815–11

Conversation No. 815-11

Date: November 24, 1972
Time: 9:37 am - 10:14 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with George W. Romney and John D. Ehrlichman.

Greetings

Thanksgiving

Romney’s schedule
-Appearance at real estate convention
-Hawaii
-Maunakea
-Laurance S. Rockefeller
-The President's visit
-1966 campaign
-[Randolph Crossley]
-Maunakea
-Climate
-Weather
-Volcanoes
-Swimming
-Lenore L. Romney
-Golfing
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan.-08)

Conversation No. 815-11 (cont’d)


Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 9:37 am.

Refreshments
-Coffee
-Coca-Cola
-Pepsi-Cola

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 10:14 am.

Second term reorganization
-George Romney
-Agenda for current meeting
-Subsequent meetings
-George Romney’s schedule
-Successor
-Personal plans
-Successor
-Richard C. Van Dusen
-Departure
-Confirmation
-Retention
-Departure
-Timing
-January 1973
-Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD]
-Romney's recommendations
-National housing problems
-Personal plans

-HUD
-HUD
-Romney’s recommendations
-Subsequent meetings
-Successor
-Timing
-Retail and wholesale market
-Subsidized housing and community development
-State responsibilities
-Congressional relations
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan.-08)

Conversation No. 815-11 (cont’d)

-Budget cuts
-Taxes
-Timing
-Statutory changes
-The President’s budget message
-George Romney’s conversations with Caspar W. (“Cap”)
Weinberger and Frank C. Carlucci
-Subsequent meeting

Domestic affairs
-Department of Health, Education and Welfare [HEW]
-Expenditures
-Department of Transportation
-Problems
-Highways
-Railroads
-Inheritance from 1960s

HUD
-Accomplishments
-Review
-Decentralization
-1972 economy
-The President’s meeting with building trades industry, circa 1970
-Romney's accomplishments
-The President's letter
-Substance
-Second term reorganization
-Domestic affairs


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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

1972 election
-The President’s long-standing supporters
-House of Representatives
-1962 election
-The President’s landslide
-Compared to Romney’s work
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan.-08)

Conversation No. 815-11 (cont’d)


[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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-Resistance from bureaucracy, Congress, industry
-Change
-Time required
-Housing
-Central cities
-State responsibilities
-Social problem
-Compared to physical problem
-Local governments
-New York
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-John V. Lindsay
-Railroads
-New York City
-Federal government role

George Romney
-Concerns
-Crisis and reform
-Previous conversation with the President
-Job offers
-Urban Coalition
-James M. Roche
-Andrew Heiskell
-Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.
-Status
-John W. Gardner
-Areas of support
-National Center for Volunteer Action [NCVA]
-W. Clement Stone
-Douglas K. Kinsey
-Activities
-Voluntary action information centers
-Inquiries
-Volume
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan.-08)

Conversation No. 815-11 (cont’d)

-Concerns
-Privatization
-Political process
-Dependence on crisis
-Reform
-Proposals
-A merger of Urban Coalition and NCVA
-Effect on stocks
-Heiskell’s concern
-Max M. Fisher
-Edwin D. Etherington
-Stone
-Fisher
-Etherington
-Citizens’s coalition
-Previous meeting with the President
-Papers
-Concept, organization
-Presentation to the President
-Merger of the Urban Coalition NCVA
-Advantages
-Contributors, workers
-Lenore Romney
-Urban collation
-Heiskell
-Gardner
-NCVA
-Think tank
-NCVA
-Compared to Urban Coalition
-Name
-Common Cause
-Citizens Coalition for Voluntary and Community Action
[CCVCA]
-Citizens coalition for Community Action [CCCA]
-Television [TV] commercials
-Gardner
-Bigger agreement
-Left wing
-The President’s and George Romney’s view
 -20-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan.-08)

Conversation No. 815-11 (cont’d)

-Spending
-George Romney’s challenge at national governor’s
conference
-Future assistance
-Nelson Rockefeller
-Assistance to George Romney
-Meeting with the President at Camp David
-Cabinet
-John B. Connally
-Financial aid
-Support for think tank
-Think tank
-Administration support
-Urban coalition
-NCVA
-George Romney’s role
-Front man, fund raising
-The President's advice to Melvin R. Laird
-Departure from cabinet
-Possible Senate candidacy
-Business
-Plans
-Recruitment by groups
-George Romney’s connections, experience
-Romney's control
-The President’s experience in 1960
-Offers from organizations
-Business
-Boys Clubs of America
-Herbert C. Hoover
-Fundraising
-Think tank
-Communications
-Tax exemptions
-Politics
-Detroit school study
-Recommendations
-Urban Coalition
-Gardner’s split
-Tax exempt status
 -21-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan.-08)

Conversation No. 815-11 (cont’d)

-Common Cause
-Problems
-Tax exemption status
-Possible organizational split
-Name
-Use of “national”
-NCCCA, N3CA
-Administration support
-Heiskell
-Jordan
-Ehrlichman
-Urban League
-Meetings on George Romney, the President
-North Carolina

Second term reorganization
-Community development department
-Environmental protection agency [EPA]
-Land use, city planning
-HUD
-Minority groups
-Safety valve
-Racial problems
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Burning ethics
-Appointments
-Sympathy
-George Romney’s tenure
-Samuel J. Simmons
-Samuel C. Jackson
-Qualifications
-Possible move
-1972 campaign
-Black administrators
-Jackson
-Relationship with blacks
-Title
-General Assistant Secretary
-Policy decisions
-White administrators
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan.-08)

Conversation No. 815-11 (cont’d)

-Jackson
-Under secretaryship
-Structure
-Functional basis
-Decentralization
-Assistant secretaries
-Staff function
-Line function
-Secretary’s office
-Staff
-Policy organization
-George Romney’s conversation with
Ehrlichman
-Blacks
-George Romney’s forthcoming conversation with
Ehrlichman
-White House
-Robert J. Brown
-Stanley S. Scott
-Symbolism
-Treasury Department
-Samuel R. Pierce, Jr.
-George Romney's successor
-Forthcoming meeting with Ehrlichman and George Romney
-Confidentiality
-George Romney’s successor
-Cabinet
-Congressional elections
-George Romney’s possible statement
-HUD
-Department of Transportation
-Urban problems
-Roy L. Ash
-Assistant secretary
-Revised functions
-Regionalization
-Possible meeting with Ash

George Romney
-Future
 -23-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan.-08)

Conversation No. 815-11 (cont’d)

-Appointments
-Announcements
-Timing
-Announcement of departure
-Timing
-Possible press conference
-Timing
-Letter of resignation
-Romney's plans
-Successor
-The President’s acceptance
-Release of letter
-Timing
-White House
-Timing
-William W. Scranton’s invitation to George Romney
-Municipal League
-Minneapolis
-Resignation letters

Second term reorganization
-George Romney’s view
-Cabinet
-Bureaucracy
-Changes in positions
-Laird
-William P. Rogers
-Vietnam negotiations
-Mistakes of previous Presidents
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Retention of Cabinet officers
-George T. Humphrey
-“Hair-curling” depression statement
-Arthur Summerfield
-Ezra Taft Benson
-Decentralization
-Tax cuts
-Revenue sharing

Ehrlichman and Romney left at 10:14 am.
 -24-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan.-08)