Conversation 851-001

TapeTape 851StartTuesday, February 6, 1973 at 4:32 PMEndTuesday, February 6, 1973 at 4:49 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Bull, Stephen B.Recording deviceOval Office

On February 6, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:32 pm to 4:49 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 851-001 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 851-1

Date: February 6, 1973
Time: 4:32 pm-4:49 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

       President' schedule
              -Meeting with Arthur F. Burns and George P. Shultz
              -Rose Mary Woods
                      -President's meeting with Alice Roosevelt Longworth
              -Dentist
              -Radio speech draft
                      -Postponement
                      -Work
              -Cabinet breakfast
                      -Time
              -Meeting with Peter J. Brennan, Frederick B. Dent, and James F. Oates
                      -Jobs for Veterans program
                              -James H. Cavanaugh, William E. Timmons, Charles W. Colson,
Richard A. Moore
                              -Briefing
                                      -Program achievements
                                             -Industry cooperation
                              -Length
              -Cabinet breakfast
              -Student delegates to Senate Youth Program
                      -Founding
                      -Number
                      -Meeting with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                      -White House tour
              -E. D. Kenna
                      -National Association of Manufacturers [NAM]
                      -Colson
                               -2-

    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                        (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                Conversation No. 851-1 (cont’d)

       -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
       -Meeting
               -Length
               -Photograph
-Charles S. Rhyne
       -Request for meeting
       -World peace
       -International law
       -California trip
       -Length of meeting
-Wilbur D. Mills
       -Request for meeting
               -Haldeman, Timmons, John D. Ehrlichman
               -Subject
                       -Upcoming legislation
       -Preparation
               -Talking paper
-Economics speech
-Departure
-Talking papers
       -Problems
       -Timmons
       -Preparation
               -Papers by Ehrlichman, Shultz, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
-Shultz and Ehrlichman
       -Tax policy
-Mills
-President's departure
-Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan
       -Confirmation
       -Meeting with President
       -Departure for India
-Cabinet meeting
-Brennan
-NAM
-Cabinet meeting
                                              -3-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                       (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                          Conversation No. 851-1 (cont’d)

               -Rhyne
               -Key Biscayne
               -Moynihan
                      -Speech
                      -Swearing-in
                      -Press coverage
                              -Photographers
               -Shultz and Bryce N. Harlow
               -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
                      -Swearing-in
               -Radio speech
                      -Number of networks
                      -Ronald L. Ziegler
                      -Release of tape
                      -Preparation
                      -Timing of tape release
                              -Evening news
                      -Meetings
                              -Cabinet
                              -Brennan
                                     -Jobs for Veterans
                              -Kenna
                              -Moynihan
                              -Rhyne
                              -Kenna
                                     -Length
               -Mills
                      -Shultz
                      -Meeting with President
                      -Timmons
                      -Ehrlichman
                              -Shultz’s presence
               -Meeting
                      -Haldeman

Bull left at 4:49 pm.
                                                 -4-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                       (rev. Mar.-09)

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.

Uh, let's see, regarding the, uh, sure.
All right.
Uh, Rose tells me that, uh, that this is the only way to get some light out of it.
You'll be ready to make it tomorrow morning.
We're going to bring it around at 5.15.
We'll just have to handle that in a very quiet manner.
No, I don't want to spend all of our time sitting here.
I feel like I'm gone.
I feel like I have to be gone.
I feel like I'm gone.
I feel like I'm gone.
And what else do you have tomorrow?
This first one isn't really an odd .
Well, I haven't seen that.
This is the end of the speech right here.
This is the draft that's been approved by.
Well, I'm sorry, but I can't do it tomorrow.
I can't really work on it, so that's done.
So what else do you got?
All right, I'll work on it.
Maybe do it the next day.
Would you like me to leave the speech here?
Well, I can't work on it now.
On Thursday, Bob noted an 8 o'clock cabinet breakfast.
I can recall about a month and a half ago you indicated 8.30.
Was this just a force of habit, or did you want that at 8 o'clock, that cabinet breakfast?
8.30 is fine.
8.30.
All right.
It was recommended that you meet with Secretary Brennan Dent and Jim Oates, the chairman of the Jobs for Veterans program.
All right.
It's been recommended by Kavanaugh, Timmons, and Colson, and more.
And this would be followed by a briefing by Brennan, Dent, and Oates afterwards, describing what they'd reported to the president on.
And they pay all attention to the progress that this Jobs for Vietnam Veterans program has achieved.
And it would further urge industry cooperating.
It would only be a 15-minute meeting.
All right, so we'll allow 30.
Yeah, we'll allow 30.
Let's see if the only reason I mentioned the clearance is the problem.
Yeah, so here before the phase would have been most of the time.
All right.
There's a group of student delegates to the 1973 U.S. Senate Youth Program.
And in 1969, you greeted this group in the state dining room.
It's about 100 outstanding high school students who have competed.
No.
Would you like Mrs. Nixon to greet them on a tour?
No.
That might be.
No.
She doesn't have to greet.
Doug Kennan is president of the National Association of Manufacturers.
It's been recommended by Colson and Bob Haltman that you meet him briefly, just for five minutes.
This would be a photograph of new president of NAM who will be needing their cooperation in the future, and this would contribute to it.
This is really a five-minute stand-up.
Prior to the inauguration, Charles Ryan requested to talk with you, and we put this off until after the inauguration.
The substance really is over a piece.
He just wants to discuss matters related to international law.
He's been held in abeyance.
We can hold it even further until after the California trip, sir.
I think, if I recall, Charles Ryan has a tendency to talk on for a bit.
And I'm not sure how tight he would be.
Well, I wouldn't mind seeing him for a while.
I don't know if I've seen him in a day.
I think it would be.
And nobody needs to be with him.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
Final thing is the recommendation that you make
with Wilbur Mills.
No, that wasn't coming in a few days ago.
They said this came in.
Well, this came in on the 6th today.
Today.
Recommended by, uh, by God.
Tim, what's up early?
to discuss upcoming legislation.
Well, I can't vote tomorrow because I don't have any.
They have to give me a talking paper.
This would be in Thursday meetings.
In fact, all of these are Thursday meetings.
Yes, sir.
What are you going to do on Wednesday then?
Well, on Wednesday already we're starting to fill up.
We'll have to switch over.
We were thinking in terms of the economic speed, so we'll have to flip the move.
Well, I leave in three o'clock.
We'll leave, actually, at, basically, at, we'll leave it here at, yeah, three o'clock.
We'll land in South Lawn at three o'clock in South Lawn.
So maybe we might want Sean Mills to mark, because what do you know?
I can't, because I haven't got it ready.
I've got to have the talking papers, and it's a very complicated story.
So I have to read the study beforehand, so somebody's got to get a thorough talking paper.
I mean, I can't just sit and guess.
See, they don't understand it.
I know it's not easy, but I've got to know why.
Maybe a Wednesday afternoon meeting might work.
Maybe we can try to work this into Wednesday so
Because really what we have is that meeting with Schultz and Ehrlichman tomorrow on tax policy.
And this would be consistent with the extension of it.
Perhaps around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, provided that Mills is available there.
It might work.
Then you have an automatic cutoff also that you have to depart at 5.
even though we've said this for a 30-minute meeting.
It'll be an hour.
What about Moynihan?
Moynihan hasn't been confirmed yet, sir.
He might be confirmed today, possibly tomorrow.
We're continuing to watch it.
Pat has requested to come in and have a
call to receive his instructions from you before departing for India.
And I guess he's about ready to depart as soon as he sees you.
Well, try to get it in Thursday.
What do you have on Thursday?
Let's skip that.
We have a cabin at 8.30, excuse me, Brennan at 10.30.
Let's make ourselves open to this National Association of Manufacturers Managers.
Let's make the cabinet meeting at 8, because I think we better do that.
All right.
Give you a little time in there, then.
This National Association of Manufacturers.
All right.
President 12-0 for five minutes.
Charles Ryan at 12-15.
And 3 p.m. is our floor.
Keep us game.
You've got one hand in there.
Then we can put Pat and one hand in on...
Really, we have time tomorrow morning, earlier, since you're not doing this speech.
Well, I .
Why don't we leave tomorrow morning open for you, so you can work on the speech.
And then the first thing you have would be 12 minutes.
Or it would be later on in the day, the next morning.
Well, that's five minutes.
Yes, sir.
Just right in here.
Right here.
We'll have to let the press come in and photograph the swearing in and leave as soon as this is out of the way.
What would you like to see Pat?
I can see him on Thursday just prior to the departure.
I've got to cut off the tape.
And this is about Schultz.
This is Schultz on the eyes.
I've got to keep the possibility of the white letters.
22,000 words.
12 noon was considered a good time to do it, you know, on a day, 12 noon, because it would play most of the day on the radio and then hit the PM newspapers.
I'll just make the appropriate adjustments on this.
And, uh, try tentatively for a noon delivery of this on Thursday.
What did you have on Thursday?
We had a cabinet thing at 8.
And then Brennan and his job for veterans at 10.30.
Yeah.
You know, the Kenner thing.
We can move.
Oh, well, that could be.
Oh, this is.
That'll all work out.
We were going to put Moynihan in at 2.30.
It gives you a very busy day.
It gives you morning.
Well, we just left Kenner and Ryan ahead of that then.
after the radio speech.
See Kenneth for five minutes and then Ryan.
That would take you up to about 1 o'clock.
And then 2.30, you've had one minute.
Kenneth will make him a five-minute appointment and just explain to him the present.
Delivering a radio speech and...
Do you want Schultz in on this?
No.
Just hand over.
I don't want tenets on that either, on the mills thing.
Just earlier on that one, I think, Schultz was already talking about that.
I thought I'd have every chance to talk to her and say I do not want tenets, definitely.
This guy likes to be seen alone.
He's the only one I consider having to be here with me.
You talk to her, and I'll find out if you will.
Yes, sir.
Sir, I've been holding this out for 10 to 15 minutes.
Could I have the judge write it down?