Nixon, Ziegler & Buckley on Supersonic Transport and Environmental policy

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His office is on one side of the machine or something.

All right.

As a matter of fact, they announced it.

Uh, I have a...

If... On the 3rd or the 4th, if you'd like to get out of bed, well, they'll get it out.

So we're going to invite you to take a little bit of time to get some of the job in the world.

All right.

Well, have a crap day.

All right.

Well, Howard Smith got a good break last night, didn't he?

He...

Yes, sir.

I thought that.

I thought it was a great... You know, he's a good guy.

Actually, you know, we had varied reactions.

Some people liked the press conference better, some liked this better.

It depends.

Some people thought his question was very hard.

There wasn't one of those questions that was an anticipated question.

He was coming off it in an accurate way.

I like the way you question it.

The general reaction there was one that was very firm, very strong, but also very impressive.

How are you?

Sir, I was meeting with your mayor.

I did your best.

I don't think I got a call.

Oh, God.

God damn it, it doesn't need to run that badly.

I think it's bad enough.

I think that's what it is.

Iraqi, of course, he doesn't like Lucy for Iraqi reasons, but, you know, I have to tell the truth, it's the right part.

But apparently he doesn't know how to run a show very well.

He's not obsessed.

He says that we just have something.

It's all up to the administrator.

Is that what the situation is?

I don't understand yet.

I mean, he does understand that I'm trying to say the same thing.

I mean, not only is that what the administrator is, but we've gone along with monitoring the changes in the movement of the men.

It's been about a matter of 20 years since we've had that action.

Many musicians have had all the limitations.

Yeah, yeah.

Around this policy, the beginning, after 20 years.

After 20 years, they're out of the bill 50% to 10%.

Yeah.

And he said it was just a question of losing people, not getting people.

And you know, that's sitting in New York.

We think of all, many of these many countries, we're not speaking of the world government, it's not in here, but it's in the rest of town, sitting in New York.

Thank you so much for that.

Let me tell you why I wanted to talk to you today.

I want you to know that I...

would not impose upon any senator and say a matter except to .

There is a matter that I consider that moves away from partisan considerations and

which involves not just domestic, but what I think, international issues.

I think I have a lot of responsibility to sort of let you know.

Here's my team, an SS team.

I know that you have expressed concern on the environmental one.

My own view is that on that subject that we have, that would be, and it was my insistence that it be done, written in the proposal that you say Congress will provide prototypes on that will be constructed and

that environmental questions must be answered before we go forward with full production.

Now, it seems to me that that kind of approach is the best answer to the environmental arguments.

Who knows whether the noise decibels are too high or whether this or that.

I'm no expert on all these things.

But I do know that the environmental question

is one that has been kicked around here.

We looked into it.

And we believe that first, that the plane can be built and meet environmental standards.

But second, we have not accepted that at face value.

We have said, if the plane is built, we will only prototype it.

Only if it does meet those standards will we go forward with it.

Now, I give you that assurance that you already know this and your thoughts.

Let me tell you the reason I am for it.

And this will solve the economic reasons for inflation.

I mean, the number of jobs that are involved, the fact that the United States is doing a lot.

This is our transport is our major.

producer of the balance of payments, the fact that people produce a lot of tax income and so forth, assuming that the economic, the economics of the planet works.

I understand that that is a debatable point, too.

You know, we may get a little work out.

My view goes further than that.

The strongest argument for it is that it is somewhat like a safe space

in a very different sense, is this, that in any area where what is involved is a new breakthrough, or what I would call the exploration of the unknown, whatever it may be, that it drops out of that competition, that drops out of that because of its fears, because it's so highly intellectualized,

that it consults its fears more than its inning drive at that nation, that's a very great risk of ceasing to realize its full potential.

Let me also say this politically, I have to be quite candid,

The majority of the people in this country would say, don't put a necessity, put a poor purpose, or a poor this or that or the other.

The majority of the people, just as the majority of the people now in the region are against the space program.

But at this time, as I look at the U.S. position in the world,

that with the Soviet Union going ahead and building the plane, with the French building sort of something in between the Concorde and the French Bridge, that it seems to me that the United States, which the first industrial power, or the first nation in the world, I have to plead, I feel that the United States

simply mustn't drop out of that race, I think that would have, I think the effect economically would be wrong.

As I've already explained, I'm an environmental expert, not conservative, due to the fact that we're, I say conservative, but I believe that we can answer your question.

But I think that while we would have aspired to leave, well now we've got all this dough that we're going to put into the SST that we've got for other purposes and we're not going to worry about the environment and the rest, and that would be the immediate reaction.

Five years from now, ten years from now, I think the reaction on the American spirit could be something that we really couldn't measure in terms of the money.

That's what I've been doing.

I want you to just hear it directly.

Appreciate it.

Thank you very much.

I am concerned about the environment in that we could get into a new area where there are some unknowns until we know all the facts.

We could reverse it, we couldn't reverse it.

I've seen the evidence, and I get that we're 95% of the public.

I think we're gonna be 100%.

But I would say that I've been tremendously impressed with the obvious understanding that your administration has of these ecological

causing attacks, and you're committed to seeing that there's a prompt prudence and also a willingness to make unfaithful and non-faithful decisions, such as in the air now and every day, and that's confinement.

No, I don't mean every day.

I mean the march.

The march.

Right.

You follow that, don't you?

Yeah, yeah.

That's interesting, sir.

Now, I know you campaigned on it, too.

You campaigned on it quite a while ago.

I've had some problems, both with myself and with the decision of what I'm going to do.

I have total confidence in the overall administration of this area.

However, based on my business background,

And it doesn't get any contracts, and I don't see any contracts.

I don't know if that just hit me.

The management could change something.

And we've got to do a survey.

Yeah.

We can all grab that tomorrow.

Would the administration exist?

It would be hard to introduce a bill to say that it's systematized.

They could review the committee, which will, as I said, not be launched until there.

Evaluation says that before going into the commercial stage, we've satisfied the environment.

Okay, I have a really low, will you consider giving me a bill?

Yes, sir, I have problems with that.

One is that the bill, when it goes in, regardless of how well-meaning, it may not come out the way you want it to.

with our other friends on that hill and maybe change to lock in a committee that really is pressed against us.

It's a possibility that I think the president has to look at before he endorses the bill.

Secondly, I'd be concerned about a review board or a review committee to make sure that a broad range of factors are represented.

Well, as you say, we will review it.

We will review it.

that we're going to have a good crack at it for at least the next few years.

And I can say, I'm trying to see a way to beat it even harder.

I can't even say you have an absolute commitment for me.

personal commitment that all the environments that I am concerned about, the environment that you are, I recognize this concern.

And that I will, that I intend to see that the review system is provided.

I think we can do that.

I think Bill's got a point.

But I will certainly make the commitment to the

We set up a procedure, a satisfactory procedure, and I'd be glad to have you look over the procedure whereby we do examine these entire mental issues.

You see, you don't have to do the ABM.

We call it the ABM.

I look at it every year.

The program each year is based on three criteria.

One, magnitude of the threat, two, any progress in negotiations with the Russians, and three, the...

the technology.

And so the program from Albert and Mark Schneider reflected those three factors, criteria, and so on.

And so it is with this.

As we go forward, I will do everything, clearly a part of what the legislation provides, the appropriation and so forth, I will do everything

should make any bill required in terms of environmental criteria.

I don't think that's going to happen.

But he does look at what you have.

And I can assure you that he's tasty.

I don't know whether, as a matter of fact, I don't do it.

How's it coming?

It's pretty close.

It's very tight.

We just got our 48 boat.

You got 47?

48 now, 47 yesterday.

Yeah, you got 47.

I was telling Senator I'm worried about .

You want a 47?

Committed to labor, but we understand he's backing off.

I'm worried about.

Well, that was the contact that Hubert committed to me.

Well, what about any others that you could get?

Of course, Mark.

I would be all right.

I've said it all this morning.

Leaders.

And she, you know what I mean, she doesn't mind her, she's a great lady, but we learn to deal with her, never urge her to do anything.

She does the opposite.

The opposite, the opposite.

You haven't counted her before you said?

No.

Anybody else you can count?

When probably we're working on that.

How many votes will it be, can I ask?

It could be 98.

It could be two that I absolutely know of, and they're trying to get a few guys to take a walk.

It's a favor to us, but we don't want to take a walk up in the hell.

He doesn't come up for five years.

Did he campaign against it or something?

Yes, he had an environment.

Well, I understand.

I'll go see him.

Because the old, because Vermont is the very first place that's not here.

So we're the first place to go.

So, yeah, we can get it all back.

Well, let me say that I appreciate it.

And I know you're concerned.

But I'd love to tell you, I will be the one to meet it.

Whenever you think that it is the day that you let me know, please have it.

It's done.

Thanks.

Good to see you.

Do you have a good ride up to the country?

It's all good.

It's about an hour.

Oh, yes, of course.

You were with us right there.

Well, that was a nice thing.

That's the last one I had to do for a while.

Not my favorite kind of exercise, but I must say that it was done simply.

And, uh, probably just the way Dewey would have liked it.

Pure Christmas.

Okay.

Incidentally, he's supporting me, you know.

Uh, I can't have him yet.

All the way.

Oh, you should have heard it.

All the way.

Nixon, Ziegler & Buckley on Supersonic Transport and Environmental policy

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on March 23, 1971

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