Conversation No. 652-5

Date: January 20, 1972
Time: 1:33 pm - 2:15 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull and Clark MacGregor.

       Charles W. Colson
            -Schedule

       The President’s schedule
            -Taping
                                               7

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 10/06)



                  -Unknown technician

Bull left at an unknown time before 1:37 pm.

       State of the Union Address, January 20, 1972
             -MacGregor’s view
             -MacGregor’s viewing on TV
                    -Commentary by Paul Duke and Herbert E. Kaplow
                         -The President’s expectations of Congress
                                -Welfare reform
                                -Revenue-sharing
                                -Government reorganization
                                -Environment
                    -Commentary by Hugh S. Sidey, Charles L. Bartlett and unknown black
                      woman
                         -Shirley Chisholm
                         -Politics
                                -Democrats
                                -1960s issues
                                      -Demonstrations
                                            -Campuses, cities
                    -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS] commentary
                    -Media commentary
                         -MacGregor’s secretary
                                -Notes
                         -Address compared with 1971 Address
                                -Language
                                      -Tone

Charles W. Colson entered at 1:37 pm.

             -Dan Rather’s commentary
                  -Democrat leadership
                  -The President’s political tone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at an unknown time after 1:37 pm.

             -William H. Lawrence’s commentary
                   -Strength of speech
                   -1972 election
                         -The President’s platform
                                                 8

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                         Conv. No. 652-5 (cont.)


                        -Economy
             -Lewis Gulick’s comments on Associated Press [AP] wire
                  -Bipartisanship
                        -Historical comparison
                              -Democrats

Bull entered at an unknown time after 1:37 pm.

       The President’s schedule
            -Taping

Bull left at an unknown time before 2:05 pm.

       State of the Union Address
             -John F. Kennedy comparison
             -Vietnam
             -Schools
                    -Local control
                          -Reception by audience
                                -Hubert H. Humphrey and Edmund S. Muskie
                                      -Applause
             -CBS
                    -Daniel L. Schorr’s analysis
                          -West Coast dock strike
                                -Reception by audience
                                -Congress
                                -Humphrey’s and Muskie’s reception
             -Edward M. Kennedy’s reception
             -CBS commentary
                    -The President’s ad-lib
             -Future media coverage
                    -The President’s schedule
                          -Tom McCall
                          -Daniel J. Evans
                    -The President’s statement from Florida, January 21, 1972
                    -Calls to Ronald W. Reagan and others
                          -Reactions to speech
                                -Publicity
             -William E. Brock, III’s views
                    -Challenge to Congress
             -Hugh Scott’s views
                                         9

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/06)
                                                                  Conv. No. 652-5 (cont.)


        -Michael J. Mansfield’s views
               -Tax measures
        -Political strategy
        -Kaplow’s commentary
               -Neil H. McElroy Commission on school finance
               -Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Relations [ACIR]
                      -The President’s concern and initiative
                      -Muskie’s reaction to the President’s reference
                            -Humphrey
                      -Muskie’s role on committee
                            -Attendance at meetings
        -National interest
        -Tone
        -Conclusion
               -Contrast with Edward Kennedy’s National Press Club speech, January 17,
                        1972
               -State of nation
                      -Compared to Edward Kennedy’s and Muskie’s statements
        -Confidence in government
        -Congressional reaction
               -Wright Patman
                      -Forthcoming Gross National Product [GNP] figures
               -Gerald R. Ford
                      -1972 election
               -Margaret C. Smith
               -George D. Aiken
        -Smith
               -Appearance
               -Age
               -Reelection
               -Compared with Aiken
         -Republican Congressional leaders
               -Mood

Scott
        -Commentaries from Pennsylvania newspapers
               -Delivery to MacGregor
        -1972 election
               -Pennsylvania
        -Political work
                                        10

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/06)
                                                                Conv. No. 652-5 (cont.)


Congressional breakfast, January 19, 1972
     -William E. Timmons and MacGregor
     -Scott
     -Ford
     -Robert P. Griffin
     -Leslie C. Arends
     -The President’s submitted State of the Union Address
            -Recommendations
                 -Raymond K. Price, Jr.’s incorporation into address
    -Republican Congressional leaders
            -Mood

Congress
     -Recess
     -State of the Union Address
           -Election year

State of the Union Address
      -Approach avoided
      -The President’s treatment of Congress
      -Roger H. Mudd’s comment
             -Political impact
      -Political impact
      -Statesmanship
      -Length
             -Compared to previous addresses
                    -Dwight D. Eisenhower
             -Price’s view
      -Specific passage
             -Response to the nation’s critics
             -Impact
      -State of nation
      -Credit for the Administration
             -Vietnam
                    -Casualties
                    -Troop withdrawals
      -Congressional recess
             -Griffin’s view of submitted address
                    -Lincoln Day speeches
      -Use by Congressmen
      -National defense issue
                                       11

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. 10/06)
                                                                   Conv. No. 652-5 (cont.)


           -Response
                 -Republicans
                 -Gale W. McGee
                 -John C. Stennis
                 -John N. Ashbrook
                 -Barry M. Goldwater
     -J. William Fulbright’s reaction
           -John V. Brennan’s observation
                 -Muskie
                 -Humphrey
           -John Sherman Cooper’s views of Fulbright
                 -Partisanship
                 -Cooper’s reaction at meetings of Senate Foreign Relations Committee
     -Welfare reform
           -Work
                 -Lincoln Day speeches
                 -Reagan
     -Family assistance issue
           -Reaction received by Colson
           -Patrick J. Buchanan
     -Welfare reform
           -Trial program
           -Conservative response

Congress
     -The Administration’s possible political strategy
          -Democrats
                -Partisanship
                       -Allegations by MacGregor’s office
                             -Duration
                -Attendance at sessions
                -Passage of the President’s legislation
                       -Official daily reminder by Republicans
                             -Number of presidential initiatives
                             -Scheduling
          -Public view
                -Polls
          -Passage of the President’s legislation
                -State of the Union reference
                       -Proposals
                             -Budget
                                             12

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 10/06)
                                                                      Conv. No. 652-5 (cont.)


                                     -Bipartisanship
                        -Timetable for conciliation
                              -June 1972
                              -Democratic National Convention
                              -The President’s trip to Soviet Union
                        -Official daily reminders by Republicans
                              -Samuel L. Devine
                              -Robert J. Dole
                                     -Humor
                              -Scheduling
                              -Democrat reaction
                                     -Sensitivity
                        -Dock strike
                              -Possible hearings

       The President’s schedule
            -Meeting with Republican leaders
                  -MacGregor’s coordination with Haldeman
                  -Scheduling

MacGregor and Colson left at 2:05 pm.

       State of the Union Address
             -Tone
             -Delivery
             -Reception
                    -Kennedys

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 2:05 pm.

       Refreshments

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 2:15 pm.

       White House staff
            -Richard A. Moore
            -Sidey
                  -William L. Safire
            -Moore
                  -Ability
                  -Compared with Safire
                                       13

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                              Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. 10/06)
                                                               Conv. No. 652-5 (cont.)



State of the Union Address
      -Length
             -Written compared to spoken message
      -Delivery on prime time television
             -Compared with delivery before Congress
      -Written compared to spoken message
             -Public and Congress
      -Ceremony
             -Number of attendees
             -Congress, Cabinet and Supreme Court
             -TV viewing

Henry A. Kissinger’s briefing
     -The President’s previous phone call to Kissinger
     -Humor
     -Substance

State of the Union Address
      -Press and media
             -Reaction
      -Bi-partisanship

Vietnam
     -The President’s forthcoming speech on peace plan, January 25, 1972
           -Possible impact
     -Secret negotiations
           -Ending war
     -Congressional involvement
           -Talks with North Vietnam and Vietcong
     -Secret talks
           -Publicity

Kissinger
      -Resignation
            -Effect
                  -William P. Rogers

The President’s schedule
     -Forthcoming taping session
                                               14

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 10/06)
                                                               Conv. No. 652-5 (cont.)


The President and Haldeman left at 2:15 pm.