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Conversation: 462-015

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Start Date: 5-Mar-1971 1:17 PM

End Date: 5-Mar-1971 2:20 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Mulcahy, John A. ("Jack")Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")[Unknown person(s)]Bull, Stephen B.Connally, John B.Sanchez, ManoloCarruthers, William H.

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 05:07:54

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 06:10:50

462-015.mp3

NARA Description:

On March 5, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, John A. ("Jack") Mulcahy, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), Stephen B. Bull, John B. Connally, Manolo Sanchez, and William H. Carruthers met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:17 pm to 2:20 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 462-015 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 462-15

Date: March 5, 1971
Time: 1:17 pm - 2:20 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John A. (“Jack”) Mulcahy and H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

     Greetings

     Evening at the White House, March 16, 1971
          -Mulcahy’s arrival
          -Mulcahy family
                -Schedule
                -Daughter
                -Kevin Mulcahy

     A story about a cemetery
          -Henry C. Cashen, II
                -Mulcahy

     Mulcahy’s tour of duty in Ireland

     Mulcahy’s briefing, March 5, 1971
         -Peter M. Flanigan [?]

     Mulcahy’s previous meeting with Jerry Brown [?]
         -A list on union activities
                                                 55

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 9/08)



                -Transmittal to President

     Plans for an addition to Afrin [?] Castle
          -William P. Rogers’ previous visit
          -Location

     Possible trip by President to Ireland
                                                                      Conv. No. 462-15 (cont.)

**********************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 29s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

**********************************************************************


     Jack McCarthy
          -Position
                -Coverage of St. Patrick’s Day parade
          -Trip from Ireland
          -Evening at the White House, March 16, 1971
                -Invitation
                -Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy’s attendance
                -Arthur F. and Helen (Bernstein) Burns’ attendance
          -Support for the President

     Presidential gifts
          -Golf balls, cuff links, and tie clasps for Mulcahy and McCarthy

     Mulcahy’s schedule

Mulcahy left at 1:23 pm

     Mulcahy

     President’s schedule
          -Camp David
                                              56

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)



               -Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon
               -Departure time
          -Nelson A. Rockefeller meeting and briefing
               -Time

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 1:23 pm

     Wrong buzzer                                                     Conv. No. 462-15 (cont.)

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 1:25 pm

     Mulcahy
         -Compared with Robert H. Abplanalp
         -Background

     A telegram from Charlton Heston
           -Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope’s previous conversations with the President
           -Receipt
           -Haldeman’s instructions to Bruce A. Kehrli
           -Kehrli’s effort to locate Heston

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 1:23 pm

     President’s schedule
          -John B. Connally

Bull left at an unknown time before 1:25 pm

     Telegram from Heston
          -A call from Kehrli
               -Hope
               -White House efforts
               -Content of telegram
                     -Pornography

Connally entered at 1:25 pm

     Connally’s press briefing
         -Ronald L. Ziegler’s response

     Connally’s schedule
         -Work at Treasury Department
                                           57

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 9/08)



         -Social schedule
              -Purpose
              -Cyrus R. (“C. R.”) Smith, Robert S. Strauss, and Henry H. (“Joe”) Fowler
                    dinner at the Metropolitan Club
                    -Andre Meyer [?], Lewellyn A. Jennings, Frank Stanton, Clark M.
                          Clifford, Hubert H. Humphrey, John D. Harper
                    -Thomas C. (“Del”) Barger, Gustave L. Levy, Joseph A. Thomas
                    -Political orientation                          Conv. No. 462-15 (cont.)
              -Purpose
         -Work at Treasury Department
         -National security work
              -The President’s view
              -Purposes

    US foreign policy
         -Middle East


**********************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[National Security]
[Duration: 1m 1s ]


    MIDDLE EAST


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

**********************************************************************


         -World War II
              -”Operation Overlord”
                   -Dwight D. Eisenhower
                   -Omaha Beach

    -Vietnam
         -US military forces
         -General Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
         -Connally’s possible public comments
                                       58

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



    -President’s possible actions
          -President’s March 4, 1971 press conference
          -Outcome of war
          -Possible Connally conversations
    -Possible US military actions
          -Reasons
                -Prisoners of War [POWs]
                -Vietnamese elections                    Conv. No. 462-15 (cont.)
    -US strategy
          -Critics
          -Polls
                -Laos (Lam Son)
    -President’s position
          -US strategy
                -Outcome
    -President’s advisors
          -Connally’s role
          -Kissinger
          -Rogers
Economic policy
    -Connally’s role
    -Charls E. Walker’s role
    -Connally’s work at Treasury Department
          -Paul W. McCracken
          -Burns
          -Knowledge
    -Personnel at Treasury Department
          -Walker
          -Paul A. Volcker
          -Walker
          -James E. Smith
          -Staff
                -Need for additional staff
                      -Frederic V. Malek’s role

Economic policy
    -Statements to “New York crowd”
          -Confidence
                -Compared to foreign policy statements
    -Stock market
          -Trend
    -Interest rates
                                  59

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                          Tape Subject Log
                             (rev. 9/08)



      -Connally’s statements to Burns
            -President’s response
            -Banker’s response
-Burns
      -George P. Shultz’s role
      -Connally’s role
      -The President’s handling
            -Quadriad meetings                      Conv. No. 462-15 (cont.)
      -Leaks to press
      -Relations with Congress
            -Humphrey
      -Federal Reserve Board
            -President
            -Connally
            -Quadriad meeting, March 5, 1971
                  -Bonds
-Interest rates
      -Burn’s forthcoming Congressional testimony
            -Response
      -Effect on banks
      -Tax payments
-Disposition
      -Connally’s view
-Time deposits
      -Response
-Interest rates
      -Burns
      -Connally
      -Banks
      -Long-term
-Connally’s finances as an example
      -Ranch
            -Loan
                  -Interest rate
      -Discussions with bankers
            -Decreases in interest rates
            -Loans
-Banks
      -Money supply
-Interest rates
      -Administration policy
      -Short-term
                                              60

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 9/08)



                -Prime rate
                -Connally’s discussion with Jake Jacobson
                      -Lyndon B. Johnson administration work
                      -Jacobson’s bank
                            -Loans
                                  -Number
                                  -Rates
                -President’s position                           Conv. No. 462-15 (cont.)
                      -Administration policy
                      -Rates
                -Connally’s check of other banks
                -Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo’s bank
                -Average citizen
           -Trends in economy
                -Unemployment figures
           -Stock market levels
                -Increases
                -Confidence
                      -Burns’ view
                      -Other economists’ views
                      -Shultz
                      -McCracken
                      -Connally’s view
                            -Rate of economic growth
                            -Unemployment decrease
                            -President’s budget
                            -Corporate taxes and profits
                            -Unemployment
                            -Federal revenue
                            -Comments to press
                            -Press view

     Connally’s schedule
         -New York trip
               -Transportation
               -Rockefeller
                     -Albany, New York City
                     -John T. Logan

Connally left at 1:50 pm

     Connally
                                              61

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)



          -Future
          -Work at Treasury Department

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 1:50 pm

     Refreshment order

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 2:05 pm                  Conv. No. 462-15 (cont.)

     Burns
          -Quadriad meeting, March 5, 1971
              -President’s statements

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 1:50 pm

     Sanchez’s schedule

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 2:05 pm

     President’s schedule
          -Cancellation of Rochester trip
                -Possible problems
                      -J. Edgar Hoover

     President’s March 4, 1971 press conference
          -Charles W. Colson
                -Calls
                -Senate
          -Possible public response
                -Cambodia issue
                -Press
                      -Ziegler
                      -Washington Post, New York Times
                            -President’s response
                      -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
                      -President’s response to a question
                            -Tone
                            -Content
                            -Coverage

     Vietnam
          -News coverage
                                                62

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 9/08)



               -Public opinion
                     -Effect
               -Editorials
          -Tchepone battle
               -Coverage
               -Possible outcome
                     -Kissinger
                           -Troops                                 Conv. No. 462-15 (cont.)
               -National Security Council [NSC] meeting, March 5, 1971
          -US military action
               -The President’s instructions
                     -Bombing
                           -Reasons

     President’s press conferences
          -Preparation
                -Results
                -Importance
          -Possible office press conferences
                -William H. Carruthers
                      -Meeting with President

[The President talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 1:50 pm and 2:05
pm]

[Conversation No. 462-15A]

     President’s schedule
          -Carruthers

[End of telephone conversation]

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 1:50 pm

     President’s schedule
          -Carruthers

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 2:05 pm

     [Unintelligible]

     An unknown man
                                               63

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 9/08)




     Polls
             -An analysis
             -Vietnam War
                  -George H. Gallup poll
                       -Questions
                             -Laos (Lam Son)
                             -Compared with White House poll and another
                                                                     Conv.
                                                                         pollNo. 462-15 (cont.)
                  -Results
                       -Compared with previous Opinion Research Corporation [ORC] poll
                       -Chilton, ORC
                       -Compared with previous polls
                       -Chilton

Carruthers entered at 2:05 pm

     President’s future press conferences
          -Oval Office
                -Camera coverage
                      -Carruthers’ view
                      -Seating options
                      -Camera locations
                      -President’s and press positions
                      -Camera positioning
                      -President’s and press positions
          -Briefing room
          -Oval Office
                -President’s view
                -Lighting
                      -Types of cameras
                -President’s and press positions
                      -Camera positions
                -History
                      -Franklin D. Roosevelt
                -Camera positioning
                -Coverage
                -Lighting
          -Blue Room
                -Lighting
          -Briefing room
          -Blue Room
          -Radio simulcast
                                       64

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 9/08)



     -Old Executive Office Building [EOB] office
          -Radio coverage
          -Capacity
          -Radio coverage
     -Locations
          -Radio, film considerations
                -Pool coverage
                -Types of cameras                            Conv. No. 462-15 (cont.)
     -Oval Office
          -Atmosphere
          -Photo coverage
          -Atmosphere
          -Photo coverage
                -Lighting
          -Set-up time
                -Lead-time
                -Scenario
                -Costs
          -Photo coverage

President’s schedule
     -Rockefeller meeting
           -Location

President’s future press conferences
     -Carruthers’ work
     -Make-up
           -Importance
           -President’s preparation
           -Importance
           -Time needed
           -Importance

President’s March 4, 1971 press conference
     -Carruthers’ response
     -Ziegler
           -Press response
                -Compared to the Vice President’s comments
     -President’s preparation
     -President’s statement to audience
           -Effect
                                            65

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)



     President’s schedule
          -Rockefeller

     Carruthers’ schedule

Haldeman and Carruthers left at 2:20 pm

                                                                    Conv. No. 462-15 (cont.)