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Conversation: 663-005

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Start Date: 1-Feb-1972 4:05 PM

End Date: 1-Feb-1972 5:33 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Connally, John B.Ziegler, Ronald L.

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 01:27:20

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 02:56:06

663a.mp3

663b.mp3

NARA Description:

On February 1, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John B. Connally, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:05 pm to 5:33 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 663-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 663-5

Date: February 1, 1972
Time: 4:05 pm - 5:33 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and John B. Connally.

     President’s schedule

     Connally schedule
         -Testimony
               -George P. Shultz
                    -Reaction
               -Taxes
         -Pittsburgh trip
               -Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr. conference
                    -Timing
         -Testimony

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 5:33 pm.

     People’s Republic of China [PRC] and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] trips
          -Possible gifts for officials
               -George Washington
                     -Indians
                            -Medals
                            -Suggestions by Connally
                                  -PRC and USSR
               -Chou En-lai, Mao Tse-tung, Leonid I. Brezhnev
               -Gold
                                           12

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. 10/06)
                                                                    Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


    Domestic programs
        -Congressional relations
              -Revenue sharing
                    -Wilbur D. Mills
              -Welfare
                    -Abraham A. Ribicoff role
              -Blind benefits
                    -Political impact
              -Social Security
                    -Political benefits
              -Welfare
                    -Unemployment
                    -Public opinion
              -Government reorganization
              -Polls
                    -Timing
              -Re-election of the President
              -Congressional leadership
                    -Mills
                    -John W. Byrnes, Keith Sebelius, Frank T. Bow
                    -Byrnes
                    -Ways and Means Committee
                          -Al Ullman
                          -James A. Burke
                          -Unknown person
                          -Dan Rostenkowski
                          -Charles A. Vanik


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 7m 36s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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                                              13

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 10/06)
                                                                      Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


     Connally’s conversation with Pittsburgh businessmen, January 31, 1972
         -National Association of Manufacturer [NAM]
         -US Chambers of Commerce
         -Labor leaders
               -George Meany
         -Unknown person
         -Unknown bankers
         -John D. Harper, Bob Dorsey
         -Connally’s schedule
               -Reception

     Conservative compared to liberal philosophies
         -Connally’s opinion
         -Uniformity
         -Labels
               -Radicals


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 5m 40s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 4:31 pm.

     Press announcement
           -Welfare reform
                -Meeting with governors
                      -Ronald W. Reagan
                      -Daniel J. Evans
                -President’s instruction to Ziegler
                      -Trial cases
                      -Common ground with Congress
                            -Reagan
                                               14

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                 Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


                       -California, New York
                       -Ribicoff proposal

Ziegler left at 4:34 pm.


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 5m 16s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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     Federal funding of campaigns
          -Possible legislation
                -Timing
          -Federal Communications Commission [FCC] compared to networks
                -Congressional action
                -Long term solution
                -Use of network time
                      -Prime time schedules
                            -Advantages
                -Nationalization
                      -Great Britain


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 4m 1s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

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                                       15

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. 10/06)
                                                               Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)




Domestic politics
    -Criticism of President
          -Bob Eckhart
                -Ways and Means Commission
                -Unemployment charts
                     -Republican administrations compared to Democratic ones
                           -Lyndon B. Johnson
                -John F. Kennedy
                -Harry S Truman
                -Dwight D. Eisenhower
                     -Comparisons
                -War economy
                     -Barber B. Conable, Jr.
                           -World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War
                -Care for people
          -Wealthy members of President’s administration
                -Red Smith article
                     -Aerospace industry
                -Rich compared to poor
                     -Possible friction from the public
                -Wage criticism
                -John N. Mitchell
                -Maurice H. Stans
          -Reagan
          -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
                -Possible role
          -Congressional feeling
                -Robert J. Dole
                -Hugh Scott
                -Gerald R. Ford
                -Barry M. Goldwater
          -Spokesmen for President’s view
                -Vietnam
                -Appearances
                     -John V. Lindsay
                     -Nelson A. Rockefeller
                     -Reagan
                           -Support for the President
                     -Opposition efforts
                                        16

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/06)
                                                                  Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


                            -Welfare, People’s Republic of China [PRC], class hatred
                                 -Connally
                      -Goldwater
                            -Television presence
          -The President’s forthcoming trip to the PRC
          -Class distinctions

Economy
    -International monetary conditions
          -Status
                -Gold bill
                -European Economic Community [EEC] view
                -Connally’s previous conversation with unknown person
                -Canada
          -Canada
                -Cabinet
                -Forthcoming election
                -US efforts
                      -Possible statement
                            -Progress
          -Pierre E. Trudeau
                -View of negotiations
          -US public opinion
          -State and Commerce Departments
    -Excise taxes
    -Budget deficit
          -World War II
          -Alternatives
                -Congress
                      -Amount of taxes
                            -Stagnation
          -Economic stimulus
                -Jobs
          -1968 economy
          -Inflation
          -Unemployment
          -Productivity Commission
          -Public relations
                -Connally’s meetings in Pittsburgh
                      -Wage and price controls
                      -Alternative
                                17

              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                         Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. 10/06)
                                                          Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


                       -Inflation
                 -US steel
                       -Japan, West Germany
            -Productivity Commission
                 -Importance
                 -Haldeman
                 -Possible speech
                 -Possible material for speechwriters
                       -Connally
                             -Transcripts
                       -Class distinctions
-International monetary conditions
      -Suspension of convertibility
            -Complexity of issue
            -Europe
            -Arthur F. Burns
                 -Europe
            -US economic growth
                 -Great Britain, France, Japan
            -The President’s August 15, 1971 speech
            -Burns
                 -Recommended call to James Dewey Daane
      -Wage and price controls
-Trade
      -Connally’s testimony
            -Memorandum from Peter M. Flanigan
      -Peter G. Peterson
            -Confirmation as Secretary of Commerce
                 -Testimony
                       -Timing
      -William D. Eberle
            -Previous conversation with Connally
                 -Flanigan
      -Gold
      -Surcharge
            -Connally’s previous with Eberle
                 -State Department
                 -Peterson
                 -Testimony
                 -Negotiations with Canada
                       -Treasury Department
                                  18

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                          Tape Subject Log
                            (rev. 10/06)
                                                         Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


                -EEC
                -Commerce Department
      -Concerns
            -[Unintelligible]
            -Henry A. Kissinger
            -Eberle
            -John Meyer
                  -Possible appointment of businessman
                  -Tariffs
                        -Concern
                        -Burns’s involvement
                              -Quadriad
-The President’s previous meeting with unknown people
-Lack of business input
      -State of the economy
-Criticism
-Money supply
      -Banking
            -Long term rates
                  -Reduction
-Inflation
-Treasury bonds
      -Interest
      -Long-term rates
            -Long term bonds
                  -Percentage
-Big business and bankers
      -Budget
      -Investment tax credit
      -Wage and price controls
-1963-69 trends
      -Effect
      -Competition
      -Intimidation by statistics
            -Retail sales
            -Refusal to get too high or too low
-Connally view on the economy
      -Unemployment
            -Campaign issue
            -Percentage over the last few years
-Movement of inflation indicators
                                               19

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 10/06)
                                                              Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


              -Effect on public
         -Haves compared to have nots
              -PRC, USSR
              -Possible trade bloc
                    -Latin America
         -Flanigan, Peterson
              -Style
                    -President’s opinion

    Personnel
         -Dwight D. Eisenhower
              -Understanding of people
         -Personal styles
              -Communication skills

    Appointments
        -Justice Department
              -Connally’s talk with Mitchell
        -Commerce Department
              -Peterson
        -Bureaucracy

    Government reorganization
        -1972 election
              -November 7, 1972
        -1968
        -Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD]
        -Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
        -Treasury Department
        -Justice Department
        -State Department

    PRC trip
        -1968

    USSR trip
        -Timing


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                                               20

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                 Conv. No. 663-5 (cont.)


BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 6m 2s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7

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Connally left at 5:33 pm.