Date: March 20, 1973
Time: 3:26 pm – 4:26 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with William T. Cahill, Linwood Holton, George H. W. Bush, and Kenneth R.
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Cole, Jr. The White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.
Greetings
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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
Signature of nominations
Oval Office
New Jersey politics
-Cahill’s announcement of candidacy for governor
-Charles Sandman
-Primary election
-Clifford P. Case
-Cahill’s potential for victory
-Republican governors
-John Love, John R. (“Jack”) Williams, Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Cahill’s race against Sandman
-Need for help from President
-Commitments of Sandman
-Attempts to dissuade
-Lieutenant Governorship [?]
-Sandman’s relationship with Bush
-Congress
-Sandman
-Lawyer
-Age
-Past races
-Case
-John N. Mitchell
-Primary results
-Republican candidates
-Harry L. Sears
-Patrick Vaughn [?]
-Ray Bateman
-Quality
-Primary
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-Cahill’s race
-Sandman’s district
-Republican
-Redistricting
-County chairman
-Motives
-Internal Republican conflicts
-Congress
-Talk with Sandman by President
-Bush, Cahill, Cole
-Alternatives
-Senate
-1976 race
-Harrison A. Williams, Jr.
-Sandman
-Race for governor of New Jersey
-Resentment against Cahill
-New York Times
-Lack of support
-Newspapers
-Previous races
-Divisiveness
-Democrats
-Lack of strong candidates
-Candidates
-James Howard, Henry Helstoski, Robert A. Roe
-Judiciary
-Governor
-Strategy
-Robert F. Wagner
-New York
-Race for governor
-Filing date
-Sandman
-Cahill’s campaign
-Announcement of Bateman as campaign manager
-Challenge by Sandman
-President’s intervention
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-Advisability
-Running against incumbents
-Personality clash
-Sandman’s age
-Reasons for running
-Republican governors
-New Jersey Republican party
-Chances of success
-Quality of Democratic nominees
-Independents
-Challenge to Sandman
-Brendan Byrne
-Chance of success
-Sandman
-Colleagues
-Support for Cahill as governor
-Edwin B. Forsythe, Peter H. B. Freylinghuysen, Mathew J.
Rinaldo, Joseph Maraziti
-William B. Widnall
-John E. Hunt
-Legislators
-Support for Cahill
-Cahill’s attraction for independents, Democrats
-Case
-Sandman
-Clifford White [?]
-Abilities as political operator
-Weaknesses
-Gambling issue
-Casinos in Atlantic City
Republican Party primaries
-Finch
-California
-Illinois
-Donald H. Rumsfeld and John Anderson
-Senate
-New Jersey
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-Sandman
-Candidacy for governor
-President involvement
-Cahill’s candidacy
-President’s support as nominee
-Sandman’s challenge
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Cahill’s victory
-President’s public involvement
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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Issues for New Jersey
-Domestic Council
-Cole
-Food prices
-Economy
-Industry, employment
-Imports
-Food prices
-Upcoming election
-Executive action
-New York
-Effect of a food price freeze
-Reaction of farmers
-President’s policies on food prices
-Current challenge
-Political fall-out
-Food prices
-Expressions of concern to President
-Political effect
-Economic figures
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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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(rev. June-2010)
Politics
-New Jersey primary
-President’s involvement
-Ronald W. Reagan
-Finch
-Cole
-Contacts
-Help for Cahill
-California primary
-Illinois primary
-Cahill’s change of success
-Comparison with Case
-Republican support
-Cahill’s candidacy
-Public appeal
-President’s involvement
-Forms of help from White House
-Support in general election
-President’s meeting with Cahill
-Public statement
-Off-year elections
-Virginia
-Importance
-Presidential endorsement
-Cahill’s distinguished service
-Sandman
-Wording
-Press conference
-Issues for New Jersey
-Domestic Council
-Cole
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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Congressional relations
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-Sandman
-Vote against revenue sharing
-Revenue sharing
-Benefits for New Jersey
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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
Republican primaries
-New Jersey
-Public statement
-Wording
-President’s endorsement
-Sandman
-Illinois
-Rumsfeld
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] position
-Anderson
-Virginia
-Newport News, Norfolk
-Thomas N. Downing, G. William Whitehurst
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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Defense budget cuts
-NATO
-Liberal Republicans
-Whitehurst, Paul N. (“Pete”) McCloskey
-Support for Trident moratorium
-Negotiations with Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Whitehurst
-Effects on negotiations
-Unilateral disarmament
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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
Republican Party
-Virginia
-Ted Coleman [?]
-John Dalton
-Lieutenant Governor position
-[unintelligible name]
-Political orientation
Cahill, Holton, and Cole left at 4:08 pm. Bush remained.
Rockefeller
Republican Party
-New York
-Problems
-John O. Marchi, Wagner, Alex Rose, Rockefeller
-Italian dinner
-Bush’s conversation with Rose Mary Woods
-Italian American
-Corruption
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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An unknown man entered at 4:08 pm.
John D. Ehrlichman
-Meeting with President
Unknown man left at 4:09 pm.
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Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
Ehrlichman entered at 4:09 pm.
Republican Party
-Mitchell, Clarence J. (“Bud”) Brown, Jr.
-Cooperation
-Candidate recruitment program
-Meeting with William E. Brock, III, and Bush
-Robert C. (“Bob”) Wilson
-Candidate recruitment program
-Plans
-Brock
Kenneth S. Rietz
Rose Mary Woods entered at an unknown time after 4:09 pm.
Italian dinner
-Italian American supporters of President
-Marchi
-Invitation
-Defeat of Paul V. Lindsay
-Rockefeller
-New York City
-Mayor
-Invitation
-[unintelligible name]
Woods left at an unknown time before 4:26 pm.
Rietz, Bush
-Background
Republican candidate recruitment program
-Rietz
-Controversy
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
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-Wilson’s staff
-Rietz
-Arrogance, confidence
-Congressional relations
-Brock
-Story by Kevin P. Phillips
-Haldeman
-Source
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Robert D. Novak
-Haldeman
-Source
-Research office
-Agnew
-Bush’s conversation
-Appointments
-Candidates
-Cahill
-Rockefeller
-Finch
-Old timers
-Milton R. Young
-Age
-Problems
-Selection process
-House of Republicans
-Rietz
-Youth
-Internal opposition
-Change in leadership
-Wilson
-Press conference procedures
-Ehrlichman, Haldeman
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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Watergate
-Effects
-Constitutional issues
-Executive privilege
-Issue of disclosure
-White House staff
-Cooperation with grand jury, Congressional committee
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
-Method of cooperation
-Sherman Adams precedent
-John W. Dean, III
-Intent to cooperate
-Staff testimony
-Offers of cooperation
-Effects on Republican Party
-Concerns on local level
-Association with the President
-Vietnam War
-Revenue sharing
-Political issue
-Interest in New York and Washington
-Rest of country
-Cleveland, Kansas City
-Disinterest
-Ehrlichman, H. R. Haldeman
-Washington press corps
-Liberal biases
-Staff testimony
-Executive privilege
-Effects on 1974 election
-Impoundment
-Executive privilege
-Press conference
-Polls
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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Republican Party
-New Jersey primary
-Cahill
-Sandman
-Meeting with President
-Cahill’s meeting with President
-Subjects of discussion
-Domestic issues
-President’s involvement
-Statement for Sandman
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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Bush left at 4:26 pm.
[This tape ends before the conversation with Ehrlichman is completed. See Conversation No.
885-1 for continuation.]