702–9

Conversation No. 702-9

Date: April 4, 1972
Time: 5:08 pm - 6:01 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Russell A. Kirk; Alexander P. Butterfield and the White House
photographer were present at the beginning of the meeting.

Introduction and greetings

[Photograph session]
-Arrangements
-Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins
-Saturday Evening Post

Seating

Kirk's residence
-New York
-Last meeting with the President
 22

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)




Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 5:08 pm.

Refreshment

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 5:57 pm.

Meeting
-Purpose
-Discussion of Kirk's book, A Program for Conservatives

Kirk's book
-distribution
-Relevance
-Date of writing
-1950's
-Dwight D. Eisenhower administration
-Korean War
-Recession
-Republican Congress
-Predictions of problems
-Education

Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 5:08 pm.

Refreshment

Kirk's career
-Journalism
-Conservative views

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 5:57 pm.

Education
-Conservative critique
-Trend away from excellence
-Busing
-New policies
-Compensatory education
-George P. Shultz
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Future in US education
-Campus unrest
 23

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



-Tricia Nixon Cox
-Edward R. F. Cox


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1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


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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


-Students for a Democratic Society [SDS]
-Convention
-Handling of various issues
-Racism, Vietnam, environment
-Current problems
-Vocational education
-Increased interest
-Liberal education
-Overemphasis
-Vocational education
-Necessity
-Danger of overemphasis
-National Education Association [NEA]
-Establishment views
-Dependence on money
-School principals
-Moderate views
-Search for alternatives
-Vocational training
-Increased opportunities
-Current programs
-Failures
-Vietnam protests
-Military draft
-Guilt complex
` -World War II
-Higher education
 24

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



-Hard sciences
-Associate and assistant professors
-Greed
-Radicalism
-Emotionalism
-Improvements
-Undergraduates
-Faculties
-Power hunger
-Impersonality of large universities
-Undergraduates
-University of California at Berkeley
-New York
-Ohio State University
-Young instructors
-Insecurity
-Large universities
-Michigan State University
-Conservatism
-Radicalization
-Dormitory life

Future of US
-Vietnam, People’s Republic of China [PRC], Soviet Union
-Escalating demands
-Labor leaders, Frank E. Fitzsimmons, George Meany and Peter J. Brennan
-Support for national defense and morality
-Law and order
-James R. (“Jimmy”) Hoffa
-Business leaders
-Weaknesses
-Lack of character
-Events since 1954
-Great Society
-Civil rights movement
-Mishandling of race relations
-Daniel P. Moynihan
-Washington DC illegitimacy rate
-New York City
-Patriotism and idealism
-The President’s November 3, 1969 speech
-March on White House
-Cambodia
 25

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



-Demonstrations
-Lack of support from media, intellectuals and businessmen
-Labor leaders
-Religious leaders
-Conservative Catholics
-Liberalism
-Catholics compared to protestants
-Fundamentalists
-Character
-Norman Vincent Peale
-William F. (“Billy”) Graham
-Southern Baptists
-Leader class
-Weakness
-People of US
-Support for national honor
-Heartland
-Leader class
-Weakness
-Businessmen, educators, opinion leaders, politicians
-Congress
-Decline
-Strength
-Southern conservatives
-Richard B. Russell and John C. Stennis
-Decline of family
-Reasons
-T. S. Eliot
-[Frank Nixon]
-Church
-Schools
-Education
-Decline
-Money
-Culture
-Influence of television
-Television
-Impact on children

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
 26

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



[Duration: 9s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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


-PRC trip, moonshots, sports
-Compared to newspapers
-Poor quality of programs
-Changes

Education
-Non-public schools
-Tax relief
-The President's forthcoming speech in
Philadelphia
-Future
-Kirk's children
-School
-Influence of television

Future of US
-Moral leadership of president
-Impact
-Theodore Roosevelt
-Influence of television and media
-Decadence
-The President’s speech in Kansas City
-Extent
-Reversal
-Cycles
-Byzantine Empire
-Family assistance
-Work requirement
-Integration
-Forced integration
-Community decision
-Urban renewal
-Problems
-Martin C. Anderson
 27

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



Environmental issues
-Importance
-Costs of clean-up
-Utilities
-Public support

Future of US
-Leader class
-Decline
-Businessmen
-Main Street leaders
-Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs
-Strength
-Lack of belief
-Lack of imagination
-Andrew Salvatore [sp?]
-Foundations
-Subversion of establishment
-Ford Foundation
-Kirk's early career
-Original purpose
-Decline of nations
-The masses
-Children
-Radicalism
-Decadence
-Replacement
-Ethnics
-Revitalization
-Compared with European nations
-Decline
-Reversal
-Parochial schools
-Lack of will

Social systems of the world
-Observations
-Soviet Union, Rumania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Poland, East Germany and PRC

Other nations
-PRC, Soviet Union, West Germany and Japan
-Contrast with US
-Leader class
 28

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



-Willingness to sacrifice
-Sense of destiny


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 51s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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


Kirk's columns
A Program for Conservatives
-The President’s reading
-The Commonweal

Literature
-Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan and Henry A. Kissinger
-Kirk's favorite book
-Eliot's Notes Towards the Definition of Culture
-Patrick J. Buchanan

Kirk's wife [Annette Y. (Courtemanche) Kirk]
-Meeting with the President
-Home state

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:08 pm.

Ronald L. Ziegler

Annette Kirk

Bull left at an unknown time before 5:57 pm.

Presidential gifts
-Cuff links
-Gold button
 29

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



Rose Garden
-Flowers
-Blossoming
-Weather

AnnetteKirk entered at 5:57 pm. Bull and the White House photographer were present at the
beginning of the meeting.

Photographs

The Kirks' first meeting

Presidential gifts
-Compact and ash tray


Annette Kirk
-Political activities
-College
-Political activities
-Religion
-Russell Kirk
-Liberals

Presidential gifts
-Ash tray
-Presidential seal
-Compact


The Kirks' children

A Program for Conservatives
The President’s reading habits
-TV
-Eliot
-Annette Kirk's review of proofs

Annette Kirk
-College career
-Columbia University
-Linguistics
 30

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



Education courses

Eliot

The Kirks' children
-Greetings

The Kirks left at 6:01 pm.