Conversation No. 797-5

Date: October 13, 1972
Time: 10:51 am - 11:17 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John D. Ehrlichman.

         Water bill
            -Edmund S. Muskie
                 -Congressional schedule
                 -Letter to the President
                     -Pocket veto
                           -Layoffs possibility
                           -Continuing resolution
                     -Spending as discretionary
            -Spending as discretionary
                 -House of Representatives
                 -Senate
                     -Muskie
                           -Speech
                           -Letter
                                                6
                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                         Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. Nov-03)

             -Veto possibility
                 -Override
                 -Pocket
             -Length of Congressional session
                 -House Resolution [HR] 1
                 -William E. Timmons's view
                     -HR 1
                     -Debt ceiling bill
                 -Leslie C. Arends
                     -House of Representatives
                 -Michael J. Mansfield
                 -Carl B. Albert
                     -Deadline
                 -Timmons’s view
                     -HR 1, debt ceiling bill, continuing resolution

        HR 1
           -Social Security changes (Titles I, II and III)
               -Impact on payroll taxes, budget deficit
                    -Amount of net increase
           -Possibility of veto
               -Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
               -Pocket

        Water bill
           -Possibility of signing
                -Ehrlichman’s and Timmons’s view
           -Mandatory spending
                -Tax increase
           -Justice Department
           -Budget
           -Political implications
                -Possible veto
                -Discretionary spending provisions
                     -Possible action taken
                         -Legislative history

Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 10:58 am.

        The President's schedule
            -The President's Radio Address on Crime and Drug Abuse, October 15,
             1972
                                               7
                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. Nov-03)

                 -Announcement
                     -Text
                         -Timing
             -Vietnam negotiations
                 -Henry A. Kissinger’s staff

Ziegler left at 11:00 am.

         Water bill
            -Veto possibility
                 -HR 1
            -Discretionary spending provisions
                 -Cities
            -Ehrlichman's and Rogers C.B. Morton’s schedules
                 -Issues and Answers television [TV] program
            -Budget impact
                 -Possible raising of taxes
            -Veto message
            -Discretionary spending provisions
                 -Possible congressional actions
                      -Anti-ballistic missiles [ABMs]
                          -Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
                 -Veto possibility
                      -Low-key approach
                          -Ehrlichman and Morton [appearance on Issues and Answers]
                               -Announcement

         Arthur F. Burns
             -Spending ceiling bill
                  -Russell B. Long
                       -Senate Finance Committee
             -Trip to Japan
                  -Taiwan, Republic of China
                       -Kissinger
                       -US economic policy
             -Wendell Wyatt, Henry C. Bellmon memoranda

         H.R. 56
             -Veto possibility
             -Timber land purchases
             -Congressional relations
                 -Staff efforts
                                      8
             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                              Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. Nov-03)


Consumer protection

Spending ceiling bill
    -Cloture
    -Hubert H. Humphrey
    -Leonard B. (“Len”) Jordan’s schedule
    -The President’s October 12, 1972 breakfast meeting and meeting with Senate
    leaders
    -Wilbur D. Mills
        -Conference
             -The President’s actions
                 -Possible vetoes
                      -Water bill
    -Water bill
        -The President's October 12, 1972 meeting with Senators
    -Long
        -The President’s telephone call to the Senators

Presidential power

1972 campaign
    -Election prospects
        -South
    -George S. McGovern
    -Daniel J. Evans
        -Washington state
        -Albert D. Rossellini
             -Similarities to the President’s positions
                 -Property taxes, government power
                      -Fiscal conservatism
        -Income tax
    -Second term
        -Tone
             -National defense, peace, honor, justice, revenue sharing
    -Welfare
        -Public opinion
             -Busing
                 -Racism
             -Crystallization of national attitude
                 -Compared to 1969
                 -Family Assistance Plan [FAP]
                                 9
        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                        Tape Subject Log
                          (rev. Nov-03)

                   -Congress’ involvement
         -The President’s recent trip to Atlanta
    -George P. Shultz
    -Civilian contract services
    -Youth Conservation Corps
         -Compared to Civilian Conservation Corps [CCC]
         -Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
         -Possible signing
         -OMB
         -Cost
         -Ghettos
         -Need for positive programs
-The President’s constituencies
    -Ethnic groups
         -Blacks
    -South
         -North
    -Midwesterners, westerners
         -Hippies
    -McGovern as issue
         -Stance on issues
    -National defense, the flag, honor, decency, morality
-Atlanta
    -Amnesty, patriotism
    -South
         -Moral, spiritual beliefs
-Moral, spiritual beliefs
    -Midwest
    -Upper New York
    -California
    -Ethnic groups
         -Catholics
-Tenor of the times
-William F. (“Billy”) Graham
    -Fundamentalism
-Permissiveness, anti-Americanism
-George Meany and Eugenia (McMahon) Meany
    -McGovern
         -Foreign policy, lifestyle, patriotism
         -Supporters
              -Atlanta
              -College students
                                             10
                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Nov-03)

                          -Impact on the marginal voter

        The President’s schedule
            -Joe D. Waggonner, Jr.
                 -Forthcoming trip to Romania

Ehrlichman left at 11:17 am.