Date: August 6, 1971
Time: 11:39 am - 12:02 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Leslie C. Arends, Gerald R. Ford, Robert P. Griffin, Hugh Scott, and
William E. Timmons; the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the
meeting.

     [Rudolph A. Peterson]
          -United Nations [UN]

     Press

     Congressional session
         -President’s appreciation

     John B. Connally
           -Recent press conference
                -Comments
                       -President’s opening to People’s Republic of China [PRC]
     Instructions for griffin
           -Automobile industry
                -Prices
                -Taxes
                       -Need for Congressional cooperation
                              -Wilbur D. Mills
                       -Discussion with the President and Connally
                       -Foreign competition
                       -Budget
                       -Charles E. Chamberlain

     [Photograph session]
          -Unknown person’s trip to New Orleans

     Economy
         -Possible actions
              -Political effect
                    -Republican National Committee [RNC]
         -Meeting with Senators
                                            15

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/06)
                                                                    Conv. No. 556-5 (cont.)


     -President’s press conference
     -Possible action
           -Effect
                 -Business and labor
           -Enforcement
                 -Analogy to Office of Price Administration [OPA]
           -Arthur F. Burns
     -Retail sales figures
     -Home sales
     -Unemployment rate
           -Full-time workers
           -Part-time workers
           -Michigan, California, Illinois, Ohio
           -Gordon L. Allott
                 -Draft
                       -Time limitation
                       -Bill
                             -Cloture
                                  -Timing

Congressional action
    -Michael J. Mansfield
    -Appropriation bill
          -Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
          -Employment
    -House Resolution [H R] 1
          -Family assistance
    -Campaign spending bill
          -Jurisdictional dispute
                -Interstate Commerce, House Administration, Ways and Means
                      Committees
                -Carl B. Albert, Harley O. Staggers, Mills, Wayne L. Hays
                -Bill
                      -Interstate

US concerns
     -President's trip throughout country
           -Ohio and New York
           -Generation of peace theme
                 -Public reception
                 -Vietnam
                                         16

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/06)
                                                                  Conv. No. 556-5 (cont.)


                      -Casualties
                            -Current figure compared to previous one
     -President’s recent press conference
           -Unemployment
                -Relationship to Vietnam War
     -Economy
     -Foreign policy
           -Pentagon Papers
                -Effect on PRC trip
                      -Henry A. Kissinger's role
                      -Need to maintain secrecy
                -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
                -Great Britain
                -France
                -Japan
                      -Okinawa
                -Negotiations
                      -Confidentiality
                      -Foreign visitors
                      -Senate
                      -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
                      -Berlin
                      -Vietnam
                      -PRC
                      -Press
                            -PRC
                      -Lawyer-client privilege

Scott’s forthcoming trip to USSR
      -Possible meeting with Aleksei N. Kosygin
            -President’s recommendations
                  -PRC
                  -Confidentiality of channels
                        -State Department
                        -SALT
                        -Berlin
                        -Mutual and balanced force reductions
                  -President’s possible visit to USSR
                  -PRC

Foreign policy
                                        17

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/06)
                                                                    Conv. No. 556-5 (cont.)


     -The President’s record compared to previous administrations
          -Franklin D. Roosevelt
     -Goals
          -Timing
                -Griffin’s campaign
                -Vietnam
                -Economy
                      -Employment

Economy
    -Employment
         -Survey
    -Public opinion
         -Foreign policy compared to domestic policy

Foreign policy
     -Vietnam war policy
           -Public support
     -PRC
           -Public support
     -Recommendations for Congressional speeches
           -Vietnam
           -PRC
                -Taiwan
                      -United Nations [UN]
                -US goal
                      -Averting threat to peace
                            -Long-term benefit
Economy
     -Inflation
     -Unemmployment
     -Administration’s intention to act
     -President’s recent press conference
     -Connally
           -Contact with Congressmen
     -Automobile sales
     -Trade
           -Most Favored Nation [MFN] status
                -Romania and Bulgaria
                -Vietnam War
                -Romania
                                              18

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 10/06)
                                                                        Conv. No. 556-5 (cont.)


                             -Nicolae Ceausescu
                       -Bulgaria
                 -East-West trade
                       -Vietnam War
                       Kama River truck plan contract with Mack Trucks, Inc.
                             -Kissinger
                             -President’s approval
                             -Peters G. Peterson
                             -USSR
                                   -Middle East
                 -Kissinger's briefing
                       -Griffin, Ford, and Arends

     Gift
            -Golf balls

Arends and Timmons left at 11:59 am.

     HEW appropriation bill

     Busing
          -Administration's position
          -Blacks

     Lockheed vote
         -William V. Roth, Jr. and J. Caleb Boggs
               -Connally
               -President's call to Boggs
               -Clark MacGregor
               -Peter M. Flanigan
               -Dow chemical

Ford, Griffin, and Scott left at 12:02 pm.