Conversation 733-010

TapeTape 733StartWednesday, June 14, 1972 at 2:54 PMEndWednesday, June 14, 1972 at 3:59 PMTape start time04:27:28Tape end time05:32:19ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Burger, Warren E.;  Sanchez, Manolo;  Bull, Stephen B.;  [Unknown person(s)]Recording deviceOval Office

Audio for this conversation has not yet been released by the National Archives.

On June 14, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Warren E. Burger, Manolo Sanchez, Stephen B. Bull, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:54 pm to 3:59 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 733-010 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 733-10

Date: June 14, 1972
Time: 2:54-3:59 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Warren E. Burger.

     Greetings

     Work of Supreme Court
         -John N. Mitchell
         -Case load
         -Work of Chief Justice
         -Court executives
         -Chief Justice
               -Legislation
                    -Personnel
                    -Reorganization of circuit courts

     Burger's children
         -Employment
         -Item for the President’s signature

     Earl Warren
          -Age
          -Travel

     Item for the President’s signature
          -Wade Burger

     Photograph
          -J. Lee Rankin
          -Fred Vinson
          -Rankin
          -Herbert Brownell

     Vinson
          -Capabilities
          -Conversation with Burger
          -Mitchell
          -Age

     Supreme Court Justices
          -Age
          -Harry A. Blackmun

          -Health
     -Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
          -Health
          -Performance

Wade Burger
    -Photographs
         -The President’s signature
         -Burger’s appointment announcement
         -Elvera Burger
              -The President’s signature

Weather

Burger's exercise
    -Walking
    -Golf
    -Tennis
    -Swimming
           -Gym at Supreme Court
                 -Swimming

Congress
    -Strom Thurmond
          -Exercise
    -Allen J. Ellender
          -Health
                -Exercise
                -Appearance
    -John L. McClellan
          -Judiciary committee
                -James O. Eastland
                -Work with Burger
    -Burger
          -Judiciary committee
                -McClellan, Eastland, and Roman L. Hruska
    -Eastland
          -The President’s view

Burger's possible trip to Japan
    -Invitation
    -Value
    -Japanese

              -The President’s view
         -Timing
         -Burger's schedule
     American Bar Association [ABA] convention
         -Warren
         -Leon Jaworski
         -Robert Meserve
         -Burger's activities
         -Powell

Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 2:54 pm.

     Refreshments

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:59 pm.

     Supreme Court Justices
          -William H. Rehnquist
                -Forthcoming speech to state Chief Justices
                      -Burger
          -Powell
                -Schedule
          -Public appearance
                -Rehnquist
                -Blackmun
                -Hugo L. Black
                -John M. Harlan
                -William O. Douglas
                -William J. Brennan, Jr.
                      -Wife
                -Thurgood Marshall
                -Powell
                -Potter Stewart
                -Byron R. (“Whizzer”) White

     Supreme Court
          -Importance
               -The President’s view
          -Changes
          -Appointments

     Book by Irving Kristol
         -On Democracy in America

          -Domestic issues

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 2:54 pm.

     Kristol book

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:59 pm.

     Kristol
          -Disenchantment with liberalism
          -Domestic issues
          -Chapter on censorship
               -Burger

Bull entered at an unknown time after 2:54 pm.

     Kristol’s book

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:59 pm.

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 8s    ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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

     Kristol’s book
          -Burger
                -Clerks
          -The President’s view

     Reading by Burger
          -Philadelphia Constitutional Convention
                -Use in opinion
                -Dictated section

Dictation system
     -Purpose
     -Typing

Secretaries at Supreme Court
     -Sherman Adams
           -Mary Byrnes
                 -Joseph H. Ball

The President's reading
     -Winston S. Churchill
          -Quality of writing
          -Dictation
                 -Details
          -Diary

Memoranda
   -Record of conversations
        -Leonid I. Brezhnev, Chou En-Lai
              -Henry A. Kissinger’s role
   -Vignettes
        -Interest
              -The President’s view

Burger's nomination as Chief Justice
    -Recollections
           -Mitchell
    -Brownell
    -Tax returns
           -Burger's income
           -Conversation with Mitchell
                -Acceptance
                -Brownell
    -Eastland
    -Meeting with Mitchell
    -Public announcement
    -Burger’s recollections
    -Family response
           -Elvera Burger
           -Wade Burger
    -Meeting with the President
           -Record of meeting
                -Announcement

    Appointment of Burger
        -Experience
        -Warren
             -Experience
        -Black
             -The President’s recollections
        -Abe Fortas
             -The President’s view
             -Burger’s views
        -Black
             -First Amendment
             -Privacy
             -Support for Burger
             -Testimonial dinner
                   -Press reports

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 36s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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

    Testimonial dinner for Black
         -Black’s comments
              -Endorsement for Burger

    Future Supreme Court appointments
         -Vacancies
              -The President’s concern
              -Qualifications
                    -Burger
         -Names for vacancies
         -Rehnquist
              -The President’s view
                    -Role

               -Mitchell
          -G. Harrold Carswell
               -The President’s view
          -Clement F. Haynesworth

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 2:54 pm.

     The President's acknowledgement

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 3:59 pm.

     Future Supreme Court appointments
          -The President’s policy
                -Black appointment
                -Jewish appointment
                     -Caspar W. Weinburger
                     -White House staff
                           -Arthur F. Burns
                                 -Federal Reserve Board [FRB]
                           -Kissinger
                           -Herbert Stein
                     -Edward Levy
                           -Background
                                 -University of Chicago
          -William H. Brown III
                -Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC]
                -The President’s view
                -Possible meeting with Burger
          -Duke Power Supreme Court decision
                -EEOC case
          -Brown
          -William French Smith
                -University of California Board of Regents
                     -Mitchell’s previous conversation with Burger
                     -The President’s view
                           -Smith’s background
                           -Age

     Administration appointments
         -The President’s view
         -Ivy League
         -Middle America
         -Geographic areas

Douglas
    -Possible retirement
    -Age
    -Western background
    -Regional identification
    -Education

Attacks on Supreme Court
     -Liberal press
     -National Observer
     -Wall Street Journal
           -[Forename unknown] Perry
     -Woman reporter’s column
           -Douglas
           -Burger
     -Liberal press
           -Criminal law
                -Burger’s view
                -The President’s view

Kristol

Decisions of Supreme Court
     -Trends
     -Right of counsel
           -Press accounts
           -ABA recommendations
           -Douglas
           -Dissent
                -Rehnquist and Powell
           -Burger
     -Capital punishment case
           -Forthcoming ruling
           -The President’s view

Liberal press
     -Reaction by Powell
           -Rehnquist and Blackmun
     -The President's relation with justices

New Supreme Court justices
    -Effects of Washington social climate

          -The President’s advice
                -Rehnquist
                -Burger, Blackmun
          -The President’s view
                -Congress
          -John Sherman Cooper
                -Effect
                      -Vote on Anti-ballistic missiles [ABM]
          -Burger
          -Powell
          -Rehnquist
          -Blackmun
          -Stewart
          -White
                -Burger’s view
     -Possible successor to Burger
          -White
                -Burger’s view
          -Blackmun
          -Powell
          -Rehnquist
          -White
                -Burger’s view
                -Background
                -Support for Burger

White House dinner for Supreme Court Justices
     -Timing
     -Guest list
     -Confidence of citizenry in judiciary
          -The President’s view
          -John B. Connally's opinion
          -Warren court

Issues before Supreme Court
     -Busing
           -Cases
           -The President’s view
     -Swann vs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education case
           -Press depiction
                -Burger’s view
           -Busing limits
           -Restraining order

               -Burger
          -Effect
          -Detroit judge [Stephen Roth]
               -Robert P. Griffin
               -Gerald R. Ford

Judges
     -John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson
          -Political appointments

Supreme Court decision on private clubs
     -American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU]
           -Rights to privacy
           -Jewish clubs
                 -Restrictions
                 -The President’s view
     -Opposition on club restrictions
           -Breakdown of restrictions
     -Fitz Weiner (sp?)
           -Legal arguments
     -Private clubs
           -Blacks
                 -The President’s view
           -Burger’s view
           -Restrictions
     -Professional organizations
           -Jewish and Catholic support
     -Moose Lodge

No-fault insurance
     -The President’s policy
     -Opposition
     -Cost of litigation
     -Christian Science Monitor
     -Costs of inquiry
           -Litigation
     -Workman's compensation

Lord Chief Justice of England
     -Burger's house guest
     -Possible visit to White House
     -Trip to San Francisco
           -Powell

           -Qualities, philosophy
           -New York Times
                -Opposition to philosophy

     New York Times and Washington Post, Time, Newsweek
         -Opposition to the President and Burger
               -The President’s view

     The Right Honorable Lord John Passmore Widgery
          -Background
                -World War II
                -Appointment
          -Friendship with Burger
          -Burger's lecture trip to England
                -Walter H. Annenberg
          -Visit to the White House
                -Arrangements
                      -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

     Kissinger

     The President's opening to People's Republic of China [PRC]
          -Impact
               -Burger’s view
          -Importance
               -Soviet Union

     World future
         -Burger’s predictions
         -Merger of Catholic and non-Catholic worlds
         -Convergence of Communist and non-communist worlds
               -The President's efforts

     Nation's mood
          -1972 election
               -Thomas E. Dewey
          -George S. McGovern
               -Strengths
               -Weaknesses
                     -Hubert H. Humphrey

Burger left at 3:59 pm.

No transcript is available for this conversation.