457–1

Conversation No. 457-1
Date: February 24, 1971
Time: 10:19 am - 11:35 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
[Recording begins while the conversation is in progress]

Personnel
-Speech writers
-John K. Andrews, Jr.
-Lee W. Huebner
-Abilities
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Ronald L. Ziegler

Economy
-Publicity
-Prices

[Recording was cut off at an unknown time for an unknown duration; this section appears on the
original tape as a blank portion of 2m 41s duration]

Department of State
-Leaks
-U. Alexis Johnson
-William P. Rogers
-Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Personnel

Henry A. Kissinger entered at 10:24 am

Consumer legislation

Laos
-James L. Buckley’s reception
-Kissinger’s talk with Paul C. Warnke

Ziegler, Virginia H. Knauer, Lewis A. Engman, and Elizabeth Hanford entered at 10:25 am; the
White House photographer was present during this portion of the meeting
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



Greetings
-Presentation of gifts

Consumer affairs

Knauer, Engman, and Hanford left at 10:30 am

Vietnam Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
-Media coverage
-Ziegler’s briefing
-Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield’s television appearance
-Melvin R. Laird
-General Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-Henry Kahn of New York Times
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Ziegler’s statements
-Day to day operations
-Laird’s view
-John W. Chancellor’s report
-Plan of South Vietnam in Laos
-Tchepone
-Supply lines
-Cambodia
-President’s previous comments
-Justification for operation
-North Vietnam
-General Nguyen Van Thieu
-Accuracy of press accounts
-Briefings
-Kissinger’s briefing
-Casualties regarding Cambodia
-Attitudes
-Associated Press coverage of Laos
-Administration briefings
-Laird
-Claire Crawford
-Crosby S. Noyes
-Dennis Leonard
-Herbert G. Klein
-Mailing to editors and publishers
-Source
-William F. Knowland
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Cynicism of press
-Crawford
-[Forename unknown] Wiggins
-W[illiam] Averell Harriman
-Yale speech
-Withdrawal
-Instructions for Ziegler’s press briefing
-President’s comments Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
-Democratic Senators’ resolution

Ziegler left at 10:37 am

-Warnke’s assistant
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Invitation to Kissinger
-Briefings for Democrats
-Kissinger
-Mansfield
-Withdrawal

Laos military operation (Lam Son)
-Abrams
-Military reports
-General Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Possible report
-Laird
-Military plans
-Tchepone
-North Vietnamese Army
-Roads
-Kissinger’s concern
-Problems
-Briefing for Kissinger
-Roads
-Supplies and trucks
-Compared to Cambodian operation
-Objectives
-Tchepone
-Haig
-Report
-Military assessment
-Compared to Inchon
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Status
-Briefing for Kissinger
-Kissinger’s concerns
-Problems
-Army of the Republic of Vietnam [ARVN]
-Strategy
-Schedule delays
-Quality of ARVN troops Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
-Appearance versus substance
-Tchepone
-Roads and supplies
-ARVN troops
-Air support
-Potential problem
-Haig
-Possible trip to Vietnam
-Assessment
-ARVN troops
-ARVN troops
-Compared to Cambodia
-Supplies
-Objectives
-Air strikes
-B-26's
-Statistics
-Damage reports
-Firebase attacks
-Effects
-Moorer
-Air support coordination in South Vietnam
-Forthcoming briefing
-Haig trip
-Moorer
-Laird
-Plan to send Haig to Southeast Asia
-Kissinger’s information
-Accuracy
-Conflicting reports

Military psychology
-Focus on objectives
-German army
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Verdun
-Stalingrad
-British army
-Somme
-Difference from conventional warfare
-Need for accurate reporting

The President’s schedule Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
-Briefings
-Middle East
-Haig
-Richard M. Helms

Laos military operation (Lam Son)
-Briefing
-Status
-Conflicting reports
-ARVN
-ARVN
-Supplies
-Troops
-Tchepone
-American commanders
-General William C. Westmoreland
-William H. Sullivan
-Military strategy and tactics
-Cambodia
-Laird
-Haig
-Air support
-Tchepone
-Problems
-Laos versus Cambodia
-ARVN forces
-Abrams’ plan
-Forthcoming briefing
-Moorer
-General John W. Vogt, Jr.
-Laos battle plans
-Tchepone
-ARVN
-Options
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Problems
-B-26s
-Problems
-Alternatives
-B-52s
-Moorer
-Laird
-Haig Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
-F-4s
-C-54s

Kissinger left at 11:04 am

Rogers
-Muskie
-Request for meeting with Kissinger
-Request for meeting with Rogers
-President’s instructions


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 25s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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Physical demands of office
-Connally
-Health
-Health of personnel
-Connally
-President’s previous telephone conversation with Connally
-Camp David visit
-Camp David
-Haldeman’s conversation with Connally
-Amenities
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Cabinet Secretaries
-Connally
-Renovations
-Laurel Lodge
-Administration
-Commander
-Plans
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
-[Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
-Connally

The President’s schedule
-Meeting with Governors
-Black leadership meeting
-President’s participation
-Leonard Garment
-Robert H. Finch
-Ehrlichman
-George W. Romney
-Robert J. Brown
-Edward L. Morgan
-Agenda
-Revenue sharing
-Finch
-George P. Shultz
-Possible Presidential appearance
-Haldeman’s position
-Meeting with college editors
-Peter M. Flanigan
-Meetings with lobby groups
-Mechanics of “Drop by”
-Meeting with Governors
-Nelson A. Rockefeller’s reaction
-Possible Republican governors’ meeting
-Pep talk
-Richard B. Ogilvie
-Revenue sharing
-View of welfare reform
-Connally, Shultz, and Ehrlichman

Governors’ meeting and dinner
-The Vice President
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Revenue sharing
-Milton J. Shapp
-The President’s attendance
-Toast
-Golf balls
-Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope
-Attendance
-Entertainment Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Revenue sharing


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Privacy]
[Duration: 52s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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-Rockefeller
-Margaretta (“Happy”) Rockefeller
-George C. Wallace
-Idanell (Brill) (“Nellie”) Connally
-Haldeman’s conversation with Wallace
-The President’s plans for next year
-Governors’ dinner
-Republicans
-Warren E. Hearnes

The President’s schedule

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 11:34 am

-Meeting with black leaders
-Length of the President’s visit
-Press coverage
-Ziegler
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Shultz
-Ehrlichman

Haldeman left at 11:34 am

Butterfield left at 11:35 am
Conversation No.(cont.)
Conv. No. 457-1 457-2

Date: February 24, 1971
Time: Unknown between 11:35 am and 11:38 am
Location: Oval Office

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

The President’s schedule
-Meeting with black leaders
-Tenure of meeting
-Berkeley G. Burrell
-Cenoria Johnson
-Suggested remarks
-Possible White House tour

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 11:38 am