Conversation: 702-009
Prev: 702-008 Next: 702-010Start Date: Tuesday, April 4, 1972 10:08 PM
End Date: Tuesday, April 4, 1972 11:01 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kirk, Russell A.; Butterfield, Alexander P.; White House photographer; Sanchez, Manolo; Bull, Stephen B.; Kirk, AnnetteRecording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 02:21:04
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 03:12:34
NARA Description:
On April 4, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Russell A. Kirk, Alexander P. Butterfield, White House photographer, Manolo Sanchez, Stephen B. Bull, and Annette Kirk met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:08 pm to 6:01 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 702-009 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 702-9
Date: April 4, 1972
Time: 5:08 pm - 6:01 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Russell A. Kirk; Alexander P. Butterfield and the White House
photographer were present at the beginning of the meeting.
Introduction and greetings
[Photograph session]
-Arrangements
-Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins
-Saturday Evening Post
Seating
Kirk's residence
-New York
-Last meeting with the President
22
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 5:08 pm.
Refreshment
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 5:57 pm.
Meeting
-Purpose
-Discussion of Kirk's book, A Program for Conservatives
Kirk's book
-distribution
-Relevance
-Date of writing
-1950's
-Dwight D. Eisenhower administration
-Korean War
-Recession
-Republican Congress
-Predictions of problems
-Education
Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 5:08 pm.
Refreshment
Kirk's career
-Journalism
-Conservative views
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 5:57 pm.
Education
-Conservative critique
-Trend away from excellence
-Busing
-New policies
-Compensatory education
-George P. Shultz
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Future in US education
-Campus unrest
23
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
-Tricia Nixon Cox
-Edward R. F. Cox
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 8s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
-Students for a Democratic Society [SDS]
-Convention
-Handling of various issues
-Racism, Vietnam, environment
-Current problems
-Vocational education
-Increased interest
-Liberal education
-Overemphasis
-Vocational education
-Necessity
-Danger of overemphasis
-National Education Association [NEA]
-Establishment views
-Dependence on money
-School principals
-Moderate views
-Search for alternatives
-Vocational training
-Increased opportunities
-Current programs
-Failures
-Vietnam protests
-Military draft
-Guilt complex
` -World War II
-Higher education
24
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
-Hard sciences
-Associate and assistant professors
-Greed
-Radicalism
-Emotionalism
-Improvements
-Undergraduates
-Faculties
-Power hunger
-Impersonality of large universities
-Undergraduates
-University of California at Berkeley
-New York
-Ohio State University
-Young instructors
-Insecurity
-Large universities
-Michigan State University
-Conservatism
-Radicalization
-Dormitory life
Future of US
-Vietnam, People’s Republic of China [PRC], Soviet Union
-Escalating demands
-Labor leaders, Frank E. Fitzsimmons, George Meany and Peter J. Brennan
-Support for national defense and morality
-Law and order
-James R. (“Jimmy”) Hoffa
-Business leaders
-Weaknesses
-Lack of character
-Events since 1954
-Great Society
-Civil rights movement
-Mishandling of race relations
-Daniel P. Moynihan
-Washington DC illegitimacy rate
-New York City
-Patriotism and idealism
-The President’s November 3, 1969 speech
-March on White House
-Cambodia
25
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
-Demonstrations
-Lack of support from media, intellectuals and businessmen
-Labor leaders
-Religious leaders
-Conservative Catholics
-Liberalism
-Catholics compared to protestants
-Fundamentalists
-Character
-Norman Vincent Peale
-William F. (“Billy”) Graham
-Southern Baptists
-Leader class
-Weakness
-People of US
-Support for national honor
-Heartland
-Leader class
-Weakness
-Businessmen, educators, opinion leaders, politicians
-Congress
-Decline
-Strength
-Southern conservatives
-Richard B. Russell and John C. Stennis
-Decline of family
-Reasons
-T. S. Eliot
-[Frank Nixon]
-Church
-Schools
-Education
-Decline
-Money
-Culture
-Influence of television
-Television
-Impact on children
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
26
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
[Duration: 9s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
-PRC trip, moonshots, sports
-Compared to newspapers
-Poor quality of programs
-Changes
Education
-Non-public schools
-Tax relief
-The President's forthcoming speech in
Philadelphia
-Future
-Kirk's children
-School
-Influence of television
Future of US
-Moral leadership of president
-Impact
-Theodore Roosevelt
-Influence of television and media
-Decadence
-The President’s speech in Kansas City
-Extent
-Reversal
-Cycles
-Byzantine Empire
-Family assistance
-Work requirement
-Integration
-Forced integration
-Community decision
-Urban renewal
-Problems
-Martin C. Anderson
27
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Environmental issues
-Importance
-Costs of clean-up
-Utilities
-Public support
Future of US
-Leader class
-Decline
-Businessmen
-Main Street leaders
-Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs
-Strength
-Lack of belief
-Lack of imagination
-Andrew Salvatore [sp?]
-Foundations
-Subversion of establishment
-Ford Foundation
-Kirk's early career
-Original purpose
-Decline of nations
-The masses
-Children
-Radicalism
-Decadence
-Replacement
-Ethnics
-Revitalization
-Compared with European nations
-Decline
-Reversal
-Parochial schools
-Lack of will
Social systems of the world
-Observations
-Soviet Union, Rumania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Poland, East Germany and PRC
Other nations
-PRC, Soviet Union, West Germany and Japan
-Contrast with US
-Leader class
28
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
-Willingness to sacrifice
-Sense of destiny
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 51s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
*****************************************************************
Kirk's columns
A Program for Conservatives
-The President’s reading
-The Commonweal
Literature
-Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan and Henry A. Kissinger
-Kirk's favorite book
-Eliot's Notes Towards the Definition of Culture
-Patrick J. Buchanan
Kirk's wife [Annette Y. (Courtemanche) Kirk]
-Meeting with the President
-Home state
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:08 pm.
Ronald L. Ziegler
Annette Kirk
Bull left at an unknown time before 5:57 pm.
Presidential gifts
-Cuff links
-Gold button
29
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Rose Garden
-Flowers
-Blossoming
-Weather
AnnetteKirk entered at 5:57 pm. Bull and the White House photographer were present at the
beginning of the meeting.
Photographs
The Kirks' first meeting
Presidential gifts
-Compact and ash tray
Annette Kirk
-Political activities
-College
-Political activities
-Religion
-Russell Kirk
-Liberals
Presidential gifts
-Ash tray
-Presidential seal
-Compact
The Kirks' children
A Program for Conservatives
The President’s reading habits
-TV
-Eliot
-Annette Kirk's review of proofs
Annette Kirk
-College career
-Columbia University
-Linguistics
30
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Education courses
Eliot
The Kirks' children
-Greetings
The Kirks left at 6:01 pm.