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Conversation: 647-017

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Start Date: 13-Jan-1972 1:24 PM

End Date: 13-Jan-1972 2:14 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Anderson, Robert O.Jonsson, J. ErikCole, Kenneth R., Jr.Garment, LeonardButterfield, Alexander P.

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 03:03:37

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 03:55:02

647a.mp3

647b.mp3

647c.mp3

NARA Description:

On January 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Robert O. Anderson, J. Erik Jonsson, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Leonard Garment, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:24 pm to 2:14 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 647-017 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 647-17

Date: January 13, 1972
Time: 1:24 pm - 2:14 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Robert O. Anderson, J. Erik Jonsson, John D. Ehrlichman, Kenneth R.
Cole, Jr., and Leonard Garment.

     Greetings

     Delays in the President's schedule
          -Meeting with Neil H. McElroy and Commission

     National Football League [NFL]
          -Playoff games
          -Super Bowl
               -Dallas Cowboys, [Miami Dolphins]
                     -Play

     Cities
           -Los Angeles
                -Atlantic Richfield Co. headquarters
                     -Bank of America
                     -Move from New York City to Los Angeles
                -Living conditions in New York City
                     -Schools
                -Aerospace industry
                -The President's airplane shuttle trip to New York City with "Pete" Jones
                -"Charlie" Jones
                -“Pete” Jones
                     -New York Times
                -“Charlie” Jones
                     -California
                           -Bohemian Grove
                -Jonsson
                -New Jersey
                                           32

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/06)
                                                                  Conv. No. 647-17 (cont.)


           -Dallas, Los Angeles
                -Expansion
           -New York City
                -Deterioration
                      -Possible handling

Urban problems
    -Possible handling
          -Dialogue between urban leaders, professionals, and academics
               -Lack of common background
               -Mayors, governors

Project
     -Timing
           -Senior Executive Council of National Industrial Conference Board
     -Business
           -Urban problems
                  -Need for understanding
     -Institute for National Goals
     -Precedents
           -Dwight D. Eisenhower administration
                  -Charles H. Percy committee
           -Magazines
                  -National Purpose
                  -National Goals

Institute for national goals for the future
      -Naming
            -Difficulty
      -Priorities
            -Education, health defense, space
                   -Space shuttle
                        -Recent announcement
                              -Support by Floridians, Californians, New York Times

Meeting at Links with foundations
     -Dining
     -Results
           -Agreement and disagreement

Foundations
                                       33

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/06)
                                                               Conv. No. 647-17 (cont.)


     -Compared to business people
     -Advisers
          -Compared to executives
          -Functions
               -Examples
                     -Money to Whittier College and Occidental College

Dean Rusk
     -Qualities
          -Loyalty to country, Lyndon B. Johnson
     -The President's talk with William C. Bullitt
          -Bullitt's background as US ambassador to the Soviet Union
          -Rusk's origins
                -Foundations
     -Qualities

Foundations
    -Type of life for executives
    -Reluctance to make decisions
          -Studies
    -Compared to lawyers

The President’s talk with Ehrlichman
     -Anderson and Johnsson
          -The President’s concern

National goals
     -Economy
           -Peter G. Peterson
     -Life magazine
           -Article on national purpose
     -Action on issues
     -Young people
           -Professors
           -Editorialists
           -Decision making
                 -Compared to words, idealism
                       -Rising expectations
                             -1960’s
           -The Peace Corps
           -High expectations
                                           34

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/06)
                                                          Conv. No. 647-17 (cont.)


                -Lack of action
                     -Frustration
     -Contrast between idealists and pragmatists
     -Businessmen
          -Compared to idealists
          -Pragmatic men with ideals
     -Young people
          -Idealism

Computer model of world problems
    -Economic systems
    -Weather
    -Variables
         -Jobs
    -Long range planning tool
    -Congress

The economy
     -Automobile production
           -Transportation
     -Increased production
           -Highways
           -Energy sources
           -Ralph Nader
           -Questioning
     -New York City
           -Empire State Building
                -Taller buildings

The nation's future
     -Targets
     -Production
           -Transistor radios
                 -Prices
                 -Building a factory
                 -Costs
                 -Risks
                 -Goal-setting, planning
     -Systems approach
           -“Goals for Dallas” program
                                          35

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 10/06)
                                                                   Conv. No. 647-17 (cont.)


Nation's goals
     -Institute's “Goals for Dallas” program
           -Methodology
                  -Number of people
                  -Duration of time
                  -Reading of briefs of inventories
                       -Subjects
                             -Education, welfare, recreation, government, cities
                  -Revisions
                  -Sample of 10,000 opinions
                       -Right-wing, left-wing views
                       -Consensus
                  -Town hall meetings
                       -Results
     -Tools for projecting future needs
           -Computers
           -Industrial community
           -Validity, credibility
     -Proposals
           -Rockwell International
           -Costs
           -Loose ends
     -[Willard F.] Rockwell, Jr.
     -Bernard D. Haber
     -Problem of implementing goals
           -Time
           -Costs

Computers
    -Use in weather forecasting
          -Satellites
          -Effectiveness
          -Speed in processing information from satellites
          -Change in forecasting
    -Use of models
          -Dr. William D. McElroy

Nation's goals
     -Institute
           -Purpose
           -Leadership
                                            36

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. 10/06)
                                                                         Conv. No. 647-17 (cont.)


                -Political aspect
           -Consensus on plan
                -Black communities
           -Solution

American Revolution Bicentennial Commission [ARBA]
    -David J. Mahoney, Jr.
    -Local communities
    -North Carolina

Senior Executive Council of National Industrial Conference Board
     -Meetings
     -Proposal
          -Institute on goals
                -Possible government sponsorship
                -Foundations
                -Purpose
                -Forthcoming 1990 conference
                -Administration support for Institute
                      -Possible message from the President for meeting
                -Foundations
                      -Experts
                      -Bureaucracy

Rockefeller Foundation
    -Studies
          -Nelson A. Rockefeller's candidacies
          -Lack of action
          -Staff
    -Government and corporate bureaucracies

Institute on goals
      -Organization
      -Role of the government
            -National Science Foundation [NSF]
                  -Model
                  -Presidential commission
                        -Problem
                              -Politics
                        -Presidential interest, support, participation
                        -Eisenhower’s goals commission
                                           37

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. 10/06)
                                                                 Conv. No. 647-17 (cont.)



NSF
      -Use of money

New institute
    -Relationship with foundations
           -Credit
                -Funding
           -Effect on those who join foundations

The environment
     -National Center for Environmental Research
          -Proposals
                -Value

Goal-setting
     -Goal institute
           -Establishment of priorities
                 -The President's role
                      -Foreign policy
                             -The People’s Republic of China [PRC] initiative
           -Compared with foundations
                 -Percy's report
           -Businessmen
                 -Pragmatism and idealism
           -Value
           -Government involvement

Goal institute
     -Cities
            -Instruction and assistance in setting goals
                  -Teams
     -Budget
            -Costs
                  -Mahoney
                        -George P. Shultz

Mahoney
    -Cole
    -Garment
                                               38

                               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 10/06)
                                                                         Conv. No. 647-17 (cont.)


     Presentation of gifts
          -Money clips

     Pragmatism
          -Appeal to the President
               -Idealism

Anderson, et al. left and Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 2:14 pm.

     Schedule
          -Meeting with Jon M. Huntsman
              -Children
              -Taping of audio message for Vincent T. (“Vince”) Lombardi Dinner, January
                    14, 1972

Butterfield left at 2:14 pm.