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Conversation 015-163

TapeTape 15StartMonday, November 29, 1971 at 5:05 PMEndMonday, November 29, 1971 at 5:05 PMTape start time04:28:56Tape end time04:31:14ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  White House operator;  Whitaker, John C.;  Colson, Charles W.;  Nixon, Richard M. (President);  White House operator;  Whitaker, John C.;  Colson, Charles W.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AI Summary

President Nixon consults with John C. Whitaker regarding a proposal from Treasury Secretary John B. Connally to establish a national cleanup week. The initiative aims to improve urban conditions by mobilizing citizens and companies to renovate and clean their own homes and workplaces rather than focusing solely on public parks. Nixon directs Whitaker to present the idea to Russell E. Train’s group to evaluate its feasibility and potential for national implementation.

Environmental policyNational Cleanup WeekUrban renewalJohn B. ConnallyRussell E. TrainVolunteerism
AudioNARA Description

On November 29, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, John C. Whitaker, and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at 5:05 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 015-163 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 15-163

Date: November 29, 1971
Time: 5:02 pm - 5:05 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     John C. Whitaker

The President talked with John C. Whitaker; the President conferred with Charles W. Colson
before the conversation begins.

[See also Conversation No. 306-10J]

     Environment
          -Suggestion for a national cleanup week
               -Low income housing
                    -John B. Connally
                    -Blacks
                    -St. Louis and Florida
                    -Volunteers
                           -Companies
                    -Russell E. Train group
                    -Congress
                    -Earth Day
                    -Washington, DC example
                    -Scope
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

smell blood yeah mr whittaker sir yeah uh john yes john connolly uh feels very strongly we talked to it about the other day that on the environmental thing that we ought to have a national cleanup week uh you know you look at these horrible uh housing places you know and of course it would be considered to be anti-negro to do it i guess remember they closed one down in the new in st louis it's only eight years old and
I just drove by one in Florida the other day that's unbelievable.
But you know, you get people to volunteer, you do all sorts of things, you know, clean up your place, paint your place, etc., etc.
Get companies to give free paint and nails and whatever else they do and so forth and so on.
The point they raise with you is this, that I'd like for you to throw this into the train group.
For that TV meeting?
Oh, I see.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
All right.
No, you throw it into the train group for, uh, for, uh, to run it by to see what they think of the idea.
All right.
Now, we don't have a congressional thing, but we might have a buildup on this thing and, uh...
And I'm not sure that's a good idea, but tell Trane and his group...
This is kind of what was done during the Earth Days in the two years.
Except the Earth Day was...
It's kind of echo-freaky.
Yeah, but that was sort of a screw-off thing, you know.
But I mean, rather than going out and cleaning up the parks, I mean, goddammit, cleaning up their own houses.
I understand.
A city thing, you know.
That's right.
That was done by the environmental guy right here in Washington fairly successfully.
They got so darn much garbage out of the...
out of the towns that they couldn't find a place to put it in the dump.
But you're talking about organizing something like that nationally.
I'm at a national cleanup day, and where every community in the country says, we're going to clean up our, and then every citizen says, I'm going to clean up my house, every company, we're going to clean up our office.
We're going to paint, we're going to clean up, we're going to make it shine.
It's just an idea as to something that is to get people to really work on that 80% of the environment in which they live rather than just the 20% which they visit.
Right.
It's just a thought.
Okay.
But throw it in the trains group tournament.
I'd like for them to, you know, gas around about it and see what they want to do.
Okay.
I'll do it, sir.
Thanks.
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