Nixon phone call with Harris on Economic Policy and Inflation

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Hello?

Mr. Lou Harris.

Okay.

You are.

Hello, Lou?

Mr. President?

How are you?

Well, I just wanted to tell you that if Chuck Colson gave you a call, because he usually checks on these things, tell him you've talked to me, will you?

Yes, sir, I will.

Okay.

I'd say your speech tonight was right on the button.

You thought it was the right thing, huh?

Yes, sir.

We had to do it, you know.

This was the time.

I've noted your polls and watched them very closely, and you don't do it just because of the polls, but at times there are things to do that are right, and you do it.

I think that's right.

I think despite what all the economists said, I think the...

The people were hurting on this, and I think the thing that surprised me, and I think fits perfectly, is the freeze on prices, but in effect you're saying the wage settlements are going quite well, and you're giving people a chance.

Well, actually, the wage settlements have not been inflationary in the first six months, so why stick it to them?

That's right.

And I just talked to Fitz on the phones a few minutes ago, and I said, now look...

as long as you don't you know he's he's in the middle of one and woodcock's coming up in september we've got everything else behind us yep and i think they may behave as a result of this otherwise why is that wouldn't have you see oh that's right i talked to nick gerstenberg general motors about two weeks ago he said they're most surprised they expect a pretty good settlement right but you see if on the other hand these guys were faced with an escalating consumer

food price thing they couldn't make that kind of a deal that's the reason we had to do this or otherwise we'd have not only a demand pull inflation but a cost price inflation and then you've got to work to both worlds so that was one of the reasons i had to do this and i thought you're uh you're you're giving people assurances that in phase four you want to keep uh both gasoline and uh and that's right this is really where people are hurting and worried that's right

and I thought I just did it just right.

I think they'll understand that not exporting food, I think their instincts... We've got to get that right.

We're working on that, and I hit that hard with the leaders.

I met with them.

Did you?

I think I got an assurance, yep, from Albert and Mansfield that they would act quickly on that piece of legislation because it doesn't, you know, I don't want to do the foreigner's hand because I, like you, I'm an internationalist, but on the other hand, you cannot have

state you know i sort of a hemorrhage of our soybeans and the rest of the time but steak soybeans three dollars and ten cents in january and now they're eleven dollars well that's ridiculous and that of course you know is the major food used for fattening cattle and then that's a large part of it is exported is it oh this is the point our soybeans are going to europe and to japan

Well, anyway, I'd say you're right on the on the beam on this one, Mr. President.

Well, I appreciate it very much and help a great deal.

You know, I think what it does is really it gives people assurance where they were been mighty worried.

And I think it really sets it up for the Brezhnev thing, too, and I'd say those two together... That's going to be a very important visit.

I couldn't go into details, but as you can...

I can just tell you for your information, it is not going to be insignificant, actually, to put it that way, a British understatement.

Right.

Well, they... And it'll be good for the peace of the world.

Well, they came to me.

I told Al Haig this to ask me if I'd do a tour, which I'll have Tuesday, but what the public thought of his visit, and I'll...

Well, a lot of them will be against it.

You know, you've got several problems.

The Eastern Europeans, you've got this damnable thing about the exit thing, which I worked out with him pretty well, and I'm going to be very tough with him on that.

But beyond that, the more important thing is that this means the two superpowers finally have been making some progress toward handling...

problems that not only would get them in conflict in Europe, but the Middle East and other places.

And that is a tremendous achievement.

You know it.

It has to be done.

It's really, this is the historic thing about, I think, your whole period here in China.

And I'd say that, and that, you know, we found consistently a good 75% of the American people want this continued.

They really...

I noticed that.

Yeah.

and i think they support the foreign policy and disapprove the domestic policy but you know the russians came to me and wanted to know i guess they're asking about watergate really didn't quite do it directly so what i did i had trouble uh you know explain they thought there was some conspiracy against you you see yeah well no and finally dawned on me i went back to october 72 and i said look here's 26 ratings of the president and he's negative on about

Oh, 10 or 12 of these, you see.

I said, now let's look at it today, you see, in May.

This is May, and I said, it isn't a lot different, you see.

And under our system, we just have people, you know, our presidents always get criticized, and yet the important things at the top of the line here, relations with Russia, you see, and peace in the world.

You bet.

He shook his head.

Russians and China.

That's right.

Oh, I had China up there, too.

Yeah, a relationship with Russia and China, you see.

Right.

And he looked.

He said, oh.

And I said, remember, back at the end of early November, the president was elected at 61% of the vote, you see.

Yeah.

And, well, that took me about six hours.

But at the end of it, he said, oh.

He said, I see.

I see.

I said, you see no real change.

Ah.

Yeah.

He walked away quite happy, I think.

Yeah.

We've got the visit worked out very well.

We have the agreements virtually all worked out.

I won't tell you what they are.

I couldn't.

I mean, you wouldn't want to know.

But they've got that.

Henry and I have been working on them, and Henry's done a fantastic job on it.

And incidentally, this thing today in Paris was not insignificant, you know.

Very good.

No, I think that's good.

Good deal.

But the Russian visits on the agreement said it isn't just going to be on nuclear, on control of nuclear, of, you know, it isn't just salt.

It's going to be more than that, I can assure you.

Tremendous.

More than that.

It's much broader.

Well, it's tremendous.

Mr. President, I think those two together are going to go a long way to clear the air here.

Oh, sure.

Well, the Watergate is one of those miserable...

It's one of those things that happen, and it's just disgusting, but it'll pass.

Yep.

I thought Maury Stans held up... Did he?

I didn't see it, no.

He seemed to handle it very well, indeed.

Well, good to talk to you, Lou.

Mr. President.

Thanks.

Thank you, sir.

Nixon phone call with Harris on Economic Policy and Inflation

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Also recorded on June 14, 1973

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