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Conversation: 663-004

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Start Date: 1-Feb-1972 3:02 PM

End Date: 1-Feb-1972 4:00 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Reagan, Ronald W.Mitchell, John N.Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")White House photographerBull, Stephen B.Evans, Daniel J.Hodgson, James D.Shultz, George P.

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:26:24

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:27:20

663a.mp3

663b.mp3

NARA Description:

On February 1, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald W. Reagan, John N. Mitchell, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House photographer, Stephen B. Bull, Daniel J. Evans, James D. Hodgson, and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:02 pm to 4:00 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 663-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 663-4

Date: February 1, 1972
                                             4

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 10/06)



Time: 3:02 pm - 4:00 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald W. Reagan, John N. Mitchell and H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman; the
White House photographer and members of the press were present at the beginning of the
meeting.

     Appointments
         -Atomic Energy Commission [AEC]
              -Woman [Jane Hall]
                   -Los Alamos
                   -Symbolism
                   -Supreme Court
                   -Martha (Beall) Mitchell
                   -Council of Economic Advisors [CEA]
                         -Marina von N. Whitman
                               -John von Neumann
                   -John Lawrence, James R. Schlesinger
                   -California

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 3:29 pm.

     Domestic problems
         -Washington Post
         -Congressional testimony
               -Senate Finance Committee
                    -Welfare reform and Family Assistance Plan [FAP]
                    -Karl E. Mundt
               -San Clemente
         -President’s desire for full employment
               -Abraham A. Ribicoff
                    -Trial cases
         -Welfare
               -Russell B. Long
         -Upcoming spending plans
               -Amount of savings
         -C5A spending
               -West Germany
               -Japan
               -Melvin R. Laird initiative
                    -Reagan’s opinion
                                        5

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. 10/06)
                                                                Conv. No. 663-4 (cont.)


                -North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
                -Technical problems
                      -Amount of allocations
                      -Solutions
                            -Rolls Royce Motors
                                 -Northup
          -Employment benefits
          -Arms race implications
                -Japan
          -Laird role
          -John B. Connally
                -Role
     -Defensive posture
          -NATO
                -Joseph M. Luns
          -President’s instructions
                -Reagan’s upcoming conversation with [David] Kenneth Rush
                -Rush’s location

Economy
    -Concern of businessmen
         -Call to Reagan from Reed Kaiser [?] [sp?]
         -State of the Union address
         -Budget message
         -Justin W. Dart
         -Deficit spending
               -Depressive effect
               -Reagan’s opinion
               -Possible speech by the President
                     -Compared to the President’s Vietnam peace proposal speech,
                           January 25, 1972
    -Economic outlook
         -Deficits
               -Compared to Lyndon B. Johnson
               -Inflation
               -Full employment
               -Demand for labor
               -Expert view
         -Budget
               -Possible broadcast
                     -Dart
                                            6

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 10/06)
                                                                    Conv. No. 663-4 (cont.)


                         -1968 elections
                    -Employment
                    -Defense
              -President’s meeting with Reagan concerning People’s Republic of China
                    [PRC]
                    -Taiwan, Republic of China


******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration: 10s ]


    CHINA


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

******************************************************************************


              -Difficulty of deficit problem
                    -Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1958
                          -Comparisons

    California Republican Assembly [CRA]
          -Background
               -Conservatives
                     -Number of members
          -Executive board meeting
               -Harry S. Dent
          -Forthcoming convention
               -Invitation to President
               -Scheduling
                     -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
               -[Forename unknown] Colbert [?]


**************************************************************************
                                               7

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                               Conv. No. 663-4 (cont.)



BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Political Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 21s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

**************************************************************************


     Forthcoming Republican governors dinner
          -Reagan
          -Nelson A. Rockefeller
          -Linwood Holton
          -William G. Milliken


**************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Political Returnable]
[Duration: 59s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

**************************************************************************


     Daniel J. Evans

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 3:02 pm.

     The President’s schedule

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:29 pm.

     Dock strike
         -Congress
         -Harry Bridges
                                                8

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 10/06)
                                                                     Conv. No. 663-4 (cont.)


                -Labor division
                -Talk with the President in Oregon
                -Age
           -Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services

     Vietnam
          -President’s peace proposal
          -Proposal for resolutions before California legislation
                -American people
                -Media coverage
                     -Press release

Evans, James D. Hodgson and George P. Shultz entered at 3:29 pm; the White House
photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

     Greetings

     Dock strike
         -Legal aspects

Mitchell left at 3:29 pm.

     Dock strike negotiations
         -Coal mine

     [Photograph session]

     Dock strike negotiations
         -Long range problems
                -Legislation from Congress
         -Short range problems
                -Need for action
                -Taft-Hartley Act
                -Senate
                      -Alan Cranston
                           -President’s opinion
                      -Democratic presidential candidates
                           -Organized labor
                                 -Taft-Hartley Act
         -Teamsters Union
         -Negotiation status
                                      9

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                             Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. 10/06)
                                                        Conv. No. 663-4 (cont.)


      -Bridges
            -Length of negotiations
                  -Possible union mergers
-Congressional action
      -Comparison to the East Coat
      -East compared to West Coast
            -“Continental Gap”
                  -Possible settlement
                        -Jurisdiction issue
                        -Barry M. Goldwater
                        -Elliot L. Richardson
                        -Telegram
                        -Motion picture studio strike
                              -Hardhats
                        -Reagan’s talk with Bridges
                        -Compared to 1950 situation
-President’s concern
      -Use in public statements
      -Need for more attention to West
            -Recognition by Congress
            -Washington
            -California
            -Oregon
            -Hawaii
            -Wyoming
            -Utah
                  -Possible impact on western states
-Agriculture
      -Wheat
      -Corn
-Congressional concern
      -Press
      -Possible action
            -Proposed legislation in the West
                  -Cranston
                  -Jack Williams of Arizona
      -Hearings
      -Possible formula
      -Railroad Labor Act
      -Taft-Hartley Act
            -Approach to Congress from President
                                          10

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 10/06)
                                                                Conv. No. 663-4 (cont.)


          -Inaction
                -Possible results of strikes
                -Congressional vacation
                     -Lincoln Day
                     -Mike McCormack
                     -Clark MacGregor
                     -Frank E. Evans
          -Railroad and trucking strikes
     -Labor problems
     -Economic effect of strike
          -Europe
          -Great Britain
                -Possible problems
     -Reagan’s experience
          -General Electric [GE]
                -1958
          -Motion picture studio strike

Welfare
     -Benefits of plan
     -Medicaid
          -Ribicoff
                -Former role
                       -Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
                -Congressional pilot program
          -Eligibility
                -Disabled
                -Reagan’s opinion
          -Waivers
          -Cost of living increase
                -Wages
                       -Percentage
                            -Evans’s comments

Abortion
     -Law
     -Liberal ideas
     -Reasons
     -Medicaid
     -Number
     -Welfare rolls
                                              11

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 10/06)
                                                                      Conv. No. 663-4 (cont.)


           -Property rights of unborn

     Well wishes from the President
          -Forthcoming dinner

Reagan, et al. left at 4:00 pm.