Conversation No. 541‑1

Date:  July 21, 1971
Time:  2:53 pm ‑ 2:54 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President talked with Miss Lund, secretary to J. Curtis Counts.

J. Curtis Counts
-Efforts to settle telephone strike
-George P. Shultz and James D. Hodgson

Baseball
‑Counts' background as All‑American baseball player at the University of California at Los Angeles [UCLA]

Conversation No. 541‑2

Date:  July 21, 1971
Time:  Unknown after 2:52 pm until 5:04 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (ABob@) Haldeman at an unknown time after 2:52 pm.

J. Curtis Counts
‑Secretary
‑Background
‑All‑American baseball player at University of California at Los Angeles [UCLA]

[The President talked with Willie J. Usery between 2:54 pm and 2:56 pm]

[Conversation No. 541‑2A]

[See Conversation No. 6‑175]

[End of telephone conversation]

Usery
‑Character of people
‑Effects of wealth and education
‑Beliefs
‑Causes of war

The President's schedule
‑Forthcoming trip to California
‑Use of time
‑Use of time

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‑Attendance at Washington Senators baseball game
‑Compared to attendance at All-Stars game
‑Newspaper coverage

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 2:55 pm.

Meeting with John B. Connally

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:01 pm.

Alternatives of economic action

The President=s schedule

Connally, George P. Shultz, John D. Ehrlichman and Charles W. Colson entered at 3:01 pm.

[General Conversation]

The economy
‑Possible action
‑Issuance of Treasury bonds
‑Interest rate
‑Income
‑Public perceptions
‑Savings bonds
‑Bonds
‑New York
‑Purchase of bonds in support of causes
‑Israel
‑Environment
-Science exploration, cancer research
-Effect on money markets
‑Appeal for investment in the United States
‑Number of people involved in savings bond drive
-Effect on budget
‑Methods of setting up new program
‑Funding for future programs
-Peter G. Peterson
‑Applied research efforts
‑Inspiration of the public
-Contrast to taxation
‑Spirit
‑Interest subsidies
‑Direct subsidies
‑Maritime industry
‑Differences in approach between the US and foreign countries
‑Bond sales as fundraising alternative
‑Comparison to school and other local bonds
‑Domestic programs
‑Expenditure
‑Public opinion
-Environment
‑Market tests
‑Comparison to automobile tests
‑Conservative approach
‑John Kenneth Galbraith
-Connally=s Aenemy@principle
‑Issue of economic control
‑Edward M. (ATed@) Kennedy, Hubert H. Humphrey, Edmund S. Muskie
‑Attitude toward wage and price control
‑Connally=s testimony

‑Response to Galbraith
‑Spokesperson for the left wing of the Democratic party
‑Permanent wage and price controls
‑Arthur F. Burns
‑British approach contrasted with the US
‑Wage‑price controls
‑Response to Galbraith, Democrats
‑Attempts to force repudiation by Democratic candidates
‑Effects of 1953 agricultural action
‑Secretary of Agriculture
-Brandon Marme plan
‑Controlled economy
‑Totalitarian economies
‑Office of Price Administration [OPA]
-Productivity Commission meeting
-George Meany=s cooperation
-Tenure
-Relationship to administration
-Executive Council, trade council, Teamsters
-Popularity of unions
-Union leaders opposition to administration
-Administration=s courting of rank-and-file
-Productivity Commission meeting
-September, 1971
-Planned issues
-Meany=s role
-Shultz=s proposed meeting with Meany
-Job conference
-Partisan attack
-Support for Muskie, Humphrey, Carl B. Albert
-Opposition to the President
-Meany=s speech
-Support for administration=s foreign policy
-Opposition to administration=s economic policy
-Productivity Commission
-Perceptions
-Press

Labor issues
‑Union members
‑Appeal to the rank and file rather than the leaders
‑US position in the world
‑Rank and file

-Practical concerns
-Jobs
‑Educational level
-Contributions
‑Compared to the US leader class
‑Patriotism
‑H. G. Wells' view of history
‑Effects of higher education
‑Attitude toward issues
‑Drugs, crime, national defense, US supremacy
‑Compared to Britain, France, Germany
-Japan
‑Comparison to the President's generation
‑Attitude towards the People=s Republic of China [PRC] initiative
‑Reasons
‑Labor leaders
‑Meany, Frank E. Fitzsimmons, Peter J. Brennan
‑Background
‑Comparison with farmers
‑Need for support in maintaining US supremacy
‑Communist countries
‑Compared to university president
-Kent State
‑Compared to science advisors groups
‑Compared to businessmen
‑New managerial class
‑Compared to religious leaders
‑William F. (ABilly@) Graham
‑Compared to journalists
‑Rank and file attitude towards the US, the President
‑Labor leaders
‑Meany
‑Fitzsimmons
‑Brennan
‑Need to fight labor perceptions on economic issues
‑Union members
‑US moral crisis
-The President=s view
‑Sources of support for the President
‑International issues
‑The Vietnam war
‑Demonstrators in Washington

‑Working class people
‑Cambodia
-John V. Lindsay
‑Hard hat demonstrations in support of the President in New York City
‑Handling of economic opposition
‑Strike settlements
‑The President's calls to Usery, Counts
-Counts= meeting with longshoremen
-Usery
-Jobs conference
-Rank and file support for the administration
-Concern for jobs
-Administration=s position on unions
-International issue
-Trade
-European community
-Meany
-Protectionist rhetoric
‑US jobs
‑Exports
‑The automobile industry
-Peterson
‑Connally's speaking engagement, July 20, 1971
‑Sift in job market
-Importance of private sector
-Role of unions
‑Sources of capital
‑Labor force
‑Increased number of women
-Conflict between educated and uneducated workers
‑Competition with other countries
-Japan
-Administration=s position
-James D. Hodgson
-Education
‑Colt Industries
‑Meany
‑Possible stance
-Muskie
-Peterson
‑Appeal to the rank and file
‑The President's image

-Compared to Muskie, Kennedy, Humphrey
‑Comparison to Franklin D. Roosevelt's unique image
‑Upper class background
‑Appeal to the common man

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‑Perceptions of blue collar taxpayers
‑Welfare issue
-William L. Safire, Raymond K. Price, Jr.
‑The President's image
‑Differences from new leader class
‑Meany's comments
‑Connally's press conference
‑Response
-Lockheed
‑Projections on 1972 labor vote

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  2m 43s  ]

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Special interest groups
‑The administration's relations with labor
‑Blacks
‑Meetings with the President in the White House
‑Opposition to Barry M. Goldwater
‑Jews
‑The President's schedule
‑Labor
‑Blacks, Jews
‑Contrast in effectiveness of meetings
‑Political action committees [PAC]
-California's 1950 senatorial election
-Taft-Hartley
‑Helen Gahagan Douglas compared with Richard M. Nixon
‑Effect on labor vote
-Connally=s Aenemy@ principle
‑Labor
‑Rank and file reactions compared to labor leaders
‑Support for the President in foreign policy and national security issues
‑The economy
‑Connally=s Aenemy@ principle
‑Comparison of Roosevelt and John L. Lewis; John F. Kennedy, Jr. and James R. Hoffa
‑Administration=s strategy
-Galbraith
-Relations with labor
-Wage and price controls
-Meany

Wage and price controls
-Administration=s strategy
-Government role
-The President=s view
-OPA
‑Examples of socialized economies in other countries

Labor
-[Unintelligible name] as target
‑Labor relations in the past
‑Lewis, Harry Bridges
‑The President's meetings with Brennan and others
‑Teamsters Union official from California
‑Anecdote from the 1950's

‑California
‑Example of [unintelligible name]
‑Undersecretary of Labor
‑James P. Mitchell
‑[First name not known] Peterson of construction and builders union
‑Painters Union
‑Longshoremen
‑Electrical union
‑(Albert J.)? Fitzgerald
-Internal Revenue Service investigation
‑Union practices in the past
‑Mineworkers
‑California
‑Democratic registration efforts
‑Blacks, Hispanics
‑Focus on minorities
‑Comparison to Connally's experiences
‑Possible successors to Meany
‑[Joseph] Lane Kirkland, Joe Baron
‑I.[lworth] W. Abel
‑Settlement of labor disputes
‑The President's conversation with Usery
‑Effectiveness of the President's meetings
‑Productivity and wage issues
‑Settlement of the postal strike
-Winton M. (ARed@) Blount
‑Signal to other unions

Privatization
‑Manpower program
‑Daycare centers
‑Private industry compared to Federal government

The aged
‑Concerns
-White House conference
‑Social security
‑Arthur F. Burns
‑Presentation

Labor
‑Communication
‑The President's meeting with Teamsters officials, Brennan
-Support for president=s foreign policy
-The Teamsters

The PRC initiative
‑Connally's conversation with Hamilton Fish, Sr.
-Connally=s conversation with Hamilton Fish, Jr.
‑Praise for the President's action
‑Anecdote about Roosevelt
-Anecdote about Alexander Hamilton
‑Forthcoming book
‑George Washington's farewell address

Ehrlichman, Shultz, and Colson left at 4:35 pm.

Labor
‑Economic issues
‑Approach to handling labor leaders, rank and file
‑Number of new jobs
‑The President's foreign policy accomplishments
‑Quotas
-Lockheed
‑Tax reform
‑Alleviation of burden on the working man

The President's conversation with Ehrlichman, July 20, 1971

Spiro T. Agnew
‑Bryce N. Harlow's analysis
‑Possibility of resignation from office
-January 1972
‑Nomination of successor by the President with confirmation by the Senate

[The President talked with George H. Mahon between 4:40 pm and 4:46 pm]

[Conversation No. 541‑2B]

[See Conversation No. 6‑177]

[End of telephone conversation]

[The President talked with the White House Operator at an unknown time between 4:46 pm and 5:04 pm.

[Conversation No. 541-2C]

[See Conversation No. 6-178]

[End of telephone conversation]

[The President talked with an unknown person [Ehrlichman?] at an unknown time between 4:46 pm and 5:04 pm.

[Conversation No. 541-2D]

Request for conversation with Paul Wilson
-Mahon=s staff
-Testimony of appropriations bill
-Hodgson

[End of telephone conversation]

Appropriations
-Public service funding

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
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[Duration:  4m 8s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6

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US foreign policy
‑Changes in climate
‑The PRC initiative
‑Support by people like Galbraith
‑The Vietnam war
‑Decline in prominence of issue

‑Possible US‑Soviet Union [USSR] summit in May 1972
‑Liberal perceptions
‑Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1956 heart attack
‑Adlai E. Stevenson
-Nixon=s vice presidency compared to Agnew
‑The PRC initiative
‑Henry A. Kissinger
‑Unexpected nature of July 15, 1971 announcement by the President
‑Speculation as to focus prior to speech delivery

Vice Presidency
‑Connally
‑Goals
‑Role and duties of Vice President
-Connally=s view
-The President=s view
‑Unprecedented nature of the President's relations with Connally
‑Comparisons with previous administrations
‑Eisenhower‑Nixon
‑John F. Kennedy‑Lyndon B. Johnson
‑Johnson‑Humphrey
‑The Vice President as the President's alter ego
-Connally
‑Election and political aspects
‑Handling of duties while in office
‑Comparison with Eisenhower's second term
‑Agnew
‑Relations with the Cabinet
-Successor
‑Cabinet members
‑Congress
‑Gerald R. Ford
‑Nelson A. Rockefeller
‑Ronald W. Reagan
-Requirements
‑Agnew

Haldeman and Connally left at 5:04 pm.

Conversation No. 541‑3

Date:  July 21, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 5:04 pm and 5:07 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with an unknown person.

Instructions

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 5:07 pm.

Conversation No. 541‑4

Date:  July 21, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 5:04 pm and 5:07 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 6‑179]

Conversation No. 541‑5

Date:  July 21, 1971
Time:  5:07 pm ‑ 5:15 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

The President's telephone call to John W. Rollins
‑Rollins' location

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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[Duration:  3m 27s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:07 pm.

Stanley H. Bear
‑Departure from service at the White House
‑The President's schedule
‑Bear's schedule

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Rose Mary Woods left at 5:15 pm.

Conversation No. 541‑6

Date:  July 21, 1971
Time:  5:15 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

Schedule for meeting

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:15 pm.

Request

Bull left at an unknown time before 5:21 pm.

Conversation No. 541‑7

Date:  July 21, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 5:15 pm and 5:21 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Manolo Sanchez.

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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[Duration:  8s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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Sanchez left at an unknown time before 5:21 pm.

Conversation No. 541‑8

Date:  July 21, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 5:15 pm and 6:19 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (ABob@) Haldeman and Alexander P. Butterfield.

Items for the President's signature

Schedule

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‑July 22, 1971
‑The President's meetings

Butterfield left at 5:28 pm.

John B. Connally
‑Reaction to Vice Presidency possibility
‑Comparison to Treasury Department situation
‑White House staff structure
‑National Security Council [NSC], Secret Service, Domestic Council
‑Haldeman=s view
‑Donald W. Riegle, Jr.=s comments
‑Harper's magazine article by Richard Whelan
‑Connally's handling of job
‑Vice Presidency

Vice Presidency
‑Speculation in the press
‑Cabinet members
‑Melvin R. Laird, William P. Rogers
‑Spiro T. Agnew's possible resignation
‑Perceptions
-Connally=s view
-Newsweek article

[An unknown person talked with the President at an unknown time between 5:22 pm and 6:19 pm]

[Conversation No. 451‑8A]

[End of telephone conversation]

The President's schedule
‑November 9, 1971 dinner
‑Agnew
-Birthday

Agnew
‑Possible resignation
-Haldeman=s view
-Bryce N. Harlow=s view
‑Possible job
‑Level of income
‑General Motors
‑Public relations
‑Real estate
‑Leslie Townes (ABob@) Hope, Art Linkletter

Foreign relations
‑The People Republic of China [PRC] initiative
‑Hamilton Fish, Sr.
‑Conservatives
‑Broad support for the President
‑John Birch Society
-William F. Knowland
-Taiwan

The President's schedule
‑Robert H. Finch
-Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Paul W. McCracken	

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‑Element of surprise in scheduling
‑Baseball game
‑Escort, transportation
-Press
‑Trips to Florida
-Compared to Lyndon B. Johnson
‑Preparations, arrangements
‑Amount of prior notice
‑Timing
-Compared to Camp David
‑The President's trip to California
‑News summary
‑Perusal
-Henry A. Kissinger
‑Haldeman's responsibility
‑Types of news events
‑John V. Lindsay's possible switch of party affiliation
‑Possible press conference
‑Briefing books
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Kissinger
‑Possible questions on Vietnam, PRC

‑California trip
‑Staff traveling with the President
‑Kissinger
‑Rose Mary Woods

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[Duration:  2m 27s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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‑Press release of meeting with Connally July 21, 1971
-Topics of conversation

The PRC initiative
‑Reaction
‑John Kenneth Galbraith
-John W. Gardner (?)
-Cyrus R. Vance
-Kissinger
‑The President's role
‑Perceptions
‑Leadership
‑Compared to Dwight D. Eisenhower

Schedule
‑Trip to California

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END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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‑Staff
-Butterfield, Stephen B. Bull
‑Baseball game
‑The President's signing of autographs for children
‑Young boy's comment 
-The President's forthcoming trip to the PRC

PRC initiative
‑Public knowledge of the PRC initiative
‑News coverage
‑Compared to Pentagon Papers
-Compared to trout fishing

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:22 pm.

Charles W. Colson to join meting

Bull left at an unknown time before 5:50 pm.

White House office space

The PRC initiative
‑Impact on the public
‑Comparison to Pentagon Papers as topic
‑PRC isolation
‑Public fascination
-Revolution
‑Appeal to youth
‑Handling
‑Colson

Personnel
‑William P. Rogers' conversation with Haldeman
‑Frank Collins
‑Robert White
-Herald-Tribune
‑Work
‑State Department

Kissinger and Colson entered at 5:50 pm.

Kissinger's meeting with Connally
‑The PRC Initiative
‑Vietnam war
‑Memoranda
‑Senior Review Group
‑Staff member's attendance
‑Charles E. Walker
‑Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
‑Minutes of meeting

PRC initiative
‑Appeal to youth
‑Colson and Finch's work
‑Melville Stephens
‑Previous meeting with the President and John M. O'Neill
‑Assignment to deal with youth
‑Youth reaction to the PRC initiative
‑Probable settlement of the Vietnam war
‑Appeal of innovation in foreign policy
‑Responsibility for coordination of effort
‑Finch
‑Focus on other responsibilities
‑Stephens
‑Appeal to students
‑High school, college levels
‑Youths who are not in college
-Regions
‑Appeal of issue
‑Haldeman's daughter (Susan Haldeman)
‑Stanford University
-London
‑Professor Gordon Craig
‑Student reaction

-Craig=s reaction
‑Importance of the re‑election of the President
‑Henry Brandon's column in the Sunday Times of London
‑Reaction
‑Boldness of move, secrecy
‑Leadership
‑John F. Kennedy
‑Dean G. Acheson's view
‑Cuban missile crisis
‑Compared to the President's handling of Cienfuegos
‑Settlement
‑Robert F. Kennedy, Anatoliy F. Dobrynin's
-Italy, Turkey
-Cuba
‑Edward M. (ATed@) Kennedy
‑Delay in issuing statement in support of initiative
-Acheson=s letter to John F. Kennedy
‑Effect of youth reaction
‑Republicans
‑Lack of reaction
‑The President's meetings with Congressional leaders
‑Focus on complaints about the economy
‑Youth reaction
‑Forthcoming election, 1972
‑PRC initiative compared to the Glassboro Summit
‑Aleksei N. Kosygin's visit to the the United Nations [UN]
‑Nikita Khrushchev's previous visit
‑The President's leadership
‑Reaction
‑Louis Harris
-Presidential leadership
‑The President's image as the man of peace
‑Strength of image
‑Galbraith
-Democrats
‑Focus on domestic issues
-Galbraith
‑Cambodia, Laos
-Focus on Agnew

Youth
‑Focus of effort
‑The President's leadership
‑The PRC initiative
‑Press reaction
‑PRC
‑Forthcoming meetings
‑Kissinger
‑Chou En‑lai

Haldeman and Colson left at 6:13 pm.

PRC initiative
‑Connally
‑Reaction

The Vietnam war
‑Connally's comments
‑The North Vietnamese
‑The PRC initiative
‑Reaction
‑The President's image
-Cambodia, Laos
‑July 26, 1971 meeting in Paris
-Prospects
‑Timing
‑The President's schedule
‑California
‑Timing of possible announcement
‑Settlement
‑Alternatives
‑Paris Peace talks
‑Forthcoming PRC trip by Kissinger
‑October 1971 action
‑The PRC
‑Pham Van Dong
‑Transcript of previous meeting
‑Trend
‑The PRC initiative
‑US‑Soviet Union [USSR] Summit

Kissinger's Conversation with Dobrynin
-Visits by Cabinet members to USSR
‑Maurice H. Stans
‑[Forename unknown] Peterson

The President's action on the PRC

The President and Kissinger left at 6:19 pm.

Conversation No. 541‑9

Date:  July 21, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 6:19 pm and 6:23 pm
Location:  Oval Office

Unknown persons talked to an unknown person.

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Agency Policy]
[Duration:  5s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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[Pause]

The President=s location

An unknown person talked to an unknown person at an unknown time after 6:19 pm.

[Conversation No. 541-9A]

Instructions

[End of telephone conversation]

An unknown person talked to an unknown person at an unknown time after 6:19 pm.

[Conversation No. 541-9B]

The President=s schedule

[End of telephone conversation]

[Pause]

[Unintelligible]

This recording was cut off at an unknown time before 6:23 pm.