Conversation: 650-006
Prev: 650-005 Next: 650-007Start Date: Tuesday, January 18, 1972 3:17 PM
End Date: Tuesday, January 18, 1972 4:27 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.; Woods, Rose Mary; [Unknown person(s)]; White House operator; Safire, William L.Recording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:42:46
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:50:45
NARA Description:
On January 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Rose Mary Woods, unknown person(s), White House operator, and William L. Safire met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:17 am to 11:27 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 650-006 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 650-6
Date: January 18, 1972
Time: 10:17 am - 11:27 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
Colson's staff responsibilities
-Forthcoming campaign
-Edward M. Kennedy
Rose Mary Woods entered at 10:17 am.
Dictation of memorandum to John B. Connally
-Copies
-William P. Rogers, National Security Council [NSC]
-Connally's January 15, 1972 memorandum
-Designation of Treasury Department to head US delegation in Paris
-Chile
-Loan
-Renegotiation
-The President’s position on issue
-Chilean government’s attitude
-Reciprocity
-Distribution of memorandum
-Connally
-Copy of incoming correspondence
7
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)
-Notes
-Rogers
-NSC
Woods left at 10:23 am.
Democrats' attack on the President
-News summary
-Kennedy
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Strategy on response
-Publicity
-Lyndon K. (“Mort”) Allin
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Clark MacGregor
-Meeting with Republican leaders
-Connally
-Strategy for response
-Vietnam
-Democratic Party's responsibility
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Humphrey
-Edward Kennedy, John F. Kennedy
-Casualties
-Writers
-Buchanan
-Douglas L. Hallett
-Wall Street Journal article
-Vietnam
-Casualties
-The President’s responsibility
-Response on issues
-Offensive
-Meeting in Hugh Scott's office
-MacGregor
-Noel C. Koch
-Robert J. Dole
-Writing
-Use of writers to prepare responses for Republicans
-Buchanan
-Barry M. Goldwater's op-ed piece in the New York Times
8
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)
-Vietnam bombing
-S. Steven Karalekas
-Complacency
-Political activity
-Democrats
-Press
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew statement
-Humphrey
-Koch
-Speeches for Congressional leaders
-Republican Congressional leadership
-Scott
-Goldwater
-Dole
-Agnew
-Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-Gerald R. Ford
-News summary
-Wendell Wyatt of Oregon
-Edward Gurney of Florida
-Louis Wyman
-Primary states
-Publicity
-Muskie
-Press
-Democrats
-Split
-Kennedy statements about the President
-Humphrey’s response
-Kennedy speech
-Compared to Muskie
-Kennedy image
-Effects
-Muskie image
-Colson’s view
-Vietnam
-Democratic Party’s responsibility
-The President’s actions
-Withdrawal
-Casualties
-Melvin R. Laird speech
9
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)
-Muskie reaction
-Pentagon Papers
-Dole's forthcoming speech
***********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Privacy]
[Duration: 3m 47s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
**********************************************************************
Issues
-Republican congressional statements
-Dole
-Vietnam
-Lawrence F. O'Brien, Jr.’s statement
-Henry A. Kissinger’s response
-Busing
Busing
-Democratic Party Convention reforms
-[Forename unknown] Godfrey column
-Richard M. Scammon
-George C. Wallace delegates
-Busing
-President's conversation with John D. Ehrlichman
-Strategy
-Richmond decision
-Staff work
-The President’s statements
-Humphrey
-Supreme Court
-Legislation
Vietnam
10
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)
Economy
Kennedy speech
-Administration reaction
-Press response
-Scott's forthcoming response
-MacGregor and Colson
-Scott
-Press reports
-Relationship with Administration
Questions and answers [Q&A] for Scott on withdrawal for prisoners of war [POWs]
-“Meet the Press”
-Kissinger
-Kennedy speech
-Nguyen Van Thieu's government
-Democrats' responsibility
-Withdrawal
-Casualties
-Bombing
-Issue of Vietnam
-Strength
-Staff
Kennedy speech
-Absence of applause
-Quality
Humphrey
-Speaking ability
11
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 15s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
**********************************************************************
Muskie
-Space shuttle statement
-Effect
-Environmental issues
Civil rights issue
-Edward Kennedy
-The Administration’s record
-Dual school system
-Minority enterprise
-Food stamps
-Welfare reform
-Congress
-Publicity
-Budget message
The President's work on speech drafts
Daniel Yankelovich's lunch with Colson, January 17, 1972
The President’s schedule
Money supply
-Arthur F. Burns
-Connally's talk with the President
-Shultz's beliefs
-James Dewey Daane
-Peter M. Flanigan's views
-Prime rate
12
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)
-Milton Friedman
-Shuttle
-Burns
The Cabinet
-Connally
-Elliot L. Richardson
-George W. Romney
-John A. Volpe
-Rogers C.B. Morton
-James D. Hodgson
-Earl L. Butz
-Bill House's reaction
-Kansas
-Cattlemen's Association
-Political affiliation
-Corn prices
-Agriculture
-1972 election
-Democrats
-Dairy
-Pork products
-Corn
Polls on issues, reactions
-Yankelovich
-Youth polls
-News summary
-Time magazine
-Louis P. Harris
-Albert E. Sindlinger
-Wife
-Yankelovich
-Polling
-Time
-New York Times
Refreshment order
The President left at an unknown time before 10:55 am.
13
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)
An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 10:25 am.
Refreshment order
The unknown man left at an unknown time before 10:55 am.
The President entered at an unknown time after 10:25 am.
[The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 10:23 am and
10:55 am.]
[Conversation No. 650-6A]
[See Conversation No. 18-99]
[End of telephone conversation]
Yankelovich
-Article about malaise in American society
-View of President
-Polls
[The President talked with William L. Safire between 10:55 am and 10:58 am.]
[Conversation No. 650-6B]
[See Conversation No. 18-100]
[End of telephone conversation]
Public perception of the President
-Mood of the country
-Yankelovich’s views
-Reaction to polls
-Institutions
-Government
-Unknown news column of January 17, 1972
-Theory
-"Dual moralism"
-George H. Gallup, Harris
-President's strength
14
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)
-Buchanan's theory of leadership
-Compared to Raymond K. Price, Jr. and Leonard Garment theory
-Confrontation with George Meany
-Effect
-Polls
-Polls
-Timing
-Harris
-Connally's views on perceptions of leaders
-Muskie
-Possible nomination
-Effect on Democrats
-Polls
-Approval of the President
-18-year-olds
-Mood of the country
-Confidence
-Love
-Hate
-Fear
-Price-Garment theory
-Importance of incumbency
-Connally's views
-Connally
-Hallet's view
-Power
-Love, fear, hate
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Harry S. Truman
-Balance
-Buchanan
-Announcements regarding Soviet Union and People's Republic of China [PRC] trips
-Supreme Court appointments
-Meany confrontation
-Media
-Handling of stories about the President and his administration
-Television
-Possible effectiveness
-PRC trip announcement
-Edward Kennedy
15
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)
-PRC trip
-India-Pakistan War
-Price-Garment theory
-Buchanan's theory
-Public relations
-President's image
-Fear, hate, respect, warmth
-Handling by staff
-Richard H. Moore
-The President’s activities
-Meany confrontation
-Effect
-Muskie
-Buchanan
-Price, Garment
-The President’s strength of character
-Image
-The President’s image
-Meany confrontation
-Muskie’s image
-Meet the Press
-President's image
-Connally's view
-Dan Rather
-Importance of emotions
-1970 election
-Al Capp
-Reaction to the projection of President's image
-Buchanan's theory
-Price-Garment theory
-Telecast in 1970 election
-Safire
-Gallup poll
-Media criticism
Issues
-Economy
-1971 public perceptions
-Pentagon Papers
-Laos
-Media attacks on administration
16
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)
-PRC
-New economic policy
-Meany confrontation
-Effect on polls
-Timing
-Sindlinger poll
-Harris poll
-Polls
-Sindlinger
-Economy
-Vietnam
-Effects of troop withdrawal announcement
-Bombing
-Harris
-Troop withdrawal announcement
-News summary
-Newsweek
-Sindlinger
-Methods
-Responses
-August 1971
-November 1971
-Meany
-Compared to Johnson years
Vietnam
-Use as issue
-Democrats
-Strategy
-Troop withdrawals
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Amnesty
Amnesty
-Draft evaders' comments
-The President’s comments
-Abraham Lincoln’s actions
-Muskie's views
-Comparison with administration stand
-POWs
17
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 650-6 (cont.)
Busing
-Muskie's view
-Use of phrase
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 6m 48s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
**********************************************************************
Republican Congressional leadership
-Schedule
-Support for the Administration
-The President's forthcoming State of the Union speech
-Tone
-Scott
-Ford
-Leslie C. Arends
-Applause
-Republicans
-Democrats
-Mood
-Colson’s calls
-Complacency
-Democrats’ weaknesses
Colson left at 11:27 am.