President Nixon met with Republican congressional leadership, including Gerald R. Ford, Hugh Scott, and Robert P. Griffin, to coordinate legislative strategy on pressing domestic economic issues and sensitive foreign policy matters. The discussion focused on securing congressional cooperation for trade and tax policies, addressing unemployment and inflation, and managing public perception regarding the Vietnam War. Additionally, Nixon emphasized the necessity of maintaining strict confidentiality in diplomatic negotiations, particularly regarding his administration’s opening to the People's Republic of China and future discussions with the Soviet Union.
On August 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Leslie C. Arends, Gerald R. Ford, Robert P. Griffin, Hugh Scott, William E. Timmons, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:39 am to 12:02 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 556-005 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 556-5
Date: August 6, 1971
Time: 11:39 am - 12:02 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Leslie C. Arends, Gerald R. Ford, Robert P. Griffin, Hugh Scott, and
William E. Timmons; the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the
meeting.
[Rudolph A. Peterson]
-United Nations [UN]
Press
Congressional session
-President’s appreciation
John B. Connally
-Recent press conference
-Comments
-President’s opening to People’s Republic of China [PRC]
Instructions for griffin
-Automobile industry
-Prices
-Taxes
-Need for Congressional cooperation
-Wilbur D. Mills
-Discussion with the President and Connally
-Foreign competition
-Budget
-Charles E. Chamberlain
[Photograph session]
-Unknown person’s trip to New Orleans
Economy
-Possible actions
-Political effect
-Republican National Committee [RNC]
-Meeting with Senators
-President’s press conference
-Possible action
-Effect
-Business and labor
-Enforcement
-Analogy to Office of Price Administration [OPA]
-Arthur F. Burns
-Retail sales figures
-Home sales
-Unemployment rate
-Full-time workers
-Part-time workers
-Michigan, California, Illinois, Ohio
-Gordon L. Allott
-Draft
-Time limitation
-Bill
-Cloture
-Timing
Congressional action
-Michael J. Mansfield
-Appropriation bill
-Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
-Employment
-House Resolution [H R] 1
-Family assistance
-Campaign spending bill
-Jurisdictional dispute
-Interstate Commerce, House Administration, Ways and Means
Committees
-Carl B. Albert, Harley O. Staggers, Mills, Wayne L. Hays
-Bill
-Interstate
US concerns
-President's trip throughout country
-Ohio and New York
-Generation of peace theme
-Public reception
-Vietnam
-Casualties
-Current figure compared to previous one
-President’s recent press conference
-Unemployment
-Relationship to Vietnam War
-Economy
-Foreign policy
-Pentagon Papers
-Effect on PRC trip
-Henry A. Kissinger's role
-Need to maintain secrecy
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Great Britain
-France
-Japan
-Okinawa
-Negotiations
-Confidentiality
-Foreign visitors
-Senate
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-Berlin
-Vietnam
-PRC
-Press
-PRC
-Lawyer-client privilege
Scott’s forthcoming trip to USSR
-Possible meeting with Aleksei N. Kosygin
-President’s recommendations
-PRC
-Confidentiality of channels
-State Department
-SALT
-Berlin
-Mutual and balanced force reductions
-President’s possible visit to USSR
-PRC
Foreign policy
-The President’s record compared to previous administrations
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Goals
-Timing
-Griffin’s campaign
-Vietnam
-Economy
-Employment
Economy
-Employment
-Survey
-Public opinion
-Foreign policy compared to domestic policy
Foreign policy
-Vietnam war policy
-Public support
-PRC
-Public support
-Recommendations for Congressional speeches
-Vietnam
-PRC
-Taiwan
-United Nations [UN]
-US goal
-Averting threat to peace
-Long-term benefit
Economy
-Inflation
-Unemmployment
-Administration’s intention to act
-President’s recent press conference
-Connally
-Contact with Congressmen
-Automobile sales
-Trade
-Most Favored Nation [MFN] status
-Romania and Bulgaria
-Vietnam War
-Romania
-Nicolae Ceausescu
-Bulgaria
-East-West trade
-Vietnam War
Kama River truck plan contract with Mack Trucks, Inc.
-Kissinger
-President’s approval
-Peters G. Peterson
-USSR
-Middle East
-Kissinger's briefing
-Griffin, Ford, and Arends
Gift
-Golf balls
Arends and Timmons left at 11:59 am.
HEW appropriation bill
Busing
-Administration's position
-Blacks
Lockheed vote
-William V. Roth, Jr. and J. Caleb Boggs
-Connally
-President's call to Boggs
-Clark MacGregor
-Peter M. Flanigan
-Dow chemical
Ford, Griffin, and Scott left at 12:02 pm.This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.