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1970 Inbound to APB Part 2: July to Oct 1970 [2 of 5]
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1970 Inbound to APB Part 2: July to Oct 1970 [2 of 5]
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Alexander P. Butterfield's Files
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RICHARD NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
DOCUMENT WITHDRAWAL RECORD
DOCUMENT
DOCUMENT
SUBJECT/TITLE OR CORRESPONDENTS
DATE
RESTRICTION
NUMBER
TYPE
1
Memo
Gwen King to Al Wong re: Placing Mrs.
9/28/1970
D
Mary Curry on the access list, 1 p.
COLLECTION TITLE
BOX NUMBER
WHCF: SMOF: Alexander Butterfield
6
FOLDER TITLE
1970 Inbound to APB Part 2: July to Oct. 1970
PRMPA RESTRICTION CODES:
A. Release would violate a Federal statute or Agency Policy.
E. Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
B. National security classified information.
financial information.
C. Pending or approved claim that release would violate an individual's
F. Release would disclose investigatory information compiled for law
rights.
enforcement purposes.
D. Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy
G. Withdrawn and returned private and personal material.
or a libel of a living person.
H. Withdrawn and returned non-historical material.
DEED OF GIFT RESTRICTION CODES:
DOG Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in the donor's deed of gift.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
*U.S. GPO; 1989-235-084/00024
NA 14021 (4-85)
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 2, 1970
MEMORANDUM FOR THE WHITE HOUSE STAFF
Attached is a report touching on some of the
major actions by this Administration in the
first six months of 1970. A summary of the
report also is enclosed. This report should
provide you with useful background material
for private public discussions of the Admin-
istration's accomplishments this year.
Herbut D. Ulein
Herbert G. Klein
Director of Communications
for the Executive Branch
Enclosure
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 1, 1970
THE NIXON ADMINISTRATION: A REPORT ON THE
FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1970
Reform, Restoration and Renewal Gains Momentum
During the first year of a national administration, almost everything
is new. Unfamiliarity creates certain problems, of course, but the ex-
hilaration which comes in tackling a new job usually overcomes them.
Critics in the Congress, the press and the nation as a whole are
usually somewhat quiet during the first year; they are willing to allow their
new leaders a certain period of grace before they open fire.
It is during the second year of a Presidential term that the pressures
begin to mount and the challenges begin to grow. The approach of a Con-
gressional election intensifies partisan rivalry. The spirit of good will
ebbs. The honeymoon is over. The problems become more familiar
but that fact often makes them seem more burdensome.
The second year of the Nixon Administration was also the first year
of a new decade. The President was determined that the momentum he
had established during his first year in office would continue, that the
highly promising record of 1969 would be fulfilled and extended in 1970.
That critical second year is now half over. It is a good time to stand back
and take stock of what has happened in the first six months of 1970. What
the record shows is that President Nixon's strategy of reform, restoration
and renewal is working and is dramatically gaining momentum.
Foreign Policy
The President's hopes have been significantly realized in the field
of foreign affairs, where his "new strategy for peace" is clarifying
the American position around the world. Just how that policy applies
to specific countries and regions was extensively discussed in the
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 2 -
40, 000 word foreign policy report which the President issued on February
18. This massive document - -- the first such report ever to be issued by
an American President supported in elaborate detail its conclusion that
the Nixon policies marked "a very significant shift from [the] policies of
the past. " The President emphasized that the United States should con-
tinue to play a major role in the world, but cautioned that it should play
that role in greater partnership with other nations.
Southeast Asia
At the end of his first year in office, President Nixon could properly
claim that he had completely changed the pattern of the war in Vietnam.
During the first six months of 1970, the Vietnam withdrawal program con-
tinued to be a major Administration accomplishment. U. S. involvement
in the war was decreasing; more American fighting men were coming home.
Pacification and Vietnamization programs continued to proceed in an
encouraging manner; it was possible, in fact, for the United States to turn
over to Vietnamese forces the bulk of responsibility for in-country Navy
operations and for tactical air control operations in the Mekong Delta. The
overall success of such actions made it possible for the President to announce
on April 20 that an additional 150, 000 American troops would be withdrawn
from Vietnam by next spring.
In order to guarantee that he could keep that promise, President
Nixon took one of the most courageous actions of his Presidency by send-
ing American troops against North Vietnamese sanctuaries along the
Cambodian border. In his speech of April 30th, the President explained
that he was acting in order to save American lives and speed the withdrawal
rate. In the days that followed, he stood steadfastly against a barrage of
criticism from opponents who claimed that his action was widening the war.
The critics ignored the President's firm commitment that U. S. troops
would not penetrate far beyond the Cambodian border and would be entirely
removed from Cambodia by June 30. This was a promise that President
Nixon has kept -- just as he has kept every promise that he has made con-
cerning the war in Southeast Asia.
On June 3, the President was able to come to the American people
with overwhelming evidence that the Cambodian sanctuary operation had
produced the greatest military success of this long and bitter war. As a
result of that operation, he said, 50, 000 troops will be withdrawn from
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 3 -
Vietnam by next October - - - bringing the total withdrawal to 165, 500 since
January of 1969. A year from now that total will reach 265, 500.
On June 30, as the President announced the successful conclusion of the
Cambodian operation, and gave the details of its massive blow at the enemy's
strength, he called on Hanoi to come to the conference table in good faith
for "the time has come to negotiate a just peace. "
Other Foreign Policy Actions
The Administration was active in many other major areas of foreign
policy.
The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) with the Soviet Union
proceeded in Vienna at an encouraging pace. The United States and the
Soviet Union agreed on a revised draft treaty banning the implacement of
nuclear weapons on the seabeds. A proposed treaty banning biological
warfare also moved forward. In May, the President proposed measures
to regulate the exploitation of ocean resources and to use them for the bene-
fit of developing countries. On June 8, the President announced a major
program of U. S. aid to victims of the Peruvian earthquake.
The State Department has taken a number of diplomatic initiatives
to help break the deadlock in the Middle East. A new formal proposal for
a cease-fire and negotiations under UN auspices was put forward in late
June. It is time, said the Secretary of State, that Israel and the Arab
countries "stop shooting and start talking. "
Serious non-polemic discussions were opened in January with Com-
munist China. In cooperation with the NATO allies, the United States
joined in a call for exploratory talks with members of the Warsaw Pact
concerning force reductions in central Europe.
New initiatives were undertaken to keep the issue of U. S. prisoners
of war in Southeast Asia before the public eye both in the United States and
around the world.
Domestic Policy
The tone of the Nixon Administration's second year was established
in the President's State of the Union message on January 22. President
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 4 -
Nixon broke with tradition in this speech: he was not content to merely
list past successes or enumerate future programs. Rather, he took the
occasion to issue an inspiring call to every American to "serve in a cause
bigger than himself. " He asked the American people to experience with
him "the lift of a driving dream, 11 a new sense of pur pose which would
give greater meaning to both personal and national experiences. He went
on to talk about a few key issues which were of particular concern to the
American people as they entered a new decade. Perhaps most prominent
among these issues were the economy, crime and the environment.
The Economy
Economic policy was a central Administration concern in the first
six months of 1970 and an area where the Administration's performance
was particularly sound and responsible. In early February, the President
presented to Congress a Fiscal Year 1971 budget which was strongly anti-
inflationary. It was also the first budget in history to emphasize long-
range planning by predicting domestic expenditures five years in advance.
Most importantly, the new budget revealed a dramatic shift in our national
spending priorities. For the first time in 20 years, defense spending has
fallen below human resource spending!
In 1961, we spent 48 percent of our budget for defense and only 30
percent for human resources. By 1969 we were still spending 44 percent
for defense and only 34 percent for human resources. But the Nixon
budget for 1971 dramatically reverses these priorities; it calls for only
37 percent for defense and 41 percent for human resources programs.
To accomplish this goal, defense expenditures were cut sharply;
they are down $1. 7 billion this year over last year and will fall by another
$5. 2 billion in the coming year. Active military forces have been cut by
16 percent since 1969 and direct civilian employment by the Defense De-
partment has been cut by 10 percent. In the first six months of 1970, the
Department of Defense announced 422 actions to reduce, alter or close
installations and activities -- actions which will result in a saving of almost
$1 billion. Space expenditures have also been significantly reduced, in
accordance with the President's new and more "balanced" approach to
space research, as he expressed it in his statement of March 7. Alto-
gether, space and defense expenditures together were reduced by some
$6 billion in the Fiscal Year 1971 budget.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 5 -
The President cracked the whip in reducing wasteful Federal spend-
ing in the domestic area as well. One dramatic manifestation of his rigor
in pursuing that goal was his message to Congress calling for the reduction,
termination or restructuring of 57 obsolete or low priority programs. In
pursuing a policy of thrift, the President often had to battle with spending
pressures generated in the Congress. On two occasions, he was forced to
veto bills which called for excessive spending.
In the three years before President Nixon took office, Federal spend-
ing rose an average of 15 percent a year. In Fiscal Year 1970, that rate
has been slashed in half. In the coming fiscal year, says the President,
"we intend to cut that rate of increase in spending by half again."
On the same day that he presented his new budget, President Nixon
also issued his first annual economic report - - a report which also em-
phasized long-term projections. In the report he discussed his strategy
for halting inflation without recession, a strategy which he pursued dili-
gently throughout the spring.
On June 17, in a nationally-televised speech on the economy, the
President was able to report significant progress toward achieving that
goal. He described the economic challenge as one of shifting from a war-
time economy to a peacetime economy and he announced certain new steps
for facilitating that process. Among the devices he described were a new
Productivity Commission to help the economy operate more efficiently, a
periodic Inflation Alert to spotlight significant wage and price increases,
a Regulations and Purchasing Review Board to guide government economic
actions and a number of legislative proposals to protect all Americans
against both inflation and unemployment. The President made clear his
conviction that "the American economy is the strongest in the world, 11 and
explicitly repudiated -- once again - - unfair and ineffective wage and price
controls.
Crime
One of the arresting passages in the President's State of the Union
message came when he declared that of thirteen separate pieces of anti-
crime legislation sent to the Congress in 1969, "none. has reached my
desk for signature. 11 The President was clearly disturbed about this sit-
uation. While it may be inappropriate to refer to certain domestic programs
in military terms, he said, the one place such terms should apply is in the
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 6 -
criminal field; it is appropriate to speak of waging a "war on crime."
The President reminded the Congress of his specific legislative recom-
mendations concerning organized crime, street crime, narcotics and
pornography and urged them again to give prompt approval to this impor-
tant package.
Five months later, on June 11, President Nixon stood before a
delegation of United States Attorneys in the Rose Garden of the White
House and repeated -- virtually word-for-word -- his admonition of the
previous January. Of thirteen separate pieces of anti-crime legislation,
he said once again, "not one of those bills has reached the President's
desk for signature. " Clearly, it was the Congress and not the Executive
Branch that was impeding more effective action in this field.
But even without new legislative tools, the Administration made
significant inroads against crime. The campaign against organized crime
continued to be effective, with some 395 indictments being brought in the
first six months of 1970. The number of strike forces acting against
organized crime were increased, as were anti-racketeering efforts of
the tax division and the FBI. The Law Enforcement Assistance Adminis-
tration, which grants funds to State and local law enforcement authorities,
spent four times more in Fiscal Year 1970 than in Fiscal Year 1969 and
requested a further doubling in its budget for Fiscal Year 1971.
The campaign against narcotics also moved forward, despite the
failure of the Congress to pass Adminis tration legislation which would
-- among other things -- mete out tougher penalties to drug profiteers
and more reasonable penalties to first offenders. The President estab-
lished a new $3. 5 million program to train school personnel in drug abuse
education, created a National Clearinghouse for Drug Abuse Information
and took other steps to expand the educational campaign against narcotics.
An additional $1 million was channeled into marihuana research.
The United States also took major steps to increase its cooperation
with other nations in controlling drug traffic. The Customs Bureau stepped
up its narcotics control activities. In June, the Justice Department con-
ducted the largest Federal narcotics raid in history, arresting 130 persons
in ten different cities. And that was only the beginning. With a vastly
augmented staff, the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs is waging
an increasingly effective effort to control narcotics.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 7 -
Environment
New Years Day saw President Nixon sign the bill which established
a new Council on Environmental Quality in the Executive Office of the
President. His comment on that occasion was that "it is literally now or
never" as far as action on the environment is concerned. Further action
quickly followed. Perhaps most significant was the President's message
to the Congress concerning the environment, delivered on February 10,
and including 37 specific actions and proposals to enhance environmental
quality. The $10 billion, five-year Clean Waters Act was an important
feature of the message, as were the President's request for new and more
rigorous pollution standards. The message also proposed that more
Federal land be given over to recreational uses.
Noting that the Federal government is one of the nation's worst pol-
luters, the President signed on February 4 a tough Executive Order to
eliminate air and water pollution caused by Federal facilities. In mid-
April he called for legislation which would stop the dumping of polluted
dredged spoil into the Great Lakes. About a month later, he asked the
Congress to approve a number of international conventions and legislative
proposals which would reduce the threat of oil pollution from ships -- both
at sea and in our harbors. And -- in mid-June - - -- he called on the Congress
to terminate certain oil leases in the Santa Barbara channel and to create
a Marine Sanctuary there.
On Earth Day itself - April 22 -- the President sent to the Congress
a message containing nine legislative proposals and five administrative
actions for improving our ability to respond to natural disasters.
To involve businessmen more directly in the work of environmental
protection, a new National Industrial Pollution Control Council was estab-
lished and a number of industrial conferences were held -- many under
Commerce Department auspices. In fact, almost every Department and
agency of the Federal government proceeded with its own environmental
protection programs -- activities which are discussed later in this paper.
Other Domestic Accomplishments
It was under the banner "reform, restoration and renewal" that the
Nixon Administration tackled a host of domestic challenges in the first six
months of 1970. In many instances, the Administration followed through
on themes which it had established in its first year in office.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 8 -
One of the most prominent of those 1969 themes, for example, was
"reforming the machinery of government. 11 It was in this field that the
Administration record scored some of its most notable successes in the
first half of 1970. After almost a year of study, for example, the Admin-
istration submitted proposals for reforming the Executive Office of the
President by establishing a new Cabinet-level Domestic Council -- along
the lines of the National Security Council - - to formulate government
policy and a new Office of Management and Budget -- replacing the present
Bureau of the Budget -- to help implement that policy more effectively.
The Congress accepted these recommendations and, on July 1st,
they became effective. The President announced that Labor Secretary
George Shultz would leave that post to head the new Office of Management
and Budget and that Presidential Assistant for Domestic Affairs, John
Ehrlichman, would head the new Domestic Council staff. In other high-
level personnel changes, the President brought HEW Secretary Robert
Finch into the heart of his official White House family by appointing him
as Counsellor to the President. Finch was succeeded at HEW by the
former Undersecretary of State, Elliot Richardson. James Hodgson took
over at the Labor Department.
Other reorganization steps included the establishment of a new
Office of Telecommunications Policy in the Executive Office of the Presi-
dent. A new Executive Protective Service was also established under
the supervision of the Secret Service, expanding both the size and the
duties of what formerly was the White House police force. The new
Executive Protective Service will take on the added responsibility of pro-
tecting foreign diplomatic missions in the Washington area.
Postal Reform
One of the most sweeping reorganization proposals of the first Nixon
year was the plan to reform the Post Office. This plan was one subject
of intensive negotiations between government and postal union officials in
March of 1970. A series of illegal postal work stoppages had broken out,
presenting a difficult challenge for both government and union leaders.
The President was universally praised for the firm and fair manner in
which he responded to this challenge. Only after the work stoppages had
ceased did negotiations progress toward final settlement. That settlement
included a Presidential request that the Congress enact a 6 percent pay
increase for all Federal employees and that it promptly accept sweeping
reforms in the postal service -- changing it from a Cabinet-level department
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 9
to a government corporation, modernizing its procedures, improving
working conditions and giving employees and management an effective
medium for bargaining. Thus was a postal crisis dispelled and postal
progress significantly furthered.
Welfare Reform
Another important instance of Administration "follow-through" was
the work it did to supplement its welfare reform package. The basic re-
forms presented in 1969 had been widely heralded as among the most
significant domestic proposals of any national administration in the last
generation. Early in 1970, the Administration won approval for this
Family Assistance legislation in the House of Representatives by a 243
to 155 vote. When the legislation came before the Senate Finance Com-
mittee, however, that group asked whether the work incentive features
of the new welfare plan could not also be applied to other programs through
which the government assists the poor -- such as food stamps, public
housing and medicaid. On June 10, the Administration announced exten-
sions of its welfare reform proposals which achieved these auxiliary
goals. These extensions included a program of health insurance for poor
families, a plan to administer food stamp programs in conjunction with
the Family Assistance Plan, and a new program of housing assistance,
along with structural reforms in the individual and family services pro-
gram and other efforts to strengthen the welfare system.
The Draft
Reforms in the Selective Service System were also among the major
accomplishments of the first year; here, too, the reform impetus carried
over into 1970. In April of 1970 the President took further steps so that
the burden of the draft would be distributed more equitably. He ended
occupational and most parental deferments and asked that the Congress
empower him to end student deferments as well. He called for a national
system of call so that those who held the same lottery number would ex-
perience the same likelihood of induction. He accepted the basic conclusions
of the Commission he had appointed to study the all-volunteer military and
asked the Congress to take significant steps toward such a goal by raising
the pay for enlistees by 20 percent effective next January. The Adminis-
tration also projected further sharp cuts in draft calls. In fact, the new
plans for calendar year 1970 called for reduction in draft calls of 25 to 30
percent from the original schedule.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 10
Education
Some of the most original and perhaps the most significant of the
Nixon legislative proposals were the Administration's recommendations
for reforming education. These recommendations grew out of the Presi-
dent's conviction that we are not getting a dollar's worth of education for
each dollar spent. Too much is going into old, ineffective programs --
too little is being spent to learn what we should do differently. In his mes-
sage on elementary and secondary education, the President called for a
new National Institute of Education to do research into "the mystery of the
learning process. " He also established a President's Commission on
School Finance, a program to guarantee the Right to Read, and a network
of child development projects concentrating on the first five years of life.
As for higher education, the President's special message on this
subject declared unequivocally that "no qualified student who wants to go
to college should be barred by lack of money. 11 The Administration's
proposed legislation would channel more dollars into programs that help
low income students and programs that teach critically needed skills. The
program would also set up a National Foundation for Higher Education to
spur "excellence, innovation and reform¹¹ in our colleges and universities.
The President responded with sensitivity to the growing wave of un-
rest on the nation's campuses in the spring of 1970. He -- and other high
members of his Administration -- met frequently with student, faculty
and administration groups; he appointed two college presidents (Alexander
Heard of Vanderbilt and James Cheek of Howard) to serve as special
advisors on these problems; he sent eight young members of his White
House staff to quietly visit a series of campuses and report their findings
to him; and he established a high-level Commission on Campus Unrest
under the chairmanship of former Governor William Scranton.
Other Social and Economic Initiatives
Anyone who reads the President's message to the Congress concern-
ing small business would have to conclude that the problems of the small
businessman are of major concern to President Nixon. That message out-
lines a broad program for helping small businessmen in general and disad-
vantaged entrepreneurs in particular. The program would increase training
programs and other programs to provide qualified personnel, ease the
financial pressures on small businessmen -- especially tax pressures --
and create a new position of Assistant Secretary of Commerce to assist in
formulating policy for the Office of Minority Business Enterprise.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 11 -
Emergency labor disputes in the transportation industry were the
subject of the President's proposed Emergency Public Interest Protection
Act of 1970. This proposal would remedy the deficiencies of the Railway
Labor Act and the Taft-Hartley Act in protecting the nation against the
damaging effects of certain work stoppages. Essentially, the new legisla-
tion would expand the President's options for responding to such strikes or
lockouts. One new option would be the innovative "final offer selection"
process, in which an impartial panel would select the best final offer of
either management or labor as the binding settlement. The proposals are
designed to draw the disputing parties closer together rather than give
them an incentive to remain further apart. The legislation would work to
protect the public while achieving maximum freedom from Federal inter-
ference in the collective bargaining process.
In another special message to the Congress, the President outlined
new legislation which would better protect employee pension and welfare
benefits. Throughout the spring, the Administration also fought for sub-
stantial reforms in the Social Security system -- including proposals that
the level of social security benefits be automatically tied to changes in the
cost of living, that widows' benefits be increased and that retirement tests
be liberalized so that recipients could earn more money before losing bene-
fits. Veterans programs were substantially improved particularly in
the area of health care and education. The Administration took special
steps late in the spring to provide special increases in programs which
assist young people in finding summer employment opportunities.
In 1969 the Nixon Administration pledged to end hunger in America.
As 1970 reached mid-year, it was evident that the Administration had made
considerable progress toward achieving that goal. The number of needy
persons participating in government food programs has increased by
30 percent over May, 1969. Participation in the food stamp program has
increased by 55 percent. While there were 440 counties with no family
food assistance plans a year ago, there were only 281 in December of 1969
and only 47 by May of 1970. The number of needy children who receive free
or low cost lunches has increased by 40 percent - -- and the number of par-
ticipants is continuing to grow.
The restoration of administrative order and a readiness to try new
experiments were major themes at the Office of Economic Opportunity.
Bold new programs were implemented in areas ranging from neighborhood
health centers to alcoholic and drug addiction treatment, from economic
development to migrant and Indian problems and adult basic education. New
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 12 -
ideas in education, in day care programs and in other areas, were sub-
jected to rigorous testing and evaluation processes.
The President issued two documents in the first six months of 1970
concerning the complex issue of school desegregation. In the first,
issued on March 24, he described at great length and in painstaking detail
the philosophy of the Administration in this area and the legal situation in
which it now finds itself. Essentially, he distinguished between two different
forms of segregation. He pledged firmly to continue a strong Federal effort
to end de jure segregation wherever in America it occurs, while leaving
the question of de facto segregation -- that which arises from residential
patterns rather than from official policies -- to the jurisdiction of local
authorities. The Administration was also able to announce that in the past
school year the level of racial integration in the nation's schools has
doubled and that a further doubling will occur next fall.
To facilitate the desegregation process, the President issued a
second statement on May 21 in which he formally proposed the Emergency
School Aid Act of 1970. This legislation would implement the President's
promise of March 24 to spend an additional $1. 5 billion in the next two
years to assist local school authorities in the desegregation process. The
legislation, said the President, is "designed to put the money where the
needs are greatest and where it can most effectively be used. 11 It
would help districts now eliminating de jure segregation and those which
are undertaking voluntary efforts to end, reduce or prevent de facto segre-
gation as well. In addition, certain funds would go to improve education in
racially impacted areas, areas where de facto racial isolation persists.
Other Actions at the Department Level
In addition to the activities mentioned above, the various Departments
of the Federal government took a number of significant but often unheralded
actions to improve the performance of the Executive Branch.
Treasury Department
In order to steer more money into the housing market, the Treasury
Department raised the minimum denomination of treasury bills from $1,000
to $10,000. In cooperation with HUD, it successfully obtained a $2 billion
increase in commitments for residential mortgages from commercial banks,
life insurance companies and pension fund trustees. It helped obtain
approval for increasing the debt ceiling and took a number of steps to
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 13 -
strengthen the international monetary system through expanded participa-
tion in the International Monetary Fund. The Department has called on
the Congress to alter tax laws which now present a serious drag on U. S.
exports and has asked the Congress to authorize expanded U.S. participa-
tion in the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American
Development Bank.
The Treasury Department has substantially increased enforcement
of anti-price discrimination statutes and has proposed an excise tax on
the lead used to manufacture gasoline additives -- in order to fight pollu-
tion and raise revenues. Treasury efforts to prevent the illegal use of
secret foreign bank accounts were stepped up and gift and estate tax reforms
were proposed. New management procedures were updated in several
areas of the Department, including the Customs Bureau -- the first major
updating of such procedures in 80 years.
Justice Department
To reduce administrative burdens on courts, 63 new Federal judge-
ships were established in early 1970. Technical assistance to State and
local correctional systems was expanded. The Bureau of Prisons developed
a master plan to mold the Federal Prison Service into a model for the
nation. Parole procedures and narcotics control programs were improved.
The Department of Justice filed 77 civil rights cases in the first six months
of 1970, including strong new efforts to protect the rights of Mexican-
Americans. The Community Relations Service undertook new efforts to
assist with student unrest problems and to help State governments and
agencies. Anti-trust, narcotics, internal security and tax prosecutions
were intensified. The Department also broke new ground as it won a num-
ber of court rulings against polluters of the environment.
Post Office Department
In addition to dealing effectively with its own striking workers --
and gaining union assent for a significant postal reform bill the Depart-
ment also expanded its home delivery services to an additional 1. 2 million
rural families. The Department gave significant assistance to minority
enterprise by establishing postal bank accounts in some 25 minority-owned
banks. Through its "postal academies, 11 it helped provide remedial educa-
tion and job opportunities for school dropouts. The Post Office also
created a new MAILGRAM experiment -- a combination letter-telegram
that is faster than a letter and cheaper than a telegram. And it took sig-
nificant steps to decentralize its own management procedures.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
-14 -
Department of the Interior
The Department of the Interior reorganized its Water Quality Ad-
ministration and took other significant pollution abatement steps in all
areas of the country. One particularly notable example was the mass ive
campaign to clean up Lake Erie. As a result of the oil well fires and
subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Secretary Hickel closed all
wells in the area pending a complete inspection of safety devices. Here
and elsewhere, the Department also took strong efforts to prosecute
those who had violated safety regulations and to prevent such abuses in
the future.
Through its new Office of Marine Affairs, the Department became
more involved in the marine resource field. A number of parks and
recreational areas were opened and several new ones were proposed
in all areas of the country. New safety standards were established for
the nation's 3, 000 underground coal mines. At a rate of one every nine
days, new industrial plants were built to employ American Indians. The
largest electric power contract in the history of the Bureau of Reclamation
was awarded. And steps were taken to improve the economic status of
the American Eskimo.
Department of Agriculture
Home building under the Farmers Home Administration increased
from 54, 000 units in 1969 to 80, 000 in 1970. New financing methods were
inaugurated. The Forest Service opened new recreational opportunities
and enlarged its support for predominantly black colleges. The Resource
Conservation and Development Program was expanded, as were research
activities in a wide variety of fields. Environmental protection was
stepped up: efforts to build small watersheds were increased and, for
the first time, officers of a company were prosecuted under a law which
restricts the use of persistent pesticides. Consumer protection was also
expanded: for example, new actions were taken against the deceptive ad-
vertising and merchandizing of meat. Efforts to expand agricultural ex-
ports were so successful that authorities now project a gain in 1970 of
almost 15 percent over Fiscal Year 1969.
Commerce Department
Through its United States Travel Service, the Commerce Depart-
ment helped to develop an American exhibit for the Osaka World's Fair
and took a number of steps to make international travelers more at home
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 15 -
in America: for example, a new "Amerail" Pass for use on railroads,
multilingual nationwide hotel-motel and information services for foreign
visitors and a program through which international travelers may visit
American homes.
The Department's Office of Minority Business Enterprise identified
over 2, 700 specific franchise opportunities for minority individuals and
took a number of steps to help such individuals take advantage of these
opportunities. The Department's Office of Science and Technology helped
to negotiate a new Patent Cooperation Treaty and gave high priority to
protecting Americans against flammable fabrics. Weather forecasting
and weather modification activities were stepped up. On occasion after
occasion, Secretary Stans and other officials met with American business-
men and business leaders from other countries in an effort to stimulate
international trade. And major efforts were made to enlist business
cooperation in the campaign to protect the environment.
One of the biggest jobs which the Department has handled since the
Nixon Administration took office was the decennial census. For the first
time ever, the mails were widely used to obtain census information.
Thorough new follow-up procedures were also devised. Census field
work has been going along slightly ahead of schedule.
Department of Labor
At the end of March 1970, the Labor Department was able to announce
that enrollment in Federal manpower programs was up more than 24 percent
from December of 1968. Particularly strong efforts were made in the field
of youth unemployment. The Administration's new computerized job bank
program is now functioning in 22 areas and has been approved for 23 more
areas. In the first four months of 1970, some 1.3 million workers were
placed in non-agricultural jobs.
The Labor Department successfully mediated job disputes in the
airline and railroad industries and assisted in the settlement of the Post
Office dispute. Building on the Philadelphia Plan, the Department expanded
its efforts to protect and enhance minority employment opportunities. And,
for the first time, guidelines were issued to prohibit Federal contractors
and subcontractors from discriminating against women workers in hiring
or in conditions of employment.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 16 -
Department of Health, Education and Welfare
In addition to the many initiatives in the health, education and wel-
fare fields which are mentioned above, the Department has taken a num-
ber of actions to reorganize and decentralize its own activities, stream-
line the process for issuing Federal grants, and consolidate closely related
programs. The Food and Drug Administration, for example, was upgraded
to agency status and its procedures were substantially revamped. The
Department participated actively in minority hiring programs -- both its
own and those of private enterprise -- and took critical steps to cut the
spiraling cost of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. More money was
channeled to higher-priority health research programs and to out-patient
ambulatory and urban care hospital facilities. HEW took significant steps
to fight pollution from many sources, including hard pesticides and
dangerous radiation. Drug abuse and family planning programs were
accelerated significantly. Vocational and medical education programs
were expanded.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
In the first six months of 1970, the rate of HUD-subsidized housing
production doubled over the comparable period in 1969. Significant
amendments in the basic Federal housing law were put forward, Operation
Breakthrough continued to stimulate volume housing production and signif-
icant sources of private capital were enlisted in the effort to support resi-
dential mortgages and expand housing starts.
The Department itself was significantly reorganized both in Washing-
ton and in the field -- with particular emphasis on the decentralization of
authority. In some areas paperwork has been cut more than 50 percent.
Flood insurance coverage was expanded. The Department made the first
Federal guarantee for financing a new community. $41. 5 million in federal
financing was assured for small park projects in low-income neighborhoods.
Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation was especially active in the en-
vironmental field. It worked to improve methods for handling spills of
hazardous materials -- particularly oil. The first Federal safety regula-
tions for our 200, 000 miles of liquid pipelines became effective on April 1
and steps were taken to establish the first minimum Federal standards for
gas pipeline safety. The Department (in coordination with the Department
of the Interior) successfully negotiated an agreement to protect the
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 17 -
Everglades National Park against the incursion of a proposed commercial
jetport and scored similar environmental successes in New Hampshire,
New Orleans and other areas.
The Department took far-reaching action to guarantee equal employ-
ment opportunities for Negroes -- especially on highway construction
projects. Highway safety received major emphasis: the National Highway
Safety Bureau was elevated in importance and a number of new safety
regulations were proposed, including the requirement for installing an
"Air Bag" which would inflate automatically in time of collision to protect
auto passengers. The nation's first consumer booklet comparing perfor-
mance characteristics of all new cars was published. New programs
were begun to reduce the risk of ship collisions. An anti-hijacking system
for airlines was developed.
The air traffic controllers strike was successfully handled and new
air terminal control regulations were adopted. New legislation was pro-
posed concerning the inter-city rail passenger problem.
The President continued to take the Presidency to the country in the
first six months of 1970. He began the year at the Western White House
in California, and was there again at mid-year -- giving new emphasis to
his aim to establish a closer relationship between the Presidency and the
vast sections of the U. S. outside the Washington area. In February he
held a meeting of the Urban Affairs Council in Indianapolis, Indiana, and
a meeting of the Council on Environmental Quality in Chicago. In April,
he went to Houston and then to Hawaii to present the Medal of Freedom to
the ground crew and the astronauts who brought the perilous space voyage
of Apollo 13 to a happy ending. Later in the spring he spoke to large and
enthusiastic audiences in Knoxville, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri.
While the President did not travel abroad in the first half of 1970, he
hosted some 6 heads of government or heads of state at the White House
and held a number of other special dinners, including one for African
diplomats in Washington. The first family continued the pattern of shar-
ing the White House with more and more people. In one social innovation,
they began a series of "Evenings at the White House", featuring distinguished
artists and performers. One of the most noted formal dinners of this year
honored Andrew Wyeth -- whose paintings were displayed in a month-long
White House exhibit.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 18 -
*
*
*
Six months is not a long time in the history of governments, but - -
for the Nixon Administration -- the first half of 1970 was a time of vast
and remarkable achievement. The promise of its first year was amply
fulfilled in the second - -- and that fact gave further promise of a highly
successful future.
####
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
COURTESIES AT WHITE HOUSE FUNCTIONS
WHITE HOUSE STAFF AND ASSIGNED MILITARY
( IN CIVILIAN CLOTHES )
SALUTE:
CIVILIANS AND MILITARY ( IN CIVILIAN CLOTHES ) - ALL CIVILIANS SALUTE
BY STANDING AT ATTENTION AND PLACING THE RIGHT HAND OVER THE HEART
HONORS
COURTESY
RUFFLES AND FLOURISHES
STAND AT ATTENTION
( MUSICAL SALUTE )
HAIL TO THE CHIEF
STAND AT ATTENTION AND APPLAUD
ALL NATIONAL ANTHEMS
STAND AT ATTENTION AND SALUTE ( NOTE 1 AND 2)
NOTE: 1. INDOORS: STAND AT ATTENTION - A SALUTE IS IMPROPER INDOORS
2. OUTDOORS: IF FLAG IS NOT DISPLAYED, MEN REMOVE HEADDRESS AND
STAND AT ATTENTION
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
THE WHITE HOUSE
Washington
July 10, 1970
MEMORANDUM FOR
White House Staff
U. S. Secret Service
White House Police
Military Personnel
SUBJECT:
Proper Courtesies at White House or
Ceremonial Functions
We are trying to establish uniformity at our ceremonies and
to insure that proper honors are afforded to our country, our
flag, our President, and visiting dignitaries.
To assist you, I am distributing a small pocket card describing
the proper ceremonial etiquette for your respective group. I
encourage everyone at the White House to read the card; to
become thoroughly familiar with the correct courtesy actions
required of you; and then to practice the proper procedures at
all times. You will provide a source of leadership for other
guests who are unsure of themselves in these situations. Please
pay particular attention to the salute to be rendered during the
playing of all national anthems.
JAMES D. HUGHES
Brigadier General, United States Air Force
Military Assistant to the President
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
August 8, 1970
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
From:
William E. Timmons
Be
Subject:
Leadership Meetings
I asked your legislative leaders for suggestions on ways
to make the congressional meetings more effective. Their
responses are in Tab A.
A summary of their views follows:
1. FREQUENCY: Should be scheduled every two weeks, even
if necessary to have a meeting on a day other than Tuesday.
2. AGENDA: Greater opportunity to comment on matters not
on the regular agenda. Leaders' views should be sought more
and their recommendations on scheduling agenda items encouraged.
3. SPECIAL MEETINGS: In addition to regular sessions, it
would be helpful to have separate meetings with selected
leaders from Senate and House on an informal basis.
4. SUPPORTING PAPERS: When charts or technical information
are presented, Leaders should be furnished with printed copies.
5. POLITICAL: More discussion of party strategy - - practical
political problems involved in specific legislation.
6. HOUR: Move meetings to 8:00 a.m. to permit leaders to
return to Hill for 10 clock committee hearings.
7. TOPIC: Best to have only one central agenda item to
explore in depth. More important to have President's personal
views than lengthy staff briefings. Leaders should know topic
before meeting.
8. DISCUSSION: Helpful to talk more about upcoming policy
decisions before they are finally decided. This would give
President benefit of possible congressional reactions when
program is actually presented.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
A
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
JOHN G. TOWER
COMMITTEES:
TEXAS
ARMED SERVICES
BANKING AND CURRENCY
United States Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510
July 28, 1970
JUL 2.9 1970
Dear Bill:
Thank you for your letter of 10 July.
My principle recommendation relative to the
regular Tuesday morning Leadership Meetings are
that more time be given over to solicitation of
opinion from congressional leaders in attendance
there and that we, from time to time, be given the
opportunity to suggest items for the agenda.
I frankly feel the President is not getting enough
direct in-put from the men who fight his battles
on Capitol Hill.
Very truly yours,
John John G. Tower
Mr. William E. Timmons
Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
BOB WILSON
ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
36TH DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
(SAN DIEGO COUNTY)
SUBCOMMITTEES:
RETIREMENT
PAUL L. TSOMPANAS
C.I.A.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Congress of the United States
ANTISUBMARINE WARFARE
C
House of Representatives
CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE
Washington, D.C. 20515
July 20, 1970
JUL 2 2 197
Dear Bill:
I have no real suggestions relative to the bi-
weekly leadership meeting at the White House. I
have enjoyed participating.
I believe it would be helpful if we knew in ad-
vance the general topics to be considered and then
be given more of an opportunity to add our two cents
worth.
Sincerely,
Br
Bob Wilson
Member of Congress
Mr. William E. Timmons
Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
HUGH SCOTT
PENNSYLVANIA
United States Senate
OFFICE OF THE MINORITY leader
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510
JUL 20 1970
July 17, 1970
Mr. William Timmons
The White House
Washington, D.C.
Dear Bill:
In answer to your letter regarding the President's
leadership meetings, I would make the following observa-
tions:
The format of the meetings is, I believe, good and
provides ample opportunity for a productive exchange of
ideas and information.
One problem which has been raised, however, is the
frequency of the meetings. Senator Allott and Griffin
have mentioned to me at different times that they thought
an effort should be made to schedule the meetings every
two weeks, even though the President's schedule would
prevent a Tuesday meeting. Senator Allott has indicated
that he would be willing to change the Republican Policy
Luncheon to coincide with the Leadership meetings.
I appreciate your asking for suggestions and wish to
re-emphasize my satisfaction with the work that you and
your liaison staff are doing in assisting the Republican
leadership of the Senate carry out the desires of the
President.
Cordially,
Hugh High Scott
Republican Leader
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
ROBERT P. GRIFFIN
MICHIGAN
United States Senate
OFFICE OF
THE ASSISTANT MINORITY LEADER
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510
July 20, 1970
Mr. William E. Timmons
Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Dear Bill:
Thank you for your letter concerning the Leadership meet-
ings with the President.
On the whole, I believe the meetings have been excellent.
They are very important and useful to the Congressional Leader-
ship.
I have one general suggestion, which could be implemented
in several ways. I think there should be more opportunity for the
President to receive comment and opinion from the Leadership
concerning matters which are not on the agenda.
In place of the regular formal Leadership meeting, it would
be nice if the President could meet occasionally on an informal,
no-agenda basis with either the House or the Senate Leadership --
but not both. Such a session could be held late in the day on The
Hill, on the Sequoia, at Camp David -- or whenever and wherever
best suits the convenience of the President.
In addition, there might be a period during -- or at the
conclusion of -- the regular Leadership meetings when the President
would throw the session open to matters not on the agenda. For
example, he might say: "We have 10 minutes left. I'd like to hear
from you concerning any items not on the agenda."
(continued)
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- 2 -
Of course, there would not be time for any in-depth
discussion of non-agenda items. But there would at least
be an opportunity for the President to get the benefit of
timely comments and suggestions on other political and
legislative matters which a Leader considers particularly
important.
As you know, I have "groaned" a little in the past when
Leadership meetings were not scheduled for a particular week.
Of course, everyone understands -- or should understand --
that demands upon the President's time are very great.
Naturally, the Congressional Leadership would like to be in
touch with the President as much as possible. We believe this
is important for our benefit -- and for his.
In addition, frequent contact serves to dispel the recurrent
criticism that a President does not "consult" enough -- or that
he is too "isolated, 11 etc.
The President's obvious interest, as well as your interest,
in seeking ways to improve the Leadership meetings is very
much appreciated.
With warm personal regards, I am
Sincerely, for
Robert P. Griffin
UV S. Senator
RPG:mlt
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
RICHARD B. RUSSELL, GA., CHAIRMAN
ALLEN J. ELLENDER, LA.
MILTON R. YOUNG, N. DAK.
JOHN L. MCCLELLAN, ARK.
KARL E. MUNDT, S. DAK.
WARREN G. MAGNUSON, WASH.
MARGARET CHASE SMITH, MAINE
SPESSARD L. HOLLAND, FLA.
ROMAN L. HRUSKA, NEBR.
JOHN C. STENNIS, MISS.
GORDON ALLOTT, COLO.
hold hers. K- this
JOHN O. PASTORE, R.I.
NORRIS COTTON, N.H.
United States Senate
ALAN BIBLE, NEV.
CLIFFORD P. CASE, N.J.
ROBERT c. BYRD, W.VA.
HIRAM L. FONG, HAWAII
gale W. MCGEE, WYO.
J. CALEB BOGGS, DEL.
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
tr
MIKE MANSFIELD, MONT.
JAMES B. PEARSON, KANS.
william PROXMIRE, WIS.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510
RALPH YARBOROUGH, TEX.
JOSEPH M. MONTOYA, N. MEX.
THOMAS J. SCOTT, CHIEF CLERK
WM. W. WOODRUFF, COUNSEL
July 15, 1970
JUL 16 1970
Mr. William E. Timmons
Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Dear Bill:
Just a note to acknowledge and thank you for
your letter of July 10.
Bill, I appreciated having your request for
suggestions concerning the Republican Leadership Meetings
at the White House. I think they are pretty well run as
is. There might be times, though, when a little more
searching discussion of the views of the Leadership of
the two Houses would be helpful.
Thank you again for your letter.
With warm personal regards,
Sincerely,
and
MILTON R. YOUNG
MRY:sv
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
RICHARD B. RUSSELL, GA., CHAIRMAN
ALLEN J. ELLENDER, LA.
MILTON R. YOUNG, N. DAK.
JOHN L. MCCLELLAN, ARK.
KARL E. MUNDT, S. DAK.
WARREN G. MAGNUSON, WASH.
MARGARET CHASE SMITH, MAINE
SPESSARD L. HOLLAND, FLA.
ROMAN L. HRUSKA, NEBR.
JOHN C. STENNIS, MISS.
GORDON allott, COLO.
JOHN O. PASTORE, R.I.
NORRIS COTTON, N.H.
United States Senate
ALAN BIBLE, NEV.
CLIFFORD P. CASE, N.J.
ROBERT c. BYRD, W.VA.
HIRAM L. FONG, HAWAII
GALE W. MC GEE, WYO.
J. CALEB BOGGS, DEL.
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
MIKE MANSFIELD, MONT.
JAMES B. PEARSON, KANS.
william PROXMIRE, WIS.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510
RALPH YARBOROUGH, TEX.
JOSEPH M. MONTOYA, N. MEX.
THOMAS J. SCOTT, CHIEF CLERK
WM. W. WOODRUFF, COUNSEL
July 25, 1970
Mr. William E. Timmons
JUL
2
Assistant to the President
8
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Dear Bill:
I did not have an opportunity to answer your letter of July 10th
before the last Leadership Meeting.
With respect to the Senate, you are aware that we hold our Policy
Luncheons, which all Republican Senators are invited to attend, on the
same day as the Leadership Meetings.
I have two suggestions:
1) When we are presented with a formal agenda, as for example,
the economic condition of the country, we are often confronted with long
and complicated charts. It is very difficult to get these on paper by long-
hand SO that they may be presented to the Republican Senators in a mean-
ingful manner an hour or SO later. It is absolutely imperative, in my
opinion, if the chart or table method is used, that we should be presented
with copies of this material, reproduced on letter-size paper, in order
that we can assure accuracy in reporting to the Senators.
2) Generally, I would like to see more discussion of the practical
political situation and problems involved in specific legislation.
The meeting last Tuesday was a very beneficial one, as evidenced
by the fact that several Senators remarked to me afterwards that they thought
it was one of the most productive we have had.
Otherwise, I understand that the President will have programs from
time to time he will wish to present to us, but I urgently suggest following
the pattern suggested in Item #1 above when this is done. Best regards.
Gordon Sincerely yours,
Gordon Allott
United States Senator
GA:cb
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
GERALD R. FORD
MICHIGAN OFFICE:
FIFTH DISTRICT, MICHIGAN
425 CHERRY STREET SE.
GRAND RAPIDS
ZIP 49502
Congress of the United States
Office of the Minority Leader
house of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
July 28, 1970
Mr. William E. Timmons
Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Dear Bill:
I have discussed your letter of July 10 with other Members of our
House Leadership individually and at a meeting last week. There
seems to be a general feeling that if the Tuesday morning meetings
were moved up a half hour earlier, from 8 to 10, there would be
less interference with Members' committee work. I may add that
this would probably also improve the press coverage we get at the
conclusion of these meetings.
Other thoughts voiced were that more time should be allotted for
individual Members to bring up matters, beyond those which Senator
Scott and I generally cover in our retrospective reports, and that
meetings sometimes try to cover too many topics, none of them getting
sufficient time to be discussed meaningfully.
The foregoing ideas are somewhat contradictory, but both have some
merit. It occurs to me, personally, that as we move from the
inauguration of new Presidential programs to a more routine antici-
pation of and collaboration on political problems, there is need
for more free exchange of Members' views.
However, these views have value to the President only if the broad
geographical and philosophical spectrum which our leadership repre-
sents is presented, rather than an exposition of individual pet
peeves. We would all benefit, I believe, from getting more of the
President's personal counsel rather than such large doses of factual
briefing from his specialists.
The current legislative concerns of the House and Senate do not
always, or even very often, coincide. I wonder if it might not be
worth trying to have White House meetings from time to time for
House leaders only and Senate leaders only. I believe there would
Historical File
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
-2-
be more free and frank discussion under such circumstances, and of
course the groups would be smaller. This suggestion is made, how-
ever, under the assumption that all the attention would not wind up
being given to the other body.
I hope these thoughts will prove helpful to you.
Warm personal regards,
Gerald Juny R. Ford, M. C.
GRF:rn
Historical File
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chairman
minority LEADER
JOHN B. ANDERSON, M.C.
gerald R. FORD, M.C.
16TH DISTRICT, ILLINOIS
5TH DISTRICT, MICHIGAN
VICE-CHAIRMAN
MINORITY WHIP
william C. cramer, M.C.
Congress of the United States
LES ARENDS, M.C.
8TH DISTRICT, FLORIDA
17TH DISTRICT, ILLINOIS
SECRETARY
RICHARD H. POFF, M.C.
Republican Conference
COMMITTEE ON POLICY
JOHN RHODES, M.C., chairman
6TH DISTRICT, VIRGINIA
1ST DISTRICT, ARIZONA
house of Representatives
COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH
ROBERT TAFT, JR., M.C.
Washington, D.C. 20515
chairman
1ST DISTRICT, OHIO
July 20, 1970
JUL 21 1970
Mr. William E. Timmons
Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Dear Bill:
I appreciated receiving your letter of July 10, requesting my
recommendations concerning the President's regular Leadership
Meetings. Before making any suggestions, I wanted to emphasize
how informative and how helpful the Leadership Meetings are.
I appreciate having the opportunity to participate.
My suggestions are designed to help accomplish the following
objectives:
1) Provide greater opportunity for congressional involvement
in administration policy initiatives.
2) Assist in development of strategies needed to counteract
Democratic congressional attempts to embarrass the Admin-
istration and Republican Members of Congress.
When Administration officials are making their presentations, it
would be helpful if they would devote part of their time to a
discussion of the proposals that are in the policy pipeline.
The ensuing discussion with congressional leaders would provide
an opportunity for congressional inputs before a decision becomes
final. I believe that discussions at this stage of the policy-
making process would be helpful to all that are present. Those
of us from the Congress could better understand the viewpoint and
problems of the Administration leaders and they, in turn, could
get a better understanding of the probable congressional reactions
to the programs they are considering.
I would also suggest that you consider the possibility of a less
structured meeting approximately every four to six weeks which
would be devoted to a discussion of the current and future
legislative - political situation. I am particularly concerned
about developing strategies to counteract the activities of the
Democratic majority which are intended to embarrass us. A little
more emphasis on party strategy at this stage could, I believe,
pay dividends later on the floor of the House and Senate.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
-2-
I want to emphasize again my appreciation for your soliciting my
thoughts concerning the Leadership Meetings and I would, of course,
be pleased to discuss them further with you.
With warmest regards, I am
Sincerely,
John JOHN B. ANDERSON, B M. Amerison C.
JBA:ms
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
JOHN J. RHODES
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
1ST DISTRICT, ARIZONA
ALMA A. ALKIRE
LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT
COMMITTEE:
THOMAS N. CROWE
APPROPRIATIONS
Congress of the United States
SECRETARIES:
SUBCOMMITTEES:
RITA M. DECENZO
house of Representatives
clara POSEY
DEFENSE
PATRICIA HUTCHINSON
PUBLIC WORKS
OLIVE RAY
Washington, D.C. 20515
PAMELA PETHICK
DISTRICT OFFICE:
6081 FEDERAL BUILDING
PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85025
July 22, 1970
ROBERT J. SCANLAN
BETTY CORBETT
23 1970
Mr. William E. Timmons
Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D.C.
Dear Bill:
Thank you for your letter of July 10. I am mainly
pleased with the format of the Leadership Meetings and the manner
in which they are conducted.
As was indicated today, we are all somewhat distressed
at the fact that direct quotes seem to spew forth from each and
every meeting we have. I must confess, however, that I know of no
viable manner in which this can be stopped.
I feel that about every other meeting some time should
be devoted to exploring the thoughts of the garden variety members
of the House and Senate. Many of us have conversations with our
colleagues as to the situation in the Administration, and its
interplay with the Congress. There seems to be very little time
during which one can appropriately bring matters such as this to
the attention of the President.
I also feel that wherever possible the agenda should
be confined to one or two items. If it is necessary to have more
frequent meetings to cover all points, perhaps we should do so.
It has been a pleasure and an honor to be part of the
leadership group, and my experiences thereon have only served to
enhance my respect for the President, the Vice President, and the
very capable members of the Cabinet and staff.
Yours sincerely,
John I. Rhosed /c
JJR:C
(Dictated July 21, but not read)
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
H. ALLEN SMITH
COMMITTEE:
20TH DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA
RULES
(43D-47TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICTS
LOS ANGELES COUNTY)
Congress of the United States
JUL 22 1970
house of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
July 21, 1970
Dear Bill:
Your letter of July 10 has been in my dictation
pile since I received it.
My suggestions were going to be along the lines
of the meeting held today. As I mentioned, this in my
opinion was the best meeting we have ever had. Everybody
had a chance to participate and I think it was most helpful.
Dick was at his best--he is a remarkable person.
To keep all of that information in his mind and to know
the over all situation as he does is almost unbelievable.
So I would suggest that future meetings be along
the same lines, so far as is possible.
Sincerely yours,
area
H. ALLEN SMITH
M.C.
Mr. William E. Timmons
Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Republican
National
Committee.
Rogers C. B. Morton, Chairman.
July 20, 1970
The Honorable William E. Timmons
Assistant to the President
for Congressional Relations
The White House
Washington, D. C. 20500
Dear Bill:
Thanks for your letter of July 10th, asking for
suggestions concerning the Leadership Meetings.
First, let me say this: I think you're doing a
great job. I know it's tough, and I know some of the
situations you find yourself in. But everywhere I go,
and from everyone I talk with, you get absolutely great
grades, and I think it's super!
My basic suggestion for the Leadership Meetings is
that about once a month they should be confined to politics;
and that at those particular meetings, one or two people
from the Republican National Committee staff should be
present -- primarily Jimmy Allison and Elly Peterson or
Bill Low, head of our Political Division. I can see in the
Fall everybody getting into the campaign act and the right
hand not knowing what the left hand is doing. This could
be catastrophic.
All the best.
Yours sincerely,
Rogers Rog C. B. Morton
Chairman
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National Headquarters: 1625 Eye Street NW Washington DC 20006 (202) NA 8-6800.
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