Conversation No. 326-1

Date:  March 22, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 5:07 pm - 6:15 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, John B. Connally, George P. Shultz, Herbert Stein, Donald Rumsfeld and Charles W. Colson.

[Recording begins while the conversation is in progress; this is a continuation of Conversation No. 324-43]

National economy
-Pay Board
-George Meany’s resignation
-The President’s possible statement
	-Television
		-Reaction
	-The President’s view
		-Meany
-Possible West Coast longshoremen strike
-Press coverage
-Labor members
-Meany’s resignation
-Effect on Democratic candidates
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Humphrey
	-Busing
	-Joint Economic Committee
-Muskie
-Leonard Woodcock
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
-The President’s possible statement
-Format and timing

James D. Hodgson 
		-Woodcock

Shultz left at an unknown time before 6:05 pm.

National economy
-Pay Board
-Meany’s resignation
-The President’s possible response
-Networks
-Format and timing
	-Possible public perception
-Forthcoming Cost of Living Council [COLC] meeting
	-Connally
	-Timing
-George H. Boldt
-Colson’s view
-Statement
-Rumsfeld’s view
-Ronald L. Ziegler’s statement
-COLC meeting
-Timing
-Ziegler’s possible statement
	-Ehrlichman’s view
-Connally’s view
-Boldt
	-Pay Board
	
Shultz entered at an unknown time after 5:07 pm.
						
						-Price Commission
-Woodcock’s possible resignation
-Hodgson’s views
-Frank E. Fitzsimmons
-Public Pay Board
-John T. Dunlop
-Construction industry
-Peter J. Brennan
-Fitzsimmons
	-Hodgson’s view
-International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ public image
-Views
-Construction industry
-Relationship with Teamsters
-Dunlop
-Shultz’s view
-COLC meeting
-Timing
-The President’s possible statement
-Ziegler
-Colson’s view
-Doug Johnson [?]
-Rumsfeld 
-Shultz
-Preparation
-Long Statement
-Television statement	
	-William L. Safire
-Stein’s forthcoming briefing
-Composition
-Virgil B. Day
-Benjamin F. Biaggini
-Rocco C. Siciliano
-Biaggini
	-The President’s view
		-Fitzsimmons
	-Rumsfeld’s view	
		-Day
-Day
	-Rumsfeld’s view
-Biaggini
	-The President’s view	
-Meany’s resignation
-Administration response
	-The President’s view
		-Connally
		-Rumsfeld
	-Connally’s forthcoming speech to the Middlesex Club
-Boston
-Club
-Television shows
-Today 
	-Size of audience compared to Meet the Press
-Herbert E. Kaplow 
-Barbara Walters
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS] Morning News
-Meet the Press
	-Marshall Green
-Today
-Connally’s possible appearance 
	-Timing
		-The President’s forthcoming press conference
-Meany’s attendance record
-Meany’s resignation
-Administration response
-Television shows
-Today
-Timing of Connally’s appearance
			-Network news
				-National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
		-Location
	-Meet the Press
		-Possible replacement of Green with Rumsfeld
			-The President’s forthcoming meeting with Green
-Humphrey, Muskie
-Administration’s response
-The President’s schedule
-Green

Ehrlichman, Connally, Shultz, Rumsfeld, and Colson left at 6:05 pm.

Steins’s briefing technique
	-The President’s view

National economy
-The President’s program
-Consumer Price Index [CPI]
-Wage and price controls
	-Success
	-Possible freeze on food prices
		-Stein’s view
			-Farmers
			-Meat
				-Cattle
				-Hogs
				
Council of Economic Advisors [CEA]
	-Marina von N. Whitman
	-Stein’s view	
		-Schedule
			-Speeches
	-Ezra Solomon
		-The President’s view
		-Stein’s possible speech on wage and price controls
Stein left at 6:08 pm.

The President’s schedule
-Forthcoming COLC meeting
-Forthcoming meeting with Green
-Henry A. Kissinger’s views
-Green’s possible press statement 
	-State Department
		-Shanghai Communique
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Haldeman’s view
-William P. Rogers
-Taiwan, Republic of China
-Green’s forthcoming appearance on Meet the Press
-Florida
-Press conference
-The President’s view
	-Meany
	-Camp David
-Press conference
-Pay Board story
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-Haldeman’s schedule
-Press conference
-Patrick J. Buchanan views
	-George C. Wallace
-ITT

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 6:08 pm.

Instructions

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 6:15 pm.

The President’s forthcoming press conference
-Responses
	-ITT
-Life magazine story
-Peter M. Flanigan
	-Ziegler
-Harry S. Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt

The President and Haldeman left at 6:15 pm.

Conversation No. 326-2

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 9:20 am and 9:38 am
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with John D. Ehrlichman.

News summary
-Unknown person
	-Resignation
-Possible press conference question
-Elliot Richardson
-Unknown man

Conversation No. 326-3

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 9:20 am and 9:38 am
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 22-10]

Conversation No. 326-4

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  9:38 am - 9:45 am
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

An unknown person entered and left at an unknown time between 9:38 am and 9:45 am.

[See Conversation No. 22-11; one item has been withdrawn from this conversation]

Conversation No. 326-5

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 9:45 am and 9:50 am
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with an unknown person.

Report
	-Borders
	-British
-Delivery

Manolo Sanchez entered the room at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:50 am.

Conversation No. 326-6

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 9:45 am and 9:50 am
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with Manolo Sanchez.

Unknown item

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 9:50 am.

Conversation No. 326-7

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 9:45 am and 9:50 am
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

Haldeman’s schedule
-Meeting with the President

Conversation No. 326-8

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  9:50 am - 10:45 am
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

Pay Board 
	-George Meany’s resignation
-Charles W. Colson’s efforts
-Clark MacGregor’s possible effort
-Congress
-Statements by Michael J. Mansfield and Jacob K. Javits

International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-Colson’s efforts

John B. Connally
	-Comments on Today
-Meany’s resignation from the Pay Board
-Food prices
	-Meat prices
	-Earl L. Butz
	-Farm prices
	-Retailers
		-Transportation costs
-Meany’s resignation from the Pay Board
-Meany’s attendance at Pay Board meetings
	-Meany’s conversation with George H. Boldt
-Effect
			-Tone
		-News summary
			-The President’s view
-Performance
-Herbert G. Klein
-Comments regarding Meany’s resignation from Pay Board

-Interview technique
-Reaction of Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman and George P. Shultz
-The President’s view
	-Irving R. Levine [?]
-Previous call to Haldeman
-Jews
-Arthur F. Burns, Hobart Rowan, Nathaniel Samuels
				-Burns
				-The President’s view
					-Edmund S. Muskie
-Forthcoming call from Haldeman
-Secretary

Anti-Semitism
	-Haldeman’s view

The President’s schedule
	-Camp David

Middle East
-The President’s forthcoming memorandum to Henry A. Kissinger
-Soviet Union
-John N. Mitchell	
-Kissinger’s advice in 1970
	-Israel
	-Elections

An unknown person entered and left at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 10:45 am. 

-Andrei A. Gromyko’s offer
	-Soviet presence in Egypt
		-Israel
	-Kissinger’s response
-1972 election
-Jews
-Democrats
-The President’s forthcoming visit with Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Soviet presence in Egypt
	-Mediterranean
-Israel
-Kissinger
-The President’s view
-Jews
-Mitchell
-Max M. Fisher
-Golda Meir’s statements regarding the President
-Support for the President
-Effect on US policy
	-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
	-Soviet Union
	-Mediterranean
		-Oil
		-Israel
			-Barry M. Goldwater
			-US relationship with Arabs
				-United Arab Republic [UAR]
				-Oil	
-The President’s forthcoming visit to the Soviet Union
	-Opportunity to alter Us policy
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Soviet presence in the Middle East
-Israeli occupation of territory
-Compared to Okinawa
	-Japan
		-Pearl Harbor
-The President’s forthcoming memorandum to Kissinger
			-Camp David

Jews
-Media
	-Haldeman’s view
		-Mitchell
	-Views regarding the President
-Anti-Semitic vote

Middle East
-The President’s forthcoming memorandum to Kissinger
	-Timing
	-US policy

Jews
-President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
-Pressure regarding Israel
	-Burns
	-Leonard Garment
	-Fisher
-Support for the President

News media
-Television coverage of the President’s previous statement on Meany
	-American Broadcasting Corporation [ABC]
-Ronald L. Ziegler’s expectations
-ABC
-Length of statement
-Reaction
	-Consumer Price Index [CPI]

Connally
-Comments on Today
	-National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
	-Haldeman’s view
		-Charts
-The President’s view
-Schedule

Federal Reserve Board
-Appointments
-Roles of Burns and Connally
-Haldeman’s previous conversation with Shultz
-Shultz’s previous conversation with Burns
-Frederic V. Malek’s role
-Burns’s role in approving appointments
-The President’s role
	-Malek
	-Burns
	-Connally
	-Shultz

Connally
-The President’s view
-Haldeman’s view

MacGregor
	-House members

News summary
	-ITT
	-James O. Eastland’s committee’s activities
	-San Diego
				-Haldeman’s view

Media coverage of administration
	-The President’s view
	-Haldeman’s view
	-Sherman Adams
	-Harry H. Vaughn
	-Robert C. Wilson, Robert H. Finch, Herbert G. Klein
	-The President’s view
-Sheraton Hotels

Connally

Administration’s activities
-Drugs
-[Pay Board]
-Staff morale
-The President’s previous statement regarding Meany
	-Haldeman’s view
-Drugs

Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
-FBI experts compared to external experts

The President’s instructions
	-Russell A. Kirk
	-Robert A. Nisbet 

The President’s schedule
-Possible press meeting with China experts
-Ziegler’s views
	-Soviet Union
-Wives
-Press conferences
-Value
-Timing
	-Camp David
		-Gridiron dinner
			-Television
		-The President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
-Possible fireside talk on drugs
	-Timing
-Preparation
	-The President’s view
-Format
	-Telephones
-Radio talks
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
	-Emil (“Bus”) Mosbacher, Jr.’s talk with Haldeman
		-Gridiron dinner

Supreme Court
-Mitchell

The President’s schedule
-Press conferences
-Timing
-Vacations
-Democratic National Convention
-Republican National Convention
-Marvin L. Kalb
-Kissinger
	-Soviet Union trip
-Ziegler

Kissinger’s schedule
-Chicago, Houston, Dallas
	-Television talk shows
-Connally
	-Texas
		-Houston
		-Dallas-Ft. Worth
-Kalb
	-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
	-Size of television audience
	-Treatment of the administration

William P. Rogers
-Kissinger
-Comments regarding Arthur K. Watson

Watson
-Incident on airplane
	-Public reaction towards President
		-Bible Belt
			-Haldeman’s view
-Frank F. Church’s comments
	-Chinese
-Rogers

Haldeman left at 10:45 am.

Conversation No. 326-9

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 10:45 am and 12:54 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with Manolo Sanchez.

Note for John B. Connally
-Rose Mary Woods

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  12s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:54 pm.

Conversation No. 326-10

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 10:45 am and 12:54 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with an unknown man.

Briefing book
	-Instructions on binding

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 12:54 pm.

Conversation No. 326-11

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 10:45 am and 12:54 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with Manolo Sanchez.

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  7s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:54 pm.

Conversation No. 326-12

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 10:45 am and 12:54 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with an unknown person.

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  14s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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The unknown person left at an unknown time before 12:54 pm.

Conversation No. 326-13

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 10:45 am and 12:54 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with Manolo Sanchez

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  7s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:54 pm.

Conversation No. 326-14

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 10:45 am and 12:54 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with an unknown person.

An unknown man’s location

Conversation No. 326-15

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 10:45 am and 12:54 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 22-12]

Conversation No. 326-16

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  12:54 pm - 1:12 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[See Conversation No. 22-13; one item has been withdrawn from this conversation]

Conversation No. 326-17

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 1:12 pm and 1:16 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

Pending legislation

-Section 315 on equal time
	-The President’s previous call to Charles W. Colson
	-Democrats
-Possible candidate debates
-Television
	-Minor candidates
-The President’s view

Peter M. Flanigan
-John D. Ehrlichman

Conversation No. 326-18

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  1:16 pm - 1:17 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See Conversation No. 22-15]

Conversation No. 326-19

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  1:24 pm - 2:00 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

The President’s forthcoming press conference
-Possible topics
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Northern Ireland
	-Press coverage

Public relations
-John B. Connally’s previous Today appearance
-Donald Rumsfeld’s previous Meet the Press appearance

The President’s forthcoming press conference
-The President’s possible demeanor
	-Ziegler’s view
-Connally
-National economy
-Pay Board
-Judiciary Committee
-Michael J. Mansfield
				-Vote on Richard G. Kleindienst’s nomination

National news items
	-Herbert Stein’s statement
-Ziegler’s view
	-Food prices
		-Price Commission
		-Connally’s statement
-Unknown person [Hubert H. Humphrey?]
	-Productivity Commission
-Busing
	-Detroit
	-Stephen J. Roth
	-Moratorium
	-Department of Justice
-New York banks’ prime rate
			-Unknown bank
			-First National Bank
			
The President talked with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman at an unknown time between 1:24 pm and 1:28 pm.

[Conversation No. 326-19A]

National economy
-New York banks’ prime rate
-Connally

[End of telephone conversation]

The President’s forthcoming press conference
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Statement in New Orleans
	-Vice Presidency
	-The President’s view
-Politics
	-Primaries
-George C. Wallace
-Campaign spending
-Buchanan’s view
	-Wallace
-Section 315 regarding equal time
-Possible debates
-Howard H. Baker, Jr.’s equity amendment

Haldeman talked with the President between 1:28 pm and 1:29 pm.

[Conversation No. 326-19B]

[See Conversation No. 22-16]

[End of telephone conversation]

The President’s forthcoming press conference
-Politics
-Possible debates
-The President’s view
	-Timing of political speeches
	-Debates
-The President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
	-Press interest
	-Itinerary
	-Agenda
	-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
	- Trade
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT] case
	-Peter M. Flanigan
	-Thomas F. Eagleton’s attack
	-Ziegler’s statements
-Richard W. McLaren’s statements
-Chile
-Statement Department
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Sherman Adams
-Harry S. Truman
-Alger Hiss
-Harry H. Vaughn
-Scandals
-Proof of charges
-Harry S. Truman

Press
-Ziegler’s forthcoming list
	-The President’s view
		-Television
		-Radio
-Nicholas P. Thimmesch
-Frank van der Linden
-Richard (“Dick”) Wilson
-Clark R. Mollenhoff
-Wire services
	-Frank Cormier
	-Ziegler’s view	
		-Helen Thomas
		-Gaylord Shaw
-Preparation

The President’s forthcoming press conference
-Schedule
	-Timing
	-Length 
	-Jim Deakin
	-Cormier

Unknown man
-Views of the press
-Busing
	-Liberals

Unknown man [George C. Wallace?]
	-Tax reform
-Democratic presidential candidates
	-Combined tenure in Senate
		-Inactivity

The President’s forthcoming press conference
-National economy
-Price control
	-Consumer Price Index [CPI]
-George Meany
-Leonard Woodcock
-Busing legislation
	-South
		-School bus accident
	-Separate but equal education
	-Ziegler’s statement regarding the President’s views
	-Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education 
			-The President’s view
		-Ziegler’s view
-George P. Shultz’s views

The President’s schedule
-Press conferences
	-Frequency
		-The President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
		-Democratic National Convention
	-The President’s view
-Ziegler’s conversation with Haldeman
-Format
-Timing and location
	-Democratic National Convention
	-Republican National Convention
	-San Clemente
	-Democratic National Convention
		-The President’s view
			-Staff schedules
			-Youth
-Possible international press conference
	-The President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
	-Ziegler’s conversation with Haldeman
-The President’s demeanor
-Compared to Connally’s demeanor
-Meany
-Charts

Agnew
-Press coverage
-Statements to press
	-California
		-ITT
	-Ziegler’s view
		-Defensiveness
-Press coverage

The President’s forthcoming press conference 
	-National economy
	-The President’s program
	-Price controls
	-Humphrey, Meany
	-Food prices
		-Price Commission
		-Middlemen
		-Farmers
	-Ziegler’s view
		-Pay Board
	-Inflation

Ziegler left at 2:00 pm.

Conversation No. 326-20

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  2:05 pm - 2:06 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See Conversation No. 22-18]

Conversation No. 326-21

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 2:06 pm and 2:22 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 22-19]

Conversation No. 326-22

Date:  March 24, 1972
Time:  2:22 pm - 2:23 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with Edward J. Gurney.

[See Conversation No. 22-20]