Conversation No. 678-1

Date: March 6, 1972
Time: 3:00 pm - 3:58 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with George W. Romney.

     Greetings

     Florida
           -Romney’s previous trip
                 -Engineers
           -Morale
           -Presidents previous trip
                 -Weather

     The People’s Republic of China [PRC] trip
          -Time zones

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:00 pm.

     Refreshments

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:58 pm.

     Revenue sharing
         -Senate
               -Urban needs
               -Housing
               -House vote
               -John J. Sparkman
                     -The Presidents view
                          -Compared to Allen J. Ellender

     League of Cities and Conference of Mayors
         -Meeting with Romney
         -Housing problems in central cities
               -Compared with suburban housing problems
         -The Articles of Confederation
         -Metropolitan areas
               -Independence of suburban communities
                                             2

                         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 10/06)
                                                                    Conv. No. 678-1 (cont.)

          -Sam Massell
               -Theme for next meeting
                     -The “Real City”
          -Romney’s previous meeting in Philadelphia
               -Conference of mayors
          -Material for the President
          -Romney’s appreciation for the President’s support

Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:00pm.

     Departments within the Administration
         -Housing and Urban Development [HUD]
              -Romney
         -Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
              -Elliot L. Richardson
              -The President’s view
         -HUD
              -The President’s view
                    -Great Society programs

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:58pm.

               -Romney’s view
                   Cities, race and housing
                         -Housing
                         -Race issues
                         -Schools
                               -Busing issues
                         -Housing
                               -Social issue
                               -Value of housing
                   -Romney’s job
                         -Goals
                         -Comparison
                               -Terms as Governor of Michigan
                               -American Motors Corporation [AMC]

     The ‘Real City”

     American political system
         -Abraham Lincoln’s view
                                          3

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/06)
                                                                   Conv. No. 678-1 (cont.)

     -Failure to resolve problems
     -Resolution of problems through crisis
           -Walter Lippman’s view
                 -Elective process
                 -Winston Churchill
                       Germany
                 -Lincoln
                       -“House divided” speech
                       -Emancipation Proclamation
     -Henry C. Simon
           -Quote
                 -Compared to Detroit school situation
                       -Romney’s undelivered speech of December 1968
                            -Quote by Lippman
                            -Political campaigns
                                  -Discussions of issues

Busing
     -Possible constitutional amendment
     -Detroit school system
          -Citizen group
                -Resolution of problem
                      -Agreements

Resolutions of problems
     -Citizens for Michigan
           -Identify problems
                 -Constitutional reform
                 -Tax reform
           -League of Women Voters
           -Church
           -Junior Chamber of Commerce
           -Media
     -Citizens for America
           -Romney’s decision to run for re-election in Michigan
                 -Constitutional convention
                 -Tax reform
                 -Question of importance
           -Romney’s talk with the President in New York
                 -1960
                       -Steel settlement
                                          4

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/06)
                                                                    Conv. No. 678-1 (cont.)

                     -Citizens for Michigan
           -Governorship

Fundamental issues in US
    -Lack of confidence in government
          -Revenue sharing
          -State governments
          -Local governments
                -Race
                -Suburban areas
                      -Fears
                      -The “Real City” approach
                      -Crimes
                      -Drugs
                      -Venereal disease
                      -Blight
    -Abuse of excessive private power
          -Competition
                -Strengthen market values
                -Restraint of trade principle
                      -Sherman Anti-Trust Act
          -Prohibition
                -Justice Department
                -Labor and industry
                      -Wage and price actions
                      -Economic court
          -Paul W. McCracken
          -Richard W. McLaren
          -Reluctance of elected officials
    -Confined contagious central cities situation
    -Structure of suburban governments around central cities
          -Militant minority citizens
          -Example of Washington, DC
                -Metropolitan areas of US
                      -Zoning ordinances, tax structure, and building code procedures
                            -Limitation
                                  -Blacks and poor
                                        -Central cities
                                              -Capital area
                                                    -Prince George’s County, Maryland
                                              -Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago, New York, etc.
                                           5

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 10/06)
                                                                   Conv. No. 678-1 (cont.)

                                           -Critical masses of poor and minorities
                                                 -Public housing projects
                                                      -Romney’s use of a phrase
                                                            -Churchill’s speech in Fulton,
                                                                  Missouri
                                                                  -“Iron Curtain”
                                       -Unemployment
                                           -Crimes
                                       -Demands for quality
                                           -Timing
                                       -Working with or destroying the present system
     -Abuse of private power
     -Cities
     -Lack of confidence in government
     -Revenue sharing

Romney’s accomplishments
    -Auto industry
          -Michigan
                -Labor
                      -Walter P. Reuther
                      -Voluntary cooperation
                            -Results
          -AMC
                -Compact car concept
    -Michigan
    -Romney’s views
    -Citizens for America
          -John W. Gardner
                -Performance
                      -Failure to identify key issues
                            -Contributions
                -Republicans
                      -New York
                -Arthur Krock editorial
                      -Washington Post
                      -Unions
                      -Unions
                      -Busing and race issues
          -Feasibility
          -The President’s reelection
                                          6

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/06)
                                                                  Conv. No. 678-1 (cont.)

                -Issues
                      -Second term
           -Romney’s view
                -Need for public understanding and support
           -Michigan
                -Romney’s election
                      -Income tax reform

Congress
    -Acceptability of issues
    -Polls
    -Media
    -Reflection of American public views
    -Labor
          -Robert A. Taft, Sr.-Fred A. Hartley, Jr. Act of 1946
                -The President’s experience as a Congressman
                     -Hartley
                     -Taft
                     -Harry S. Truman’s possible veto
          -Transportation bill
          -Responsiveness
                -Public opinion
          -Attitude of American citizens

Citizens for America
      -Need for leadership
      -Financial backing
           -Gardner’s efforts
           -Ford Foundation
           -Rockefeller Foundation
           -Carnegie Foundation
           -Liberals
           -Urban Coalition
           -Gardner
                  -Vietnam
      -Public support
      -Understanding of race
      -The “New City”
      -Feasibility
      -Finances
           -Citizens for Michigan
                                   7

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                           Tape Subject Log
                             (rev. 10/06)
                                                            Conv. No. 678-1 (cont.)

            -Henry E. Ford, II
      -Staff
      -Travel expenses
-Timing
      -Election year
            -Fundraising
-Results
      -Economic aspects
            -Competition
                  -Soviet Union
                        -Politics
                  -PRC
                        -The President’s view
                              -Competition between the US and PRC
                  -Soviet Union
                        -US-Soviet trade agreement
                              -Grain sales
                        -Society
                        -Leaders
                        -Fears
-Business power
-Labor power
-Cities
-Timing
      -1972 election
-Support from the President
-Democrats
-Republican platform
      -The “Real City”
-Plan
      -Finance
            -Gardner’s list
-Labor
      -Reuther
      -Leonard Woodcock
            -Citizens for Michigan
-Urban Coalition
-Common Cause
-Individual support
      -Idealists
-Timing
                                   8

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                          Tape Subject Log
                            (rev. 10/06)
                                                    Conv. No. 678-1 (cont.)

      -New administration
-Women representation
-Race representation
-Youth representation
-Control
-Staff
      -Quality
-Voluntarism
-Gardner
      -Campaign contributions
            -Congress
            -Common Cause
-Participation of many groups
-Leadership
-Preparation
      -Need for strong administrator
-Romney
      -Duties at HUD compared to possible duties
      -Cabinet members
      -The President’s view
-Organization
      -Henry A. Kissinger
-Gardner
      -Common Cause
      -Michigan
      -Previous talk with Romney
            -Citizens for Michigan
            -Need for key issues
-Election
-Romney’s undelivered speech
                                               9

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                Conv. No. 678-1 (cont.)

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 17s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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     Unknown man
         -Unknown woman
             -Chicago

Romney left at 3:58 pm.