President Nixon met with Pierre Rinfret, Charles Colson, and John Connally to strategize on economic messaging and political maneuvering regarding the upcoming International Monetary Fund meeting and the credibility of Sargent Shriver. The participants discussed framing international trade partners as fierce competitors to appeal to American laborers and business interests. Additionally, Nixon and Connally explored ways to undermine Shriver's credibility by investigating past Vietnam negotiations from the Johnson administration and potentially eliciting public statements from former officials to counter his criticisms.
On August 14, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Pierre Rinfret, Charles W. Colson, John B. Connally, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:29 am to 12:04 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 768-010 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 768-10
Date: August 14, 1972
Time: 11:29 am - 12:04 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Pierre A. Rinfret, Charles W. Colson, and John B. Connally. The White
House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.
Greetings
Photographs
-Seating arrangements
Connally’s previous trip to Jamaica
Rinfret’s public statements
-Other economists
-Marina von N. Whitman
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 19m ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
US foreign relations
-International trade
-Forthcoming International Monetary Fund [IMF] meeting
-Criticism of the US
(rev. Nov-03)
-Central Bank
-Fixed exchange rates
-Public relations
-Competitive nature of international trade
-Appeal to US business and working communities
-Japan
-Canada
-Great Britain
-France
-European cooperation
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 37s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
Presentation of Presidential gifts
-Money clip
-Rinfret's wife [Aida M. (Ceci) Rinfret]
-Presidential seal
Rinfret and Colson left at 11:58 am.
Connally’s schedule
-H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
Vietnam
-R. Sargent Shriver
-Connally’s previous conversation with George E. Christian
-Lyndon B. Johnson’s appointment of Shriver as
(rev. Nov-03)
Ambassador to France
-William P. Rogers’s possible meeting with Dean
Rusk
-Possible statement by Rusk
-Shriver’s criticism of Rusk and Johnson
-1968 bombing halt
-William J. Jorden
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Knowledge of Johnson administration Vietnam
negotiations
-Cyrus R. Vance
-W[illiam] Averell Harriman
-Work on Kissinger’s staff
-Previous work for Johnson in Texas
-Knowledge of “peace signals”
-Harriman
-Shriver
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 17s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
*****************************************************************
Vietnam
-The President’s trips abroad as a private citizen
-Saigon
-Support for Johnson administration’s foreign policy
-Possible McGovern victory
-Johnson
-McGovern’s attacks on the President’s foreign policy
-Johnson
(rev. Nov-03)
-Harriman
-Vance
-Henry Cabot Lodge
-Possible search of foreign policy files
-Jorden
-Kissinger
-Rogers
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Shriver
-Credibility
-Role in Johnson's administration
-Knowledge of “peace signal”
-Harriman
-Vance
-Possible statement by Rusk
-Possible statement by Walt W. Rostow
-Jorden
-Rogers
-The President’s forthcoming memorandum
-Haldeman
Connally left at 12:04 pm.This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.