472–23

Conversation No. 472-23

Date: March 23, 1971
Time: Unknown between 6:02 pm and 6:40 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and Alexander P. Butterfield

[Unintelligible]

The President left at an unknown time after 6:07 pm

[Pause]

The President entered at an unknown time before 6:10 pm

Items for President’s signature

President’s schedule
-March 23, 1971 evening
-An unknown man
-Edwin D. Etherington
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[Pause]

Butterfield left and Henry A. Kissinger entered at 6:10 pm

Laotian operation (Lam Son)
-Washington Special Actions Group [WSAG] meeting
-Purpose
-Admiral Thomas H. Moorer and General John W. Vogt,
Conv.
Jr. No. 472-23 (cont.)
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-U. Alexis Johnson
-Future meeting

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 6:10 pm

Refreshment order

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 6:14 pm

Laos operation (Lam Son)
-Upcoming WSAG meeting
-Purpose
-Public relations
-Moorer
-General Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-Military actions
-April plans
-Raids
-Purpose
-Publicity
-Army of the Republic of Vietnam [ARVN] ability

[The President talked with the White House operator at 6:14 pm]

[Conversation No. 472-23A]

Call to the Vice President

[End of telephone conversation]
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

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[The White House operator talked with the President at 6:14 pm]

[Conversation No. 472-23B]

Call to Vice President Spiro T. Agnew

[End of telephone conversation]
Conv. No. 472-23 (cont.)
Haldeman left at 6:15 pm

Vietnam
-Laos operation
-WSAG meeting
-Johnson, General Robert E. Cushman, Jr., Moorer
-Effect
-Participant’s view
-Public relations efforts
-President’s interview with Howard K. Smith
-President’s April 7, 1971 speech
-National Security Council [NSC] role
-Compared with Smith interview
-Charts
-William P. Rogers
-Chart preparation
-Nixon Doctrine in Asia
-Effect
-President’s interview with Smith
-President’s position
-President’s credibility
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Speeches
-Public opinion
-Press
-L. B. Johnson
-Smith’s comment
-Public opinion
-Press
-Call to Kissinger from Washington Post’s Phil Shelan [?]
-Kissinger’s previous lunch at Washington Post
-David S. Broder
-Kissinger’s comments
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
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-Shelan’s [?] call to Kissinger
-Laotian operation (Lam Son)
-Position on Vietnam
-Call from Shelan [?]
-Kissinger’s comments

President’s previous interview with Smith
-NSC staff’s response Conv. No. 472-23 (cont.)
-General Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s response
-Call to Kissinger at Soviet embassy

Vietnam
-US forces
-Haig’s assessment
-President’s assessment
-President’s statement to Smith
-Support for ARVN
-Kissinger’s view
-Air support
-ARVN forces
-Laotian operation (Lam Son)
-General Do Cao Tri
-Cambodia, Laos
-Laos operation (Lam Son)
-US forces
-Abrams’ trip to Bangkok
-President’s role
-Moorer’s role
-Effect
-WSAG meeting
-Public statements
-Administrative comments
-Forthcoming US troop withdrawals
-Rogers
-Relations with President
-Melvin R. Laird
-View of Administration position
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

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******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Privacy]
[Duration: 23s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3 Conv. No. 472-23 (cont.)

******************************************************************************


-President’s role and plans
-Laird’s role
-Kissinger’s comments to Rowland Evans
-President’s meeting with General Nguyen Van Thieu
-Abrams
-President’s record
-Compared with 1968 anti-war Democrats’ platform
-Evans’ recollections
-President’s April 7, 1971 speech
-Effect
-Public opinion
-Figures
-Negotiations
-Troop levels
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-Kissinger’s actions
-Withdrawal of forces
-Timing
-Cease fire
-President’s previous comments to Smith
-Mark O. Hatfield, George S. McGovern
-President’s previous interview with Smith
-Laird
-Troop levels
-Negotiations
-Negotiations
-Timing
-POWs
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Laird’s role
-Future
-Kissinger’s relationship with Laird
-Laos operation (Lam Son)
-Publicity
-US support for ARVN
-President’s view
-Abrams’ previous interview Conv. No. 472-23 (cont.)
-Haig’s conversation with Kissinger
-Lieutenant General James W. Sutherland, Jr.
-Abrams’ actions
-Kissinger’s cables
-Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Abrams
-Response to President’s previous interview with Smith
-Kissinger’s forthcoming call to Bunker
-Report to President
-President’s schedule
-Morale
-ARVN
-US forces
-Support for ARVN
-Performance in Laos and Cambodia
-Chup area of Cambodia
-Success
-General Do Cao Tri
-Laotian operation
-North Vietnamese
-South Vietnamese forces
-Withdrawal
-Kissinger’s assessment
-Number
-Press coverage
-Status
-US air support
-Future US military actions
-Timing
-Weather
-Scope
-Laos operation (Lam Son)
-Purpose
-President’s position
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

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-Effect
-Forces employed
-US military support of ARVN
-Effect on North Vietnamese Army
-Effect
-Military assessment
-Richard M. Helms
-Cushman Conv. No. 472-23 (cont.)
-ARVN
-Tactical air support
-Military supplies
-ARVN air power
-Laird
-US surplus military equipment
-US program
-David Packard

President’s interview with Smith
-Kissinger’s call to Bunker
-Time
-Report to President

Kissinger left at 6:40 pm