Conversation: 564-003
Prev:  564-002 Next: 564-004Start Date: 16-Aug-1971 8:55 AM
End Date: 16-Aug-1971 10:10 AM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); White House operator; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Recording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:35:39
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:49:06
NARA Description:
On August 16, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:55 am to 10:10 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 564-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 564-3 Date: August 16, 1971 Time: 8:55 am - 10:10 am Location: Oval Office The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman. National economy -President's program -Reaction -News summary -George S. McGovern -John Kenneth Galbraith -Wilbur D. Mills 3 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) -Michael J. Mansfield -Milton Friedman -Budget cut -Wage and price freeze -White House staff -George P. Shultz's "Today" show appearance -Reaction -White House staff -Meeting at Camp David -Possible story -Photographs -Text -Distribution of story -Life -US News and World Report -President's efforts -Speech -Photographs -Unknown photographer [Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins] -Arthur Burns and Shultz -Distribution -Paul W. McCracken -Distribution -Reaction -Long-term issues -Economic issue -1972 election -People's Republic of China [PRC] -Peter G. Peterson's views -Follow-up to August 15, 1971 speech -President's possible speech -Business Council -Competition -Comparison to PRC announcement -Wage and price freeze -PRC -Post-Vietnam War 4 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) President's schedule -Radio speeches -Raymond K. Price, Jr. -Speechwriters -Deadline National economy -President's program -President’s efforts -John B. Connally's role -Possible press conference questions -Reaction -Congress -Mills -McCracken The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 9:05 am. [Conversation No. 564-3A] [See Conversation No. 7-153] Request for a call to Mills [End of telephone conversation] National economy -President's program -McCracken's views Presidency -Showmanship The President talked with an unknown person [Alexander M. Haig, Jr.?] at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 9:05 am. [Conversation No. 564-3B] 5 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) Vietnam -Prisoners of War [POWs] -News report -Moscow -Sweden -Veracity [End of telephone conversation] National economy -President's program -Telephone calls -Haig -The President -Burns -Burns -Call to White House, August 16, 1971 -Japanese foreign exchange market -Exchange rate -Effect on the market -Canadian markets -Attitude -Publicity -Shultz and Connally -Reaction to gold decision -President’s action -August 15 speech -Compared to press conference -Decision-making process -PRC An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 8:55 am. Delivery of memorandum The unknown person left at an unknown time before 9:05 am. President’s schedule -California -Henry A. Kissinger's memo to President -Haig 6 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) -Mansfield, Jacob K. Javits, Robert C. Byrd, William Proxmire, Mills, McGovern, Vance Hartke, American Federation of Labor- Congress of Industrial Organizations [AFL-CIO], Bank of America -Foreign reactions -Great Britain -Switzerland -Japan -Foreign ministry statement -Significance of actions -Showmanship -Pessimism -President’s staff American people -Attitude -Friedman -Political expectations -Leadership and charisma -Appearance of action -Administration's response -Lyndon B. Johnson White House staff -Quality -Action -Claiming credit -Domestic Council -Responsibility National economy -President's program -Compared to PRC policy -Compared to Johnson's Vietnam policy The White House operator talked with the President at 9:05 am. [Conversation No. 564-3C] [See Conversation No. 7-154] 7 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) [End of telephone conversation] National economy -President's program -President's policy toward PRC -Haldeman’s comments at Camp David -Leadership Presidency -Administration public relations points -Leadership -Boldness, courage -“World leader for peace” -“Personal family man” -Character, decency -Edward M. Kennedy -Dwight D. Eisenhower -First family -Prosperity without war and inflation -Crime and drugs -Environment -Youth -Parks -Administration action -Voluntary action -Right to read program -President’s possible involvement -Educational television -Clinics -Tutoring -Opposition by media -Possible Administration response Democrats -Possible Republican attacks -President's conversation with Charles W. Colson, August 15, 1971 -Robert J. Dole -Barry M. Goldwater -House of Representatives -Dole -News summary 8 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) -Television -Attacks on President's economic program -Press coverage -Proxmire's comments on "Face the Nation", August 15, 1971 -Possible attacks on President's economic program -Welfare reform -Postponement -Effect on poor -Congress -Daniel P. Moynihan -Revenue-sharing -Postponement National economy -President's program -Federal employees -Postponement of pay raises and personnel cut -Possible national reaction -Foreign aid -Cut -Budget -Housing and Urban Development [HUD], Health, Education and Welfare [HEW], Transportation -Treasury -Justice -Anti-trust division -State -Defense -Domestic Council -Office of Management and Budget [OMB] -Office of Science and Technology -Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] -Environment Council Environment -News story concerning White House pressure on William D. Ruckelshaus National economy -President's program -Anti-trust laws -Peterson 9 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) -John N. Mitchell President's schedule -Cabinet -Agenda -President’s possible participation -Connally -Forthcoming press conference -Length -George W. Romney -Call to James D. Hodgson National economy -President's program -President's conversation with Pierre Rinfret, August 15, 1971 -Investment tax credit -Reaction by businessmen -Colson -Confusion with job development credit -Possible action -Machine tools -Peterson's views -Productivity Appointments -Peterson -Shultz's conversation with John D. Ehrlichman -Balance of payments problem -Office of Emergency Preparedness [OEP] -Bell and Howell -Arnold R. Weber -Weber's wife -Chicago President's economic program -Staff reaction -PRC -Economy -Publicity -Staff responsibility -Haldeman 10 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) -Camp David meeting -Non-press events -Business-Consumer Council -Girls Nation -Business-Consumer Council -Peterson -Herbert G. Klein, Richard A. Moore and Colson -Colson's staff -DeVan L. Shumway -Power of presidency -Television -Television -Effect on staff thinking -Ripple effect -Franklin D. Roosevelt -News media -Spiro T. Agnew -Use by Democrats -Birch E. Bayh, Jr. -Image of the President -Reaction -McGovern ********************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2 [Personal Returnable] [Duration: 46s ] END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2 ********************************************************************** -Income tax exemptions -Effect on budget -Timing of announcement -Democrats Administration public relations -Forthcoming announcement of President’s trip to Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] 11 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) -Kissinger’s trip to PRC -President’s forthcoming trips to PRC and USSR -Timing -Possible crisis in 1972 Nelson A. Rockefeller -Recent telephone call -Ehrlichman -President’s recent speech -President’s schedule -New York -Waldorf-Astoria Hotel -Ronald W. Reagan -Revenue sharing -President’s schedule -Ehrlichman -Reagan -Mitchell -Possible breakfast -Possible call by President -President's schedule -New York -Waldorf-Astoria Hotel National economy -President's speech, August 15, 1971 -Reaction -Public understanding -President's conversation with [Dwight] David, II and Julie Eisenhower -Vietnam -Haldeman's conversation with his wife -Preparation -William L. Safire -Delivery -Preparation -Writing -Reaction -Calls to White House -Adjectives -Program compared to speech 12 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) -Arthur M. Wood of Sears -Taft Schreiber -Robert Baldwin of Morgan, Stanley -Eugene Black -Japan -Europe -John Clark [?] of Los Angeles -Emotional aspect President's speeches -Delivery -Teleprompter -August 15, 1971 speech -Quality of television coverage -William H. Carruthers's comments -Clothing -Communication -Form of address -Delivery -Ad libs -New York Times Rhetoric -Form of address -Carruthers -Conclusion -August 15, 1971 -Theme -America’s past compared to future President's schedule -Rockefeller The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 9:05 am and 10:01 am. [Conversation No. 564-3D] [See Conversation No. 7-155] [End of telephone conversation] 13 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) President's schedule -Oakland A's -Bob Elston -Vida Blue -Charles O. Finley -Elston -Blue -Washington Senators -Chicago White Sox -Elston -Kansas City -Blue -Rockefeller -Mitchell National economy -President's speech, August 15, 1971 -Preparation -Treasury Department draft -Safire -Delivery -Safire President's schedule ************************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7 [Personal Returnable] [Duration: 5s ] END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7 ************************************************************************** The President left the room at an unknown time after 9:05 am. The White House operator talked with Haldeman at an unknown time between 9:05 am and 14 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 10/06) Conv. No. 564-3 (cont.) 10:01 am. [Conversation No. 564-3E] [See Conversation No. 7-156] [End of telephone conversation] The President entered the room at an unknown time before 10:01 am. The President talked with Rockefeller between 10:01 am and 10:10 am. [Conversation No. 564-3F] [See Conversation No. 7-157; two items have been withdrawn from the conversation] The President conferred with Haldeman at an unknown time during the telephone conversation. [End of telephone conversation] President's schedule -Cabinet meeting -Introduction The President and Haldeman left at 10:10 am.