Date: December 19, 1972

Time: 11:27 am – 11:51 am

Location: Oval Office

The President met with William D. Ruckelshaus and Kenneth R. Cole, Jr. The White House

photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

Greetings

Budget

-Surplus

[Photograph session]

[Environmental Protection Agency] [EPA]

-Ruckelshaus’s job

-Problems

-“Hawks”

-“Doves”

Environment

-Credibility of administration

-Ruckelshaus’s credibility

-Birds

-People

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Tape Subject Log

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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

Ruckelshaus’s plans

-Senate candidacy in Indiana

-Birch E. Bayh, Jr.

-1974 election

-Popularity

-Controversy

-Judgeships

-Polls

-Vance Hartke

-Compared to Bayh

-Party divisions

-Ruckelshaus’ decisions

-Timing

-Mayor of Indianapolis

-Richard G. Lugar

-Governor

-Conflict

-1975 Presidential election

-John B. Connally

-Party change

-1976 Presidential nomination

-Spiro T. Agnew

-Southerners

-Justice Department

-Age

-Indiana Governor

-Otis Brown

-Speaker of Indiana House

-Edgar D. Whitcomb

-Indiana

-Support for the President

-Midwest

-Dwight D. Eisenhower

-Ohio

-Senate candidacy

-Bayh

-Hartke

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-Personality

-Health

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]

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Second term reorganization

-Ruckelshaus

-Attorney General, judge

-Law enforcement

-Judiciary

-Cabinet

-Water

-Withholding of funds

-Controversy

-Background

-General Counsel, Attorney General’s office, Indiana

-Indiana House of Representatives

-Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division

-Law enforcement

-Administrative ability

-Lawyers

-Deputy Administrator [Robert W. Fri]

-Work with people

-EPA

-Establishment

-Turf fighting

-Credibility

-Air and water pollution

-Louis P. Harris poll

-Timing

-Background

-Harvard University Law School

-Princeton University

-Indianapolis

-Ivy League

-Grandfather

-Republican state chairman, 1900

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Ivy League

-Charles W. Colson

-Brown University

-Opposition to the President’s decisions

-Cambodia, May 8, 1972; summits

-Presidents

-Little Three

-Amherst College, Trinity College, Williams College

-Polls

-Faculties

-Students

-Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger

-Henry A. Kissinger

-Quality

-Civilization

-Possible course

-Harvard University, Princeton University

-University of California

-Stanford University

The President’s philosophy of civilization

-Leader class

-Decline of society

-Britain, France, Roman Empire

-US

-Non-Communist nations

-West Germany, Japan

-Konrad Adenauer

-US

-Opposition to the President

-Universities, networks

-Compared to national editors

-Opinionmakers

-Georgetown

-1972 campaign

-The President’s conversation with Alice Roosevelt

Longworth

-George S. McGovern

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-Permissiveness, US withdrawal from Vietnam,

welfare

-“Libs”

-Conservatives

-1964 campaign

-Reactionary right

-Barry M. Goldwater

-Tennessee Valley

Authority [TVA]

-Marquis Childs

-James B. (“Scotty”) Reston

-1972 election

-Results

-Press relations

-Television

-Intellectuals

-Environmental issues

-Air and water pollution

-Racial issues

-1960s

-Mississippi

-Universities

-Football

-Stanford, University of Southern California [USC]

-Vietnam War

-Environmental issues

-Earth Day

-1971

-Zero population growth

-Articles

-Timing

-Ruckelshaus’s position

-Intelligence

-Lack of character, courage

-Economy

-Congressional relations

-Budget ceiling

-Editorials in New York Times, Washington Post

-Withholding of funds

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-Water

-Ruckelshaus’s meeting

Ruckelshaus

-Retention

-Politics

-Future

-Primary

Donald H. Rumsefeld

-Politics

-Conversation with the President

-Senate

-Hamlet

-Polls

-Adlai E. Stevenson, III

-Adlai E. Stevenson, II

-The President’s view

-Risks

Robert H. Finch

-Politics

-Senate

-Alan Cranston

-Toughness

Politics

-Risks

The President’s appreciation

-Budget

-Cole

Ruckelshaus left at 11:51 am.

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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log

(rev. July-08)