Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 646-004
Date: Wednesday, January 12, 1972 at 4:30 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.; Manarin, Rosemary
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/646-004

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[30:51] with about 200 cities to completely revamp their cities.
[31:22] And then that would be narrowed down to 40.
[31:27] And then again, it would be narrowed down to 20 other winners who would use the balance of the $650 that was left after the full planning process to do this job in their cities.
[31:44] OMB and our guys have insisted this on and they have 20 wills like the reason why it's a bad idea.
[31:52] They've told you?
[31:55] They've told me.
[31:56] And so we have insisted on pitching you on this.
[32:02] In order to screen you against the necessity of giving him a yes or no, we have set up a Semester Council meeting on Friday where he's going to present this, where people will be called on to comment.
[32:17] And then we have said that you have asked for individual recommendations from members of the Council who will attend this meeting on Friday.
[32:27] If other departments are involved, they'll have to get through it out of their budgets to make this thing happen and so forth.
[32:34] So he knows that he's coming in simply to post you on there.
[32:48] Then there's another issue.
[32:52] That is, whether or not the heads of the federal executive board...
[33:03] It says that she's having a cultural group here tomorrow for a tour of tea.
[33:09] Is that the Soviet cultural group?
[33:13] Let me know.
[33:14] If so, I want to get it to the sailor so that he can give it a bigger publicity.
[33:21] If it's okay.
[33:23] You should appoint the chairman of the federal executive boards in the federal regions.
[33:35] Romney is the only member of the cabinet who takes the charge.
[33:40] He sees this as the White House preempting his control over his regional directors.
[33:51] And so he's going to make an issue of this.
[33:53] We told him he ought to air that at the cabinet meeting tomorrow, and he will do so.
[33:58] Tell him you still have an opening.
[34:00] All right.