413–33

Conversation No. 413-33

Date: February 26, 1973
Time: 5:40 pm-7:15 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

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

William L. Safire
-Compared to Patrick J. Buchanan
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Press conference

-Question and answer [Q&A] format
-Time to complete assignment
-Compared to Raymond K. Price, Jr. and Buchanan

Press conferences
-Unanticipated questions
-Sarah McLendon
-Clark R. Mollenhoff
-Purpose
-Questions
-Submission in advance
-Follow up
-Unrehearsed format
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)


-Problems
-Advanced questions
-Advantages to press
-Follow up questions
-Preparation
-Q&A
-Compared to free questioning
-Avoidance of “No comment”

Input for President
-David N. Parker
-Coordination
-Telephone calls
-Congress
-John D. Ehrlichman
-List of Cabinet
-Response to President’s ideas

Kitchen cabinet
-William F. (“Billy”) Graham
-John A. Scali
-New York

Franklin R. Gannon
-Article
-Qualities as a writer

John F. Kennedy administration
-President’s view of treatment of public
-Game plan

Administration’s game plan
-List
-Press
-Congress
-Political
-Labor
-[First name unknown] Kahn
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)


-Business [?]
-Weekly meeting on one issue
-Competition
-White House staff input
-Buchanan
-Usefulness
-Ehrlichman
-Goals of administration
-Ehrlichman
-Gannon
-Analysis
-Logic as writer
-Price
-Analysis
-Meeting participant
-Buchanan
-Analysis
-Age
-Philosophical bent
-Price
-Ehrlichman
-Kissinger
-Public relations talents
-Gannon

Reorganization
-President’s point to Ehrlichman
-Reform

Issues
-Quality of life
-Leisure
-Environment
-Crime [?]
-Polls
-Economy [?]

Healthcare [?]
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)



The President talked with William Safire between 6:03 pm and 6:07 pm.

[Conversation No. 413-33A]

[See Conversation No. 43-200]

[End of telephone conversation]

Safire

Kennedy’s image
-Dwight D. Eisenhower

President's image
-Enhancement
-Amnesty
-Press satisfaction
-Public reaction
-Price, Safire’s opinion
-Public reaction
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Letters from mothers [?]
-Poll numbers
-Political fallout
-William W. Scranton [?]

Vietnam settlement
-Peace with honor
-Press criticism
-Administration response

White House staff reaction to President’s Vietnam War policy
-November 3, 1969 speech
-Controversial actions
-Opposition
-Fear of failure, risks
-Riots
 -53-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)



Congressional and public relations
-John B. Connally
-Public pressure
-Respect for President
-Caving
-Budget
-Tax increase
-Effect on President’s popularity
-Tax increases
-President’s responsibility
-Veto messages
-Tax issues
-Democrats’ Congress
-Partisanship
-Vietnam
-Swedish television [TV]
-Unknown person’s appearance
-Legislature
-President’s appearance at Trader Vic’s [?]
-Former Presidents
-Image
-Image of President
-Public desires

Buchanan’s father-in-law
-Funeral

Press relations
-Criticism of President
-Response
-Safire
-Press
-President’s conciliation
-TV appearance
-Display of anger
-Statement about POWs being programmed
-Public response
 -54-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)


-Press response
-New York Times
-Editorial
-Attack on POWs

Vetoes
-Statements
-Tone
-Bryce N. Harlow’s judgment
-Wording
-Effect on Congress
-Press coverage

Public mood
-Sensitivity
-Kissinger
-Harvard University colleagues
-State Department

Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft
-Weak link
-Kissinger
-Compared with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Pressures

Kissinger entered at 6:30 pm.

Greetings

Kissinger’s schedule
-Egypt
-Negotiations

Haldeman left at 6:30 pm.

-Hafiz Ismail [?]
-Compared with Gamal Abdel Nasser [?]
 -55-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)


Egypt
-Negotiations
-Egypt compared with Vietnam
-Duration of meeting
-Kissinger’s memo to President
-Issues
-State Department’s opinion
-Arab initiative
-President’s view
-Effect

Vietnam
-Withdrawals
-Timing
-Data
-B-52 strike
-Scowcroft
-POWs
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Withdrawal deadline
-Bunker [?]
-Quid pro quo
-William H. Sullivan
-Withdrawal and cease-fire
-Negotiations
-Laos and Cambodia
-Bombing

Middle East negotiations
-Meetings with Joseph J. Sisco and William P. Rogers
-Settlement
-Palestinians
-Negotiations
-Kissinger’s role
-Ismail [?]
-US position
-Promises
 -56-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)


-Agreements
-Negotiations
-Back channel compared with official channel
-Negotiations
-Emotion
-Procedure
-General agreement of principles between Egypt and US
-Talks with Israel
-Interim settlement
-Egypt
-Detailed negotiations
-Timing of first two stages
-State Department’s knowledge
-Israel
-General principles
-Interim agreement
-Egypt-Israel negotiations
-Syria, Jordan negotiations with Israel
-Leverage for Israel, Egypt settlement
-Jordan
-Timing
-Israel
-US negotiations
-Egypt
-April 10 meeting
-“Heads of an agreement”
-Fundamental principles
-US talks with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Ismail’s opinion
-Heads of agreement
-Israel’s agreement
-Leonid I. Brezhnev’s role
-Joint communication
-US recommendations
-Importance
-Negotiations
-Common principles between US and Egypt
-Israel
 -57-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)


-US, Brezhnev joint communication
-Interim settlement
-Compared with full settlement
-Syria, Jordan, Egypt
-Israel’s withdrawal
-Kissinger’s talks with Ismail
-Israel’s security
-Egypt’s sovereignty
-Golda Meir


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration: 3s]

ISRAEL

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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-Kissinger’s discussions with Brezhnev
-State Department’s role
-Rogers
-USSR, People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-State Department
-Sullivan
-Position on Middle East
-Israel
-Administration strategy

Stephen B. Bull [?] entered at an unknown time after 6:31 pm.

Schedule
-Departure

Bull [?] left at an unknown time before 7:15 pm.
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)



Kissinger’s talks with Israel
-Egypt’s negotiating position
-US position
-Conflict with Israel
-Timing of negotiations
-State Department
-Interim settlement with Anwar el-Sadat, Israel
-Kissinger’s strategy
-Interim settlement
-Principles
-Arab cooperation
-USSR support
-May 1972 summit
-Israel’s agreement
-Two tracks
-Interim settlement
-Direct talks
-Timing of settlements
-Jordan, Egypt
-US aid to Israel
-US relations with Israel
-Domestic support
-Jews

Criticism of President's policies
-Time magazine [?]
-News story
-Success
-Jealousy
-Europe
-US-USSR relations
-December 1972 bombing
-Justifications
-POWs
-New York Times [?] editorial
-Attack on POWs’ integrity
-Public reaction
 -59-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)


-Credibility gap

Vietnam War
-Solicitation of opinion of McGeorge Bundy, Henry Cabot Lodge, and Scranton

New York Times
-Opposition to Soviet gas deal
-Economic arguments
-USSR’s persecution of scientists [?]
-John B. Oakes
-Position on USSR, PRC
-Attacks on President’s foreign policy
-Motives
-John Kennedy
-US liaison office
-Support
-Brezhnev’s visit to US
-US-USSR trade relations
-Private company
-Wheat deal
-US losses
-Oil deal
-US losses
-New deal
-Outrage
-Market rate
-US shipping
-Opposition to President

Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-Relations with Taiwan
-PRC relations with Taiwan
-Kissinger’s conversation with Chou en-Lai
-Satisfaction

Attacks on President
-Kissinger
-India-Pakistan
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)


-Press frustrations
-Kissinger’s stories
-Women
-Attacks on Kissinger
-Public reactions
-Average citizenship
-Attention
-New York Times

Foreign policy
-PRC, USSR, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] agreement, Vietnam
settlement
-Public support
-Establishment opposition
-Thomas W. Braden
-Tokyo
-Article
-PRC initiative
-Nuclear test bans
-John Kennedy
-Treaty
-Chemical and biological warfare
-Testing
-Compared with [Supersonic Transport] SST [?]
-Cancer
-Radioactivity
-Issue
-Value
-Press relations
-POWs
-Political benefits
-Statements in support of President, December bombing
-Adm. Thomas H. Moorer’s story
-Clapping
-December 1972 bombing
-Washington Star, Chicago Tribune
-Congressional opposition
-Negotiations
 -61-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 413-33 (cont’d)


-Breakthrough
-POWs
-Release
-Bombing
-Leverage
-Deadline to North Vietnam

Vietnam settlement
-Success
-Cambodia
-Phnom Penh
-Communist forces
-Coalition [?]
-Cambodia’s self-determination
-Diplomatic protests
-PRC [?]

Kissinger
-Report on Ismail meetings
-President’s press conference
-Talking paper for President’s Golda Meir meeting
-Meeting with President

Golda Meir
-Talks with Kissinger
-Meeting with President
-Length
-Dinner
-Purchases
-Effects
-Kissinger’s opinion
-Negotiating leverage

Kissinger left at 7:15 pm.
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)