67–11

Conversation No. 67-11

Date: August 5, 1971
Time: 10:10 am - 11:55 am
Location: Cabinet Room

Vice President Spiro T. Agnew met with William P. Rogers, John B. Connally, Melvin R. Laird,
John N. Mitchell, J. Philip Campbell, Maurice H. Stans, James D. Hodgson, John G. Veneman,
George W. Romney, John A. Volpe, George P. Shultz, Robert H. Finch, Donald H. Rumsfeld,
George H. W. Bush, Raymond K. Price, Jr., Herbert G. Klein, Ronald L. Ziegler, Alexander P.
Butterfield, and Robert J. Dole

[General conversation/Unintelligible]

The President entered at 10:10 am

[General conversation]

Agenda
-Foreign policy


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US foreign policy

[To listen to the segment (3m24s) declassified on 02/28/2002, please refer to RC# E-542.]

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Foreign policy
-Vice President’s trip
-Length
-Countries visited
-Korea, Singapore, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Spain, Portugal


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 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)




BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[National Security]
[Duration: 1m 20s ]


VICE PRESIDENT’S TRIP


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

[To listen to the segment (47m24s) declassified on 02/28/2002, please refer to RC# E-542.]

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National economy
-Connally
-Statements
-”Face the Nation”
-Public’s perceptions
-1961-63 unemployment statistics
-Rate
-The news media’s presentation
-Unemployment
-Connally’s statement about rate
-Post-World War II statistics
-1955, 1956
-President John F. Kennedy’s administration
-Lack of criticism
-Republicans
-Need to defend administration
-News media
-Issues
-Vietnam War
-China initiative
-Economy
-Recovery
-Peacetime prosperity
-Impact of veterans unemployment
-Economic considerations
-Academic, business spokesmen
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



Impact of foreign policy issues
-Need for candor
-Congressional action
-Economic statistics
-Wages, savings
-Automobile sales
-Consumer spending
-Leading indicators
-Retail sales figures
-Compared to 1970
-Inflation
-Deflation
-Income
-Savings rate
-Durable goods
-Rate of sales
-Machine tool industry
-Housing starts
-General picture
-Interest rate increase


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Trade

[To listen to the segment (8s) declassified on 02/28/2002, please refer to RC# E-543.]

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-Reactions to economic picture
-Lack of support
-The President’s actions
-Compared to China initiative
-Need for support in economic action
-Economic statistics
-Per capita income
-Effect of inflation
-1965-70 figures
-Lack of gains
-Compared to 1971
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-1966-68 figures
-Action needed
-Support for the President
-Business in the 1950's

[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under court order in May
1985 for Special Access [SA] 77, Weber v. General Motors Corporation. The National Archives
and Records Administration produced this transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee
its accuracy.]

[End of transcript]

-Business leaders
-Effect of inflation
-Administration policy makers
-View of action taken
-Significance of present decisions
-Importance of the President’s re-election
-Lockheed
-Steel and railroad industry
-Major areas of concern
-Inflation
-Wage-price situation


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Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

[To listen to the segment (23s) declassified on 02/28/2002, please refer to RC# E-543.]

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-Unemployment
-Effect of Vietnam war
-Compared to previous administrations
-World War II, Korea
-Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration
-Goal
-Retail sales and inventory figures
-Upward trends
 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Psychological effect
-Critics
-Media
-Democrats
-Issues for criticism of the administration
-Busing
-Need for offense
-Comparisons to past statistics
-Unemployment
-Goal
-Congressional inaction
-George H. Mahon
-Teenagers
-House Resolution [HR] 1 welfare reform legislation
-Science and engineering
-Veterans
-Inflation
-Possibility of controls
-Arthur F. Burns’ view
-John Kenneth Galbraith’s plan for permanent wage and price
controls
-Negotiations with industry
-Secretary of Labor
-Government efforts
-Steel industry
-Wage-price board
-Announcement
-Enforcement
-Difficulties
-Dangers
-Concept of wage and price control
-Need for voluntary action
-Need for temporary measures
-President’s World War II experiences
-Office of Price Administration
-Economic trends
-Need for activism
-Shultz, Paul W. McCracken, Connally, Burns
-Unemployment
-Need for solution in peacetime setting
-Galbraith
-Connally’s statement
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Need for Executive Branch action
-Need for offensive
-Congress
-Defensive action
-Programs
-Government agencies
-Wage increases
-Employees
-Average grade levels
-Statistics
-Effect on budget
-Budget action
-Forthcoming meetings
-Development of programs
-Need to halt grade escalation
-Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
-Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD]
-Department of State
-Department of the Treasury
-Department of Justice
-Reduction in Force [RIF]
-Department of Defense
-Removal of low-level officials
-Effect of tenure
-Air Force
-Navy
-Comparison of departments
-The White House staff
-Need for action

The President left at 11:57 am

[General conversation/Unintelligible]

Recording was cut off at 11:57 am