329–13

Conversation No. 329-13

Date: April 6, 1972
Time: 9:26 am -10:10 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

State of the Union speech

Edward M. Kennedy
-Charles W. Colson
-IBM
-Veterans issue

Henry A. Kissinger and John W. Vogt entered at an unknown time after 9:26 am

[Unintelligible]

Vietnam
-Air strikes
-Surface to Air Missiles [SAM]
-Naval gunfire
-Bombing of North
-Air strikes
-SAM sites
-B-52s
-Use against north
-Target areas
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-13 (cont.)

-Naval gunfire
-Damage
-Reports
-Vogt's assignment
-Mission
-7th Air Force
-Creighton W. Abrams
-Air Force
-Inadequacy of performance
-Performance
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Performance
-Results
-Vogt's instructions
-Bombing
-Cambodia
-Laos
-Air strikes
-Weather
-Results
-North Vietnamese offensive
-The president's support of military
-Son Pei [sp?]
-Cambodia
-Laos
-Riots
-Results
-Naval commanders
-Instructions
-Thomas H. Moorer
-Laos operation
-Vogt's mission
-Rescue operation
-The President's support
-Probable casualties
-Haiphong
-Operation plans
-Air strikes
-SAM sites
-B-3 area
-B-52s
-Number of strikes
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-13 (cont.)

-Demilitarized Zone [DMZ]
-Control
-Ground radar
-Weather
-SAMs
-Problems
-F-105s
-Bomber operations
-Changes
-Clearing
-Duration
-Air strikes
-SAMs
-Movement
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Artillery
-William P. Rogers
-Quang Tri
-Highway
-Countermeasures
-Laos
-Vogt's assignment
-Vogt's record
-Abrams
-Record in World War II and Vietnam
-Saigon
-Bangkok
-Reports to the President
-Abrams
-Risks
-Instructions
-Air strikes
-New strategy
-New ideas
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Concentration of forces
-Napoleon Bonaparte's use of artillery
-Effectiveness
-World Wars I and II
-Concentration of forces
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Air Force
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-13 (cont.)

-Air Force strategy
-B-52s
-Airfields
-Carriers
-Number
-Washington Special Action Group [WSAG]
-Meeting
-Vogt's assignment
-The President's confidence
-Relations with Abrams and Frederick C. Weyand
-Laos
-Air Force strikes
-Impact on negotiations
-Kennedy's comments
-Burden of responsibility
-Headquarters
-Reorganization
-Kissinger’s conversation with Moorer
-Timing of changes
-Ground action
-News reports
-Kissinger’s analysis
-Tactics
-Moore
-North Vietnamese artillery
-Vogt's analysis
-Thieu
-Strategic reserves
-III corps
-B-3 front
-Air strikes
-Air strikes
-B-3 area
-US losses
-Impact on North Vietnam
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Effect of US strikes
-Thieu
-Casualties
-Air strikes
-Areas of concentration
-Air strikes
 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-13 (cont.)

-B-52s
-DMZ
-Importance
-Vogt's assignment
-The president's backing
-Vogt as student at Harvard
-Importance
-US foreign policy

Kissinger and Vogt left at 9:55 am.

-Air Force
-Future
-Importance of Vogt's mission

Air Force
-Changes in warfare
-Cuba
-Argentina

Vietnam
-Vogt's assignment
-Importance
-Vogt's conversation with Kissinger
-The President's backing
-Abrams
-Future
-Melvin R. Laird
-Vogt
-Future
-Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]
-Gen. Robert E. Cushman, Jr.
-Vogt
-Briefings
-Cambodia
-Governors
-Air strikes
-Intensity
-Damage
-Past strikes
-Johnson
-Kissinger
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-13 (cont.)

-The president
-Rogers
-Laird
-B-52s
-Public response

Publicity
-Property tax issue
-People's Republic of China [PRC] trip
-Impact on public
-Kissinger
-Rogers
-ABC
-Time
-Air strikes
-B-52S

White House staff
-John K. Andrews, Jr.
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-William L. Safire
-Compared with Price
-Work
-Speeches
-Presentation
-Busing
-John Reagan (“Tex”) McCrary
-Advice

Public relations
-Philadelphia trip
-Headlines
-Pictures
-The President with Frank L. Rizzo and John Cardinal Krol
-Speech
-Planning
-John A. Scali's advice
-McCrary
-Price
-Arrangements
-Dwight L. Chapin
-David N. Parker
 13

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-13 (cont.)

-Ronald L. Ziegler
-\"Front Page\" publicity
-Kennedy
-Handling of public relations
-The President's handling of public relations in 1960's
-White House staff
-Need to support the President
-John D. Ehrlichman and Price
-Criticisms
-Headlines
-Control by White House of news content
-The President's appearances on TV
-Planning
-Length
-Ziegler
-Content of news coverage
-Photo opportunities
-Subject
-Captions
-An Easter shot
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-Tricia Nixon Cox
-Craig S. Campbell
-TV coverage
-Photo coverage
-Plans
-A family picture
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Quality
-Mark I. Goode
-Advice
-Judgment
-Technical advice for TV

Haldeman left at 10:10 am.