Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Defense Budget and Meat Price Controls

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Hello.

Mr. Haldeman, sir?

Yes.

Hello.

They're cranking on these people.

I'll give you a quick rundown of what they're covering on the project.

Fine.

On the defense thing, they're running, in addition to our people, through Freediamond Moore's office over there, they're running an all-out project, which we started before the speech.

They have...

This Armed Forces Communication Network, where they can reach instantly, you know, their lobby thing across the country, which they hit before the speech and then are hitting afterwards.

That's good.

On the public program, they're moving on a massive POW onto television, you know, individual POWs onto television.

Oh, yeah, that they're putting on, like on the Today Show, CBS Morning News, the weekend talk shows, and they're saturating with POWs over the weekend, backup stuff.

They're having a briefing at the Defense Department on Monday morning where they're flying in all the leaders of all defense groups, you know, all the support-type organizations on the defense budget as a follow-up to this.

They've got their...

congressional plaque which is they've got 25 key congressmen and senators that they they use as their their you know pushers it's good and we got the va going on uh with don johnson and his apparatus on first of all statements tonight and then they're pushing on the letter campaign on defense budget

And we're not pushing them at all on the spending line.

In other words, they're getting them going on holding the defense.

On the spending thing, we have a leaders group of 10.

This is a network system that they've set up where they...

have a conference call with r10 guys on a regional basis then they wire a whole series of their groups that then move out to individual organizations to get wires and letters in and clausen's that's out of the baruti office then clausen works on a statement

follow-up thing on congressmen.

What they've done is they've got a specific stack operation going on five or six key congressmen, where they're sending them in a special, especially heavy load of letters, and then they're going to hit them the first of the week on, or about the middle of the week, on specific interviews as to how their mail is going.

Packard has telegrammed his regional

chairman of that uh keep the lid on spending committee which is you've got 134 regional chairman now right uh to get them cranking on the the communication to congressman thing the national committee is covering of course their whole network and we've got some damn good stuff back in from the committee on heavy really moving a letter thing they all picked up the challenge right away rogers is working the all of our labor leadership

All we're going to get on that is congratulations on the meat prices.

Sure.

Any thought on that is that we don't care what they do.

They're a positive shot.

And that chamber, the NAM, and that whole crew is going on the...

Now, on our area on Congressman, we did not ask him to call back here with comments because we were pushing him on the wire stuff and whatever.

Their wires are not carrying reaction yet.

They're carrying the...

speech breakdown and analysis stuff right i've got uh some some press comment type stuff that's kind of interesting kirkpatrick at the chicago trip saying it was a pretty tough speech which is kind of interesting he was warning the food processors he was warning the north vietnamese and he was warning the congress

And he appealed to the public to support him in stopping some severe problems.

I expect the reaction to be very positive on meat prices.

It's a hot emotional issue.

And, you know, right, good on that.

Ed Nichols at the San Diego Union said, I thought the president was very emotional, and I think he was entitled to it.

The most powerful part was that about the POWs and the spirit and character of America.

On the part about food, I applaud him for tying the apron strings to the budget beautifully.

He was very powerful on the defense budget, put it in terms the person on the street could understand in terms of strength.

Frank Dale, a little bit differently, said that there was too much in it.

I was yearning for just Vietnam and peace, and the part about the economy diluted the effect of Vietnam.

I could agree on Vietnam now, whereas the country may be divided on the challenge to Congress.

It was a necessary challenge, but I hoped he wouldn't do it tonight.

He handled the closing beautifully.

It was a great political move on the food prices, putting it to the people, and in general, it was very well done.

Chuck Colson says it was a magnificent job.

The action on the meat prices was in the nick of time.

Pulled it all together by speaking out.

Now he stepped into the vacuum just the right time and put the president back into the leadership role.

Conley says the meat, I mean, George Christian.

I don't have a Conley thing.

Meat price freeze will be well received.

POW and Vietnam veterans very well handled.

And we've got a lot of the ethnic leaders because we, you know, they they're on sort of a they all call in.

And they all hit on the peace with honor and glad the statement was made on amnesty.

That's Frank Stella in Michigan and Andrew Candelori.

Terrific comment on amnesty.

Appropriate time to come in on meat prices.

My wife thanks you.

I'll generate letters of support.

Stanley Krajewski, a Polish editor.

Honest, sensible, and wise.

Battle of the family budget is more important than the federal budget.

Like the warning to the communists, said the ceiling on prices is better than a freeze.

Al Majewski, the Polish-American Congress, will marshal his people to send telegrams to the congressman.

Henry Osinski, terrific, especially on POWs, liked the comment on faith in God.

The Maryland Heritage Group's counsel, not granting amnesty is in the spirit of the men who have come back.

America should stand strong on all fronts.

The point of the family budget is critical.

And the Latvian-American guy, this was one of his best, if not the best.

Personally agree with all the points.

Vietnam and so on.

And, uh,

The political types we've gotten, of course, as you would expect, but they're damn good.

The only negative is in the Midwest, guys, where they say it may adversely affect the livestock feeders and cattle people, you know.

It's interesting, though.

Ann Armstrong says a beautiful speech.

The reference to the budget battle was put as well as I've ever heard.

A smart political move.

The cattlemen will holler, but they really know they got off easy.

By not putting controls on raw agriculture products, the president will retain his credibility with the farmer.

Particularly impressed with the reference on the HST buck stops here.

Fleet for National Defense was strong.

And Strom Thurmond has sent you a wire saying, applaud your decisive and responsible action to bring the war.

Also applaud your stand on defense appropriation.

Need to hold line on spending.

I would be deeply concerned, however, over any freeze on raw agricultural products.

Yeah.

You know, but that's... Well, but you've covered their line.

It's all right.

It's good.

Like your Iowa state chairman, the speech was just great.

There'll be concern on the meat price ceiling.

It should be on other products, but the president showed great courage in doing what he did.

Vietnam settlement was very good.

Senator Hughes should stand up now and admit that men like him were wrong when they criticized the president of Vietnam, and McDonald intends to start taking Hughes on on this subject.

Tommy Thomas in Florida says, the three greatest presidents, Washington, Lincoln, and Nixon, organizing letter campaign.

Bob Shaw in Georgia, excellent, particularly on meat prices.

Reaction will be very positive.

Alabama, watched with a group of people.

Everyone thought it was a masterful job.

Many thought it was the best ever.

We're organizing a group to send in letters and telegrams.

David Kennedy, the state chairman of Wyoming.

The international part was very good.

President's brilliant in this area.

Chronology of Vietnam was good.

And he's worried about the trend toward economic controls, but understands and has great faith in President's ability to handle them.

State chairman of New Hampshire, the president has a great knack to put the country in perspective.

The meat price ceiling will be a big hit, but more importantly, the president told Americans what our role in the world is.

And that, I think, while you get some like Dale talking about not liking the combination, I think you're going to find that overall, putting the two together was damn effective.

We couldn't avoid the other one, Bob.

That's right.

Sam Devine says, sensational, outstanding, the best speech he's ever made.

He liked it.

Yeah, okay.

And that's, he'll be getting some more in, but that's a good run.

Not a lot tonight.

We'll get a good run on the, when they start moving the reaction wire, pick up on that.

But I really do think they've got,

They've got more machinery than we've had before on them.

Sure, sure.

I think it's going to be... Let me say, I'm not...

I don't think we'll get the kind of mail response that you get on Vietnam or something because it isn't emotional.

No, that's right.

In the same way.

You're asking about...

But I think we'll get some.

And I think they've got...

They're using devices also.

This idea of targeting some congressmen and really dumping them and then asking them how their mail went is going to be... Sure, it's a gimmick, but it... Oh, sure.

It's what you have to do.

They'll play the gimmick game.

Sure.

And so we'll... That's fine.

...weapon them and... Well, I think they're doing fine.

I think it will produce...

More than we would have done before.

Good.

Okay.

So, fine.

We shall see.

Okay.

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Defense Budget and Meat Price Controls

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on March 30, 1973

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