886–13

Conversation No. 886-13

Date: March 21, 1973
Time: 12:10 pm - 12:35 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with David M. Packard, James Roosevelt, John W. Byrnes and William J.
Baroody, Jr. The White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

Spending

Citizens for Control of Federal Spending
-President’s support
-Congress
-Memorandum

Federal spending
-Concern in business community
-President's budget
-Restraint
-Support of citizens group
-Packard’s service
-Congress
-Advertising
-Public support
 -23-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 886-13 (cont’d)


-Cuts in food stamps
-Blame
-Need for congressional support for curbs
-Response to constituent mail, local editorials
-Public opinion
-Pressure of contributors
-Public
-Rural Electrification Administration [REA]
-Issues
-Elderly
-Farmers
-Poor
-Taxes and prices
-President's budget
-Generosity
-Size
-Increases
-Cities, poor, elderly, veterans
-Impact on poor
-Price of food
-Response of Congress
-Veto overrides
-Inflation
-International monetary situation
-Trade impact
-Price of US goods
-Impoundment
-Comparison with Lyndon B. Johnson
-Debt limit
-Tax limits
-President's budget
-Jobs
-Generosity for poor
-Increases
-Health outlays
-Stanford University
-Cancer, heart programs
-Cuts in university grants
-Medical research
 -24-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 886-13 (cont’d)


-Teaching
-Office of Economic Opportunity [OEO] cuts
-Support for programs for the poor
-Manpower training program
-Labor Department
-Head Start
-Transfers
-Department of Housing, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
-Community Action Program
-Administrative costs
-Direct aid to poor
-Trickle-down theory of government
-Bureaucracy
-Press coverage
-Summer youth program
-Public support
-Announcement
-Funding
-Amount
-Special revenue-sharing bill
-Congress
-Military spending
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Defense Department
-Summer program
-Priorities
-Detente
-People's Republic of China [PRC], Soviet Union
-Vietnam settlement
-Proposed cuts
-Reinvestment
-Poor, cities
-Necessity
-Arms control negotiations with Soviet Union
-Congressional relations
-Republicans
-Trident submarines
-Moratorium
-Antiballistic missiles [ABM]
 -25-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 886-13 (cont’d)


-Impact on Soviet Union
-Permanent freeze on offensive weapons
-Proposed cuts by Congress
-Effect on Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction [MBFR]
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
-US Troops in Germany
-US Troops in Europe
-Negotiations
-Warsaw Pact
-MBFR
-Effect of force cut in NATO
-US Military Strength
-Comparison with Soviet military strength
-Threats to peace and Western European freedom
-Communist Europe
-President's peace initiatives
-Role of military strength
-Avoidance of unilateral arms reductions
-President's game plan
-Soviet Union
-Troop reductions in Europe
-Proposed cuts
-Threats to arms control
-World War II
-Public opinion
-Congress
-US Relations with PRC, Soviet Union
-Opportunities in diplomatic field
-Current parity
-Soviet strength
-Dangers to peace
-Need to publicize position to American people
-Priorities
-Military spending
-NATO
-Proposed US reductions
-Soviet reductions
-Middle East
 -26-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 886-13 (cont’d)


-Jews
-Support
-Israel
-Proposed cuts
-Spending freeze
-Congress members
-Pacifism

Citizens for Control of Federal Spending
-Support for President
-Projects
-Congress
-Business community
-Byrnes’ tax expertise

California
-San Clemente

Packard, et al., left at 12:35 pm.