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Conversation: 635-009

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Start Date: 10-Dec-1971 11:13 AM

End Date: 10-Dec-1971 12:00 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Wallis, W. AllenMostellar, FrederickShultz, George P.

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 02:20:55

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 03:08:07

635a.mp3

635b.mp3

635c.mp3

NARA Description:

On December 10, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, W. Allen Wallis, Frederick Mostellar, and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:13 am to 12:00 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 635-009 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 635-9

Date: December 10, 1971
Time: 11:13 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with W. Allen Wallis, Frederick Mosteller and George P. Shultz.

     Introductions

     Doodles

     Report

     W. Braddock Hickman’s death

     The President
                                          25

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/06)
                                                           Conv. No. 635-9 (cont.)


     -Federal government
          -Schedule
                -People's Republic of China [PRC]
                -India
                -Pollution
                -Congress

Committee
   -Richard M. Scammon

Commission on Federal Statistics
   -Commissioner
   -Federal statistical system
         -World admiration
         -Compared to other statistical systems
   -Infant mortality rate
   -Consumer Price Index [CPI]
   -Gross National Product [GNP]
   -Statistical agencies
         -Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS]
         -Census Bureau
   -Non-statistical agency
         -Credibility
         -Examples
                -Interstate Commerce Commission [ICC]

Statistical organizations outside the federal government
      -Census Bureau
      -Survey Research Center
             -University of Michigan
      -National Opinion Research Center
             -University of Chicago
      -Pollsters
             -Albert E. Sindlinger
             -Louis P. Harris
             -George H. Gallup
                  -Study after 1948 election
                                         26

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/06)
                                                                   Conv. No. 635-9 (cont.)


Commission on Federal Statistics
   -Census Bureau
   -Function
   -Reorganization of federal agencies
   -Federal statistical system
         -Statistical Policy Division
               -Julius Shiskin
         -Improvement
               -Enlargement of the Statistical Policy Division Staff
                      -Surveys
                            -Controlled field studies
                            -Welfare programs
                      -Daniel Patrick Moynihan
                            -Opinion
                                  -Poverty programs
                                        -Headstart
                      -Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
                            -Shiskin
         -Pollsters
         -Statistical organizations outside the federal government
               -Universities
         -Census Bureau
         -Department of Commerce
         -BLS
         -Individual agencies
               -Central point
         -New agencies
               -Strengthening the system
                      -OMB
               -Statistical Policy Division Staff
                      -Factors involved
                            -Staffing
                      -Production and use of statistics
                            -OMB
                            -Remedial education
                                  -Moynihan
                                        -Instant credibility
                                  -Statistics
                                        -Prove statements made
                                        -Minority groups
                                        -Must know the facts
                                  27

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                          Tape Subject Log
                            (rev. 10/06)
                                                           Conv. No. 635-9 (cont.)


                               -Examples
                                   -British-Irish
                                   -Blacks
                                   -Asians
                                         -Value of statistics
-National Academy of Sciences
-Outside review
     -Operating agencies
           -Shiskin
     -Statistical Policy Division
-Census Bureau
-Confidentiality and privacy
     -Statistical Advisory Board
           -Compared to President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board [PFIAB]
           -Civil Rights Commission
                  -Workability
           -PFIAB
                  -Richard M. Helms
                  -Henry A. Kissinger
                  -State Department
                  -Department of Defense [DOD]
     -Public statements
     -American public
           -Attitude toward statistics gathering
                  -Census Bureau
                  -Internal Revenue Service [IRS]
                  -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
                  -Credit agencies
                  -Army surveillance
-Recommendation of guidelines
     -Shiskin
     -Advisory board
           -Confidentiality
           -Duties and responsibilities
                  -Regulation
           -Freedom of Information [FOI] Act
                  -Protections offered
           -Census
           -Confidentiality
                  -FOI
                  -Proposal to improve the laws
                                    28

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                            Tape Subject Log
                              (rev. 10/06)
                                                              Conv. No. 635-9 (cont.)


                       -Confidentiality
           -IRS
                -Improvements
          -Census Bureau
                -Quinquennial [five-year] census
                      -Cost benefit study
                             -Recommendations
                                   -Cost of census
                             -Stabilization of US population
                                   -Comparison of Brazil population
                                   -Movement of blacks to cities
                                   -Congressional district changes
                                   -Movement of blacks to suburbs
                                         -Freedom of choice
                                               -Schools and housing
                                               -Strom Thurmond
                                               -Comparisons and differences
-Economic statistics
     -Accuracy and timeliness
     -Research
     -Federal Reserve Board
     -OMB
     -Bank deposits
          -Indication of change
     -Research
     -GNP statistics
          -Figures
                -Accuracy
                      -Preliminary
                      -Adjusted
                      -Final
                -Corrections
                      -Congress
                      -Shultz
                      -Business
                             -Wall Street Journal
                             -Pollsters
                -Commerce Department
                      -Raw data
                -Statistical Policy Division
                      -1959
                                                29

                             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 10/06)
                                                                           Conv. No. 635-9 (cont.)


                                        -Study of price statistics of the federal government
                                               -CPI Wholesale Price Index
                                               -George Ziegler [?]
                                        -Study of employment statistics
                             -Commerce Department
                                   -Elimination of preliminary estimate
                                   -Retail sales
                                        -Estimates
                  -Public outlook
                       -Business
                             -Inflation
                       -Comparison to politics
                             -Cab drivers
                             -Barbers
                       -Business
                             -Decision making

      Outside commission
           -Shultz

      [General conversation]

Wallis, et al. left at 12:00 pm.