Conversation 593-011

TapeTape 593StartFriday, October 15, 1971 at 10:38 AMEndFriday, October 15, 1971 at 11:32 AMTape start time01:42:16Tape end time02:35:30ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.;  Bull, Stephen B.;  Mitchell, John N.;  Ehrlichman, John D.;  [Unknown person(s)]Recording deviceOval Office

On October 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Stephen B. Bull, John N. Mitchell, John D. Ehrlichman, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:38 am to 11:32 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 593-011 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 593-11

Date: October 15, 1971
Time: 10:38 am - 11:32 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

     US foreign relations
          -Aleksei N. Kosygin
               -Message for Nixon
               -[Forename unknown] Burns [sp?]

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:38 am.

     The President's schedule
          -John B. Connally

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:40 am.

     News story
         -Maxine Cheshire
         -Kissinger’s view
         -Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
               -Newsday
         -Unknown woman
               -Taft Schreiber

     Robert S. McNamara
         -Pakistan
                -World Bank loan

     US foreign policy
          -Soviets
               -Edwin O. Reischauer
               -W. Averell Harriman

John N. Mitchell and John D. Ehrlichman entered at 10:40 am.

          -Dinner for visiting delegation

Kissinger left at 10:41 am.

     Supreme Court appointments
          -Chief Justice Warren E. Burger
               -Letter to Mitchell
                     -Views on Court
                     -Woman
                     -Herschel H. Friday
                     -Possible appointees
               -Visit with Mitchell, October 15, 1971
                     -Resignation threat
                           -The President’s view
                           -Mitchell’s conversation with Burger
                     -Health
                     -Funeral of former Supreme Court justice
                     -The President’s view

     Administration's appointees
         -Burger
         -Arthur F. Burns
               -Andrew F. Brimmer
         -Federal Reserve Board [FRB]

     Supreme Court appointees
          -Burger
                -Threats of resignation
                      -White House staff
          -Burger's views
                -Mildred L. Lillie
          -Mitchell's forthcoming conversation with Burger
          -Burger
                -The President’s assessment of Burger’s appointment
                -Cabinet
                -Previous editorials
          -William J. Brennan
          -Thurgood Marshall
          -Byron R. (“Whizzer”) White
          -Harry A. Blackmun
          -Hugo L. Black
                -Burger

-Robert C. Byrd
      -Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson's letter
            -Edmund S. Muskie
            -Edward M. Kennedy
-Friday
      -News summary
      -J. William Fulbright
      -Wilbur D. Mills
      -Burger's views
-Lewis F. Powell
-Women
      -News summary
      -The President’s view
      -Connally
            -Idanell B. (“Nellie”) Connally
      -Equal Rights Amendment
            -The President’s view
      -Margaret M. (“Peggy”) Heckler
            -Lillie
                  -Political affiliation
-Friday
      -Political affiliation
-News summaries
      -David Schumacher
            -Lillie
      -Don Farmer
            -Friday
      -Bill [David ?] Lawrence's comments
      -Carl Stern
      -National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
      -American Bar Association [ABA]
-Friday
      -Arkansas Gazette
      -Joseph L. Rauh, Jr.
-Martha (Beall) Mitchell
      -Lillie
-Jewish seat
-Burger
-Friday
      -Background
      -Possible Senate confirmation

            -G. Harrold Carswell
            -Need for Republican support
                  -Charles McC. Mathias
                  -Robert P. Griffin
-William H. Rehnquist
      -Clark MacGregor
-Conservatives
      -Friday
      -Clement F. Haynsworth
      -Washington Post
            -Editorial
                  -Question of mediocrity
                  -Appointment of Hugo L. Black
-Burger
      -Editorial comments
-John W. Dean, III
      -Lillie
            -Mrs. A. V. Falcone
                  -Husband
            -Political philosophy
                  -Dean’s assessment
                  -Civil rights
                        -Southerners
                              -Law and order issues
                              -Sam J. Ervin, Jr.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes
      -Felix Frankfurter
-Burger's views
      -Woman
-Women
      -Rita E. Hauser
      -Barbara (“Bobbie”) Greene Kilberg
      -The President's law school class
      -Maritime Commission
            -Helen Delich Bentley
      -Civil Service Commission
      -The President's views
      -Lillie
            -India
            -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Burger's conversation with Mitchell

               -Blackmun
                     -Friday
               -Woman
         -Earl Warren
               -The President’s view
         -Abe Fortas
         -Black
         -John M. Harlan
         -Brennan
         -William O. Douglas
         -The President’s view
         -Jewish appointment
               -Edward H. Levi
               -Possibility of appointment
         -Burger's forthcoming conversation with Mitchell
               -Possible appointees
         -Mitchell's possible conversation with Burger
               -Black
               -Woman
                     -Poll
                           -Louis Harris
         -Woman
               -Democrats

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 8s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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

              -Education
                   -The President and Mitchell’s view
                   -Domestic science
              -Mitchell

                -Equality
                -Peter G. Peterson
                      -Sally Peterson
                      -Textiles

     Donald M. Kendall
         -Pepsi Cola
         -Cartha D. (“Deke”) DeLoach

     Supreme Court appointments
          -Burger
               -Mitchell's conversation

Unknown woman entered at an unknown time after 10:41 am.

     Item to be delivered to Peterson

Unknown woman left at an unknown time before 11:32 am.

          -Age criteria
          -Burger
                -Popular opinion
                      -Appointment of a woman
                -Friday
                -Woman
          -Warren
                -Workload and case load
                      -Burger
                      -Black
                      -Harlan
                      -White
                      -Potter Stewart
                      -Brennan
                      -Case assignments
          -Age criteria
                -The President’s view
          -Lillie
                -Dean
                      -Workload
                -Opinion lengths
          -Holmes view of opinions

     -Warren Court
          -Use of precedents
     -Burger
          -Possible resignation
                -Possible motive
          -Feelings on make-up of the Court
          -Possible resignation

Textiles agreement

Resignation of Will R. Wilson
     -Richard G. Kleindienst
     -Wilson's wife
     -Rationale
     -Deputy
     -Wilson’s efforts

J. Edgar Hoover
     -DeLoach's comments
     -Possibility of leaving office
           -Richard E. Berlin
     -DeLoach
     -Lou Nichols
     -Richard M. Helms
           -Telephone call to Ehrlichman
                 -Time magazine
                       -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
                             -Investigation of espionage
     -William C. Sullivan
           -Complaints
           -Robert D. Novak
           -Terence F. Smith
           -New York Times
           -Time magazine
                 -Hugh Sidey
     -Ad Hoc Committee
     -Sullivan
     -Age
           -Effect
           -Conversation with Mitchell
     -Conversation with the President

     -FBI
            -Internal operation
                  -Robert T. Mardian
            -Sullivan
            -Performance of FBI
                  -Ehrlichman’s view
     -FBI
          -Sullivan
          -Internal discipline
          -DeLoach
                 -Possibility of resignation
     -Possibility of medal presentation
          -DeLoach
          -Medal of Freedom
                 -Lyndon B. Johnson
     -Possible impact on the President's reelection
     -Possibility of resignation
          -Time magazine
          -Rowland Evans and Novak
          -Possible impact on the President's reelection
          -DeLoach
          -Financial worth
          -Recreation Association
                 -Medicine

The President's schedule
     -North Carolina
          -William F. (“Billy”) Graham
                 -F. Edward Hebert
                 -George H. Mahon
                 -Sequoia
                      -Youth groups

Protestantism
     -Graham
     -Appeal to youth

Supreme Court appointments
     -Burger
          -Woman
               -Qualifications

Mitchell and Ehrlichman left at 11:32 am.

No transcript is available for this conversation. The audio may not contain audible speech, or the recording may not yet have been processed.