Conversation: 581-004
Prev: 581-003 Next: 581-005Start Date: 30-Sep-1971 10:07 AM
End Date: 30-Sep-1971 11:03 AM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Mitchell, John N.; Bull, Stephen B.;Recording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 01:10:39
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 02:06:56
NARA Description:
On September 30, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, John N. Mitchell, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:07 am to 11:03 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 581-004 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 581-4
Date: September 30, 1971
Time: 10:07 am - 11:03 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with John N. Mitchell.
Greetings
Report
-George Meany
-Civil rights advocates
-Motivation for Meany's comments
-Discrimination in unions
Supreme Court appointees
-Richard H. Poff
-Civil rights issues
-Possible problems
-American Bar Association [ABA] members
-Letter of support from House of Representatives members
-Liberals and conservatives
-Charles McC. Mathias, Jr.
-Image
-Civil rights manifesto
-States' rights
-Civil rights legislation
-Racism
-Southern background
-Poff's bill on Supreme Court appointment
15
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
qualifications
-Use of name in a law firm
-Actual practice
-ABA ruling
-Poff's action
-Virginia
-Poff's qualifications
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Privacy]
[Duration: 16s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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Supreme Court appointment
-Poff
-Poff's practice of law
-Brief filed with ABA Committee
-Felix Frankfurter
-Requirements for Supreme Court appointment
-Participation on Judiciary Committee
-Practice of law
-Time length
-Congress
-Submission of Poff's name
-Possible results
-G. Harrold Carswell, Clement F. Haynsworth, Jr.
-Civil rights issue on Capitol Hill
-Hypocrisy
-Meany
-Congress's reactions to Poff
-ABA approval
-Reaction in the Senate
-Southern background
16
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
-John L. McClellan's conversation with the President
-Mitchell's possible conversation with McClellan
-Poff as candidate
-Areas of support
-Number of votes
-The President's conversation with Hugh Scott
-Robert P. Griffin
-ABA
-Submission of Poff's name
-Effect on other announcement
-Date
-Possible non-approval by the ABA
-Effect on submission of Poff's name
-Lawrence Walsh
-Efforts
-Mitchell's stipulation
-ABA
-ABA endorsement issue
-Public statement on qualifications
-Judiciary Committee qualifications
-Time factors
-ABA
-Qualifications for appointee to Supreme Court
-Felix Frankfurter's qualification
-Hugo L. Black's qualification
-Submission of Poff's name
-Date
-Commitment of votes for Poff
-Hugh Scott
-Griffin
-Roman L. Hruska
-Other Congressional leaders
-Telephone calls to Congressmen
-White House staff's concerns
-Clark MacGregor
-John D. Ehrlichman
-MacGregor
-Ehrlichman
-Focus on other issues
-Tax bill
-Conservative compared to liberal candidates
17
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
-Women appointees
-Judge Mildred L. Lillie
-California
-Experience
-Age
-Support
-Ronald W. Reagan, prosecutors, Samuel W. Yorty
-Political party
-Qualifications
-Sylvia Bacon
-Law school
-Lillie
-Law school record
-Bacon
-Vassar College
-London School of Economics
-Harvard University
-Master of Law degree at Georgetown University
-Stance
-Criminal field
-Family background
-Political party
-Age
-Colleagues
-Mitchell’s contact with Bacon
-Qualifications
-Lillie
-Comparison to Bacon
-Age
-Supreme Court term
-Precedent for women
-Bacon
-Age
-Supreme Court term
-Age
-Representation of youth
-Potter Stewart
-Age
-William O. Douglas
-Age
-Black's funeral
18
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
-Health
-Bacon
-Lillie
-Circuit Court
-Southern United States
-Need for appointee
-William French Smith
-California
-Qualifications
-ABA
-University of California
-Harvard
-William H. Mulligan
-Smith
-California
-Credentials for the state of California
-Earl Warren
-Women appointees
-Government employment
-Emotions
-Comparison to astronauts
-Burger's reaction
-Behavior
-Politics
-US poll results
-Election of a President
-Effect of female appointee on election
-Women's liberation
-Need for women's viewpoint on Supreme Court
-Women appointees
-Warren Burger
-Oveta Culp Hobby
-Politics
-Percentage points of election support
-Liberals
-Lillie
-Bacon
-Comparison to Lillie
-Age
-Civil rights
-Lillie
19
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
-Political position
-Political party
-Effect on politics and the Supreme Court
-Political pressures to vote for a woman
-Birch Bayh
-Edward M. Kennedy
-California judges
-Number
-Possible candidates
-Minnesota
-Harlan's background
-Black
-Seat vacancy
-Smith
-Comparison to Burger
-Lillie
-Reagan's analysis, Evelle Younger
-Stance on criminal law
-Age
-Criminal law
-Younger's analysis
-Call to Mitchell
-Shirley Hufstadler
-Reaction
-Lillie
-Qualifications
-Reactions
-Criminal law
-William Rehnquist's analysis
-Political position
-Reagan
-Submission of name
-Time
-Comparison of Lillie, Bacon
-National political experience
-Washington, legislation
-Previous court experience
-Submission of Lillie's name
-Effect on Poff's appointment
-Question of timing
-Possible problems
20
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
-Submission of Poff's name
-Date
-Senate confirmation
-Smith
-Age qualifications
-Term on Supreme Court
-Experience
-Personality of individual
-Lillie's age
-Old age
-John McClellan
-Age
-Support of the President
Cable television legislation
-McClellan
-Administration position
Supreme Court
-Women appointees
-Timing in society
-California appointee
-Impact
-Potential problems during election period
-Precedent
-Women's liberation
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Politics
-Women's groups
-Replacement by general integration
-Education
-Political standing
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Tricia Nixon Cox
-Younger generation
-Appeal of women's liberation
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Martha (Beall) Mitchell
-Conversation between Mitchell and Burger
-Burger's feelings about women appointees
-Lillie
-Burger
21
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
-Conversation between Mitchell and Burger about appointment
-Douglas's comment
-Number of women
-Bacon and Lillie
-Presentation before ABA
-Lillie
-Qualifications
-Conservatism
-Potential problems
-Robert H. Finch, Sam Yorty
-Race issues
-Court experience
-Number of years
-Impact in terms of experience
-Sarah T. Hughes
-State of California
-Representation on Court
-Lillie
-Letter to Mitchell from Tom Redden
-Recommendation
-Women appointees
-Time in society
-Politics
-Hassles a woman will encounter as first woman on Supreme Court bench
-Virginia H. Knauer
-Poff
-ABA
-Possible reactions and results to appointment
-Administration's possible actions
-Hershel Friday
-Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
-Age
-Confirmation of appointment
-ABA reaction
-Hershel Friday
-Date
-Poff
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:07 am.
President’s schedule
22
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
-Finch
Bull left at an unknown time before 10:50 am.
Supreme Court confirmations
-Opening scenario
-Battle
-Congress
-Southern judges
Finch
-Forthcoming meeting with the President
-Trip to Latin America
-Possible topics to cover in the meeting
-Mitchell's trip to California
-Finch's attendance
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 49s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
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Meeting with Reagan
-Ambassadorship
California
-Lillie nomination
-Reagan
-Alan Cranston, John V. Tunney
-Recommendations
Finch entered at 10:50 am.
23
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
The President left at 10:50 am.
Greetings
Finch's schedule
-Mitchell's trip
Mitchell's schedule
-Problem
-Supreme Court appointee
-Verification panel
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions [MBFR]
Unknown person [Monagan?]
-University position
-Unknown person's resignation from seat
California
Supreme Court appointments
-California
-William French Smith
-Relationship with Finch
-Resume
The President entered at an unknown time after 10:50 am.
Greetings
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 3m 7s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
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24
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
Appointment of woman
-Mexican
-Philip V. Sanchez
-Cuban
-Puerto Ricans
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 10s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO.5
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Proposal of Latin American trip for Finch
-The President's conversation with William P. Rogers
-The President's status
-Nelson A. Rockefeller's mission
-Trip for Finch
-Rogers's opinion
-Time length
-The President's 1958 trip
-Organization of Finch's trip
-Similarities
-Itinerary
-Brazil
-Argentina
-Chile
-Recommendation by Rogers
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Preparation of trip
-Meeting between the President, Rogers and finch
-Photos
-Meeting with Ambassadors
25
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
-Briefings
-Mexico
-Venezuela
-Colombia
-Peru
-Juan Velasco Alvarado
-Brazil
-Argentina
-Dictators
-Finch’s schedule
-South America
-Caribbean
-Barbados
-Major areas of South America
-Brazil, Bolivia
-Press coverage
-Language
-State Department official with knowledge of Spanish
-Rockefeller trip comparison
-Size of staff
-Trip
-President’s counsellor
-US position
-Economics
-Surcharge
-US actions
-Agnew's trip to Greece
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 25s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
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26
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 581-4 (cont.)
-Trip
-Africa
-Liberia
-Airplane for trip
-James D. (“Don”) Hughes
-Possible conversation between Finch and Rogers
-Recommendation for Finch from Rogers
-Charles Myers
-Relationship with Finch
-Aid for trip
-Rogers
-Preparation
Finch and Mitchell left at 11:03 am.