Conversation No. 482-22

Date: April 19, 1971
Time: 4:07 pm - 4:53 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John L. McClellan, Clark MacGregor, and Kenneth E. BeLieu; the White
House photographer was present at the beginning and end of the meeting.

     Greetings
          -Arkansas
          -Seating
          -Photo

     [General conversation]

     BeLieu

     Staff

     Agenda
         -Senate Government Operations Committee

     National defense
          -McClellan's support for President

     Attacks on President
          -Effect
          -Armed Services
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                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 9/08)



      -Police
      -Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI]
      -Press
      -Vietnam
      -Politics
      -Vote on Supersonic Transport [SST]
            -Robert P. Griffin
      -Lack of support for President from Republicans         Conv. No. 482-21 (cont.)
      -Politicians
      -Economy
      -Confidence in FBI

FBI
      -Mission
      -Attacks on J. Edgar Hoover
      -Criticism
            -”National gestapo”
      -Number of wiretaps
      -Destruction of confidence
      -Protection

National defense
     -Soviet Union [USSR] Intercontinental Ballistic Missile [ICBM] program
     -Nuclear submarines
     -Negotiations
     -US defenses
     -World safety
     -McClellan's appearance at University of Arkansas
           -Questions posed
           -Disarmament
           -Dangers
     -Unilateral disarmament
     -Ecological consequences
     -Conversion of weapons
     -USSR
           -ICBM's
                 -Numbers compared to US
           -Nuclear submarines
                 -Timing of parity
           -Conventional sea & air
           -Offensive weapons
                 -Possible freeze on defensive weapons
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                                Tape Subject Log
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          -First strike capability
          -US position
                 -Analogy to football
          -Negotiations
                 -Prospects
                 -Antiballistic Missile [ABM]
          -Effectiveness for money spent
          -Pentagon                                       Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)
                 -Cost accounting
                       -Robert S. Mcnamara
                 -Congressional oversight
          -Need for strength
     -Diplomacy conditions
          -Germany
          -Britain
          -France
          -Germany
                 -Economy
          -Asia
                 -Japan
                       -Economy
                       -PRC
     -Credibility of US nuclear deterrent
          -Germany and Japan
          -Questioning
          -Japan/PRC
                 -Pacific
                       -Long term prospects
          -Germany
                 -Europe
          -US position in world
          -USSR
          -Japan
          -Germany
          -US nuclear credibility
          -USSR
          -Diplomacy/war

Vietnam
     -John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
     -President
     -McClellan's appearance at University of Arkansas
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                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                   Tape Subject Log
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             -Withdrawal
        -Johnson
        -Lack of support for President from Republicans

SST
        -Vote
        -Lack of understanding
        -Competition                                        Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)

US merchant marine
    -Ocean-going cargo
         -Percentage of share since 1947

Aviation
     -SST
     -US position in world

Steel industry
      -Labor negotiations
            -Wages
      -Efficiency
      -Decline in world market
      -US production
            -Japan
      -Japanese production

US merchant marine

Steel

Textiles

SST
        -US position in commercial aviation

US position in world
    -Goals
    -Frustrations
    -Japan
    -Germany
    -Great Britain/France
    -PRC/USSR
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                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

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          -Quality of systems
          -Subsidies
     -Clean-up of ghettos
          -Need for production

Congress
    -McClellan's support for President
    -Partisanship                                         Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)
    -Robert J. Dole
    -House Republicans
          -Gerald R. Ford
    -Senate Republicans
          -Richard S. Schweiker
          -Lack of support for President
          -Barry M. Goldwater
                -Effectiveness
          -Griffin

President's schedule
     -Project
     -Trip to Williamsburg
     -Photograph
     -Dedication of project in Tulsa
            -Arkansas River navigation project
                 -McClellan-Kerr navigation project
            -H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
            -Ceremony
            -Value

Economy of Arkansas
    -Optimism
    -Trade potential
    -Natural gas
         -Federal Power Commission [FPC]
         -Arkansas [River?] Gas Company
         -Chairman
               -[John N. Nassikas]
         -Peter M. Flanigan

Civil Aeronautics Board [CAB]
      -Unknown airline company
      -Secor D. Browne
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                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
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Independent agencies
     -FPC
          -Decisions
     -Federal Communications Commission [FCC]
          -Cable systems
          -Copyright bill
                -Section III                                 Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)
                -Cable systems
                -Commerce committee
                -Regulations
          -Dean Burch
                -Nicholas Johnson
                -Staff
          -President's conversation with Burch
     -FPC
          -Flanigan's possible conversation with McClellan
          -Natural gas case
     -Flanigan
     -FPC
          -MacGregor's possible conversation with Flanigan
          -Arkansas River navigation project
                -Importance
                -Corps of Engineers
                -President's schedule
                      -Possible visit and speech

New Democrat Senators
    -Vote on SST
         -Lawton M. Chiles, Jr.
         -David H. Gambrell
    -Richard B. Russell and Spessard L. Holland
    -Chiles
    -Gambrell
         -Lockheed

Space program
     -US leadership
          -Exploration
     -USSR

Defense budget
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     -Prospects
     -US position
          -USSR
          -Negotiations

President's reorganization plan
     -Government Operations Committee
     -John B. Connally                                    Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)
     -McClellan's conversation with Jacob K. Javits
     -Frank E. Moss
     -Charles H. Percy's activities
            -White House
     -Hearings
     -Democrats
            -Abraham A. Ribicoff
            -Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
            -Wilbur D. Mills

State compact bill
      -Hearings
      -Schedule
      -Prospects

McClellan's career
    -Senate
    -Judgeship
    -Arkansas
    -Senate
          -Allen J. Ellender
          -George D. Aiken
          -James O. Eastland
                -Mississippi

Eastland
      -Performance
      -John N. Mitchell's views
      -Republicans
      -View of colleagues
           -Judiciary committee
      -Anecdote

Supreme Court
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                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                          Tape Subject Log
                                             (rev. 9/08)



          -Harry A. Blackmun
               -McClellan's initiatives
               -The Sequoia
               -Relationship with Warren E. Burger
                     -”Minnesota Twins”
          -Hugo L. Black
          -John M. Harlan
          -Black                                                Conv. No. 482-22 (cont.)
          -Vacancy
          -Permissiveness
          -Moral standards
          -Decisions

     McClellan, MacGregor, and BeLieu
         -Schedule
         -President's accessibility
               -Percy

     Bill-signing
           -Photo
           -Mrs. John L. McClellan
           -Manolo Sanchez
           -Date
           -Arkansas River navigation project
                 -Government partnership
                 -Navigation and conservation
                 -Fish and Wildlife

[Photo session]

     Farewells
          -President's regards to Mrs. McClellan

     Presentation of gifts by President
          -Cuff links
          -Paper weights

McClellan, MacGregor, and BeLieu left at 4:53 pm.
                                               50

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)