709–9

Conversation No. 709-9

Date: April 17, 1972
Time: 9:35 am - 10:32 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 709-9 (cont.)


Richard G. Kleindienst confirmation
-Meeting with Samuel J. Ervin, Jr.
-Clark MacGregor
-Call to Ervin
-Reason
-Paul J. Fannin
-Next move
-Likely result
-Options
-Russell B. Long's statment
-John N. Mitchell
-Belief in success
-MacGregor
-View of Kleindienst's chances
-Democrats' strategy
-Washington Post story
-Replacement
-Caspar W. Weinberger
-Risks
-Rejection
-Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
-Risks
-William French Smith
-Interests
-Oil
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-Prestige
-Dean at Duke Law School
-Qualities
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Charles S. Rhyne
-Washington Post story

News summaries
-The President’s instructions
-Cambodia and Laos
-Screening
-Vietnam
-Developing stories
-Republican National Convention [?]
-The President's attention
 13

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 709-9 (cont.)


-Haldeman's review
-Ehrlichman and Charles W. Colson

Issues
-ITT
-Colson
-Busing
-Ehrlichman's project
-Vietnam
-Cabinet meeting
-Publicity
-Alarmism

The President's schedule
-Camp David
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Length of stay
-Monday
-Kissinger's Paris meeting
-Kissinger's Soviet trip
-Public statements
-Cover
-Ehrlichman and Ronald L. Ziegler
-Comparisons to Key Biscayne
-Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Return to US
-Kissinger's trip
-Meeting with Haig
-Report to the President
-Camp David
-Time
-Press conference
-Troop withdrawals announcement
-The President's trip to Capitol
-The President’s instructions
-Press coverage
-Ziegler
-Problems
-Entrance to building
-Blocking reporters
 14

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 709-9 (cont.)


Kleindienst nomination
-Mitchell
-Support for Kleindienst

Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 9:49 am.

William P. Rogers's television appearance
-Time

Pandas
-Photographs
-Ziegler's conversation with Constance M. (Cornell) (“Connie”) Stuart
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon's schedule
-Conflicts with table tennis event
-Two People’s Republic of China [PRC] stories
-Ziegler's call to Mrs. Nixon
-Mrs. Nixon’s location
-Washington Post story
-Musk oxen from the PRC
-Sickness
-Treatment in zoo
-Washington Post story
-Photographs
-Associated Press [AP] story
-Postponement
-Theodore H. Reed
-Musk oxen
-Sickness
-Thelma C. (“Pat” ) Nixon's schedule
-Photographs with pandas
-Table tennis match
-Publicity
-Schedule of team

Table tennis
-PRC’s team visit
-Publicity value
-Mrs. Nixon's schedule
-Ziegler's call
-Historic significance
-Postponement of appearance with pandas
 15

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 709-9 (cont.)


-Scheduling problems

The President's schedule
-Meeting with Polish Ambassador, Witold Trampczynski
-Photographs
-Kissinger
-Arrangements
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] trip
-The President’s upcoming conversation with Kissinger
-Ramifications

Soviet summit
-Ziegler's line
-Answer to USSR and PRC protests on Vietnam
-Rogers
-Melvin R. Laird
-Bombing
-Impact
-Ziegler's statements
-Guidelines
-Possible questions
-New York Times
-Terence F. Smith
-Story about Hue
-World War I
-France and Germany
-Verdun
-Losses
-Symbolism
-White House staff
-Conversations with New York Times reporters
-Prohibitions
-Robert B. Semple, Jr.

Vietnam
-Ziegler's comments
-Protests
-Edmund S. Muskie and Hubert H. Humphrey
-Counterattacks
-North Vietnamese invasion
-Failure
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 709-9 (cont.)


-Resolutions in the US Senate
-Critics
-North Vietnamese invasion
-Lack of criticism
-US policies
-Rhetoric
-Criticism
-Support for the enemy and hostility toward South Vietnam
-Rogers's statement
-White House support
-Negotiations
-Ziegler's statements
-Bombing
-Limitations
-The President’s previous conversation with Rogers
-Cessation
-Nuclear weapons
-Withdrawal of US forces across the demilitarized zone [DMZ]
-Conditions
-Wording
-South Vietnam
-Praise
-US Air Force [USAF]
-Praise
-Defensiveness
-Bombing
-Escalation of debate
-Colson and Kissinger
-Kissinger’s view
-Democrat attacks
-Critics
-Answer
-Need to defend South Vietnam and US airmen and seamen
-Current line
-Muskie
-United Nations [UN] consideration
-UN Security Council
-Humphrey's resolution
-President’s view
-Soviet and PRC vetoes
-Humphrey as Vice President
 17

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 709-9 (cont.)


-Muskie's resolution
-Cessation of all operations by US
-Ziegler's responses
-Individual attacks
-Rogers
-The President's decision to bomb
-The President’s instructions to Ziegler
-Press
-Hugh S. Sidey and John F. Osborne
-Boycott
-The President's decision to bomb
-Ziegler's response
-Soviet summit
-The President’s previous conversation with Kissinger
-Possible comments by Kissinger
-US policies
-Hard line
-Defense of policies
-Attack from Democrats
-Counterattack
-Posture of confidence
-Negotiations
-Ziegler's statement
-The President's November 25th speech
-US policies and record of Administration
-Private channels
-Release of record
-Embarrassment of press
-“Red faces”
-Rogers's statement

Mrs. Nixon
-Ziegler's upcoming telephone call
-PRC related stories
-Number
-Pandas
-Table tennis game

Ziegler left at 10:12 am.

Vietnam
 18

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 709-9 (cont.)


-Public relations
-Press reports
-Embarrassment
-Colson
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Attacks
-Patrick J. Buchanan speech
-Nelson A. Rockefeller and Ronald W. Reagan
-Joint statement
-Agnew
-Schedule and location
-Buchanan
-Draft of speech
-Criticism of critics

Rogers
-Relations with Kissinger
-Conflict
-Possible action taken by Kissinger

Unknown treaty

Vietnam
-Unknown lieutenant colonel
-North Vietnam
-Press
-President’s view
Press
-Quality
-Decline
-Richard (“Dick”) Wilson
-William S. White
-Public relations
-White House
-Indifference to press hostility
-An Loc
-Television media reports
-Terence F. Smith
-Conversation with unknown White House aide
-Identity of aide
-Story of Hue loss
 19

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 709-9 (cont.)


-Joseph W. Alsop

Moon shot
-Audience
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-Diplomatic Corps
-Invitations
-Acceptances
-The President's daughters
-Haldeman’s children [?]
-Television equipment
-Increase in amount of coverage

The President's schedule
-William M. Colmer luncheon
-Bicentennial Gardens
-Location
-Frank T. Bow
-Meeting with the President
-Future plans
-Colmer luncheon
-Seating
-Bow
-Age

Vietnam
-Edward M. Kennedy
-Criticism about Vietnam
-White House strategy
-White House position
-Public opinion
-Hawkishness
-Supporters
-Rockefeller
-Kissinger [?]
-Young Americans for Freedom [YAF]
-Input
-White House staff
-Buchanan
-Timidity
-Show of pride for administration
 20

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 709-9 (cont.)


-Support for the President
-Criticism of administration
-Public reactions of leaders
-British view [?]
-Public support for administration
-Leaders
-Rockefeller
-William F. (“Billy”) Graham
-Chancellor of University of North Carolina
-North Vietnamese offensive
-State Department
-Public relations value
-Press reports
-Compared with Cambodian invasion
-North Vietnamese violations
-Horror stories on television
-Refugees
-US-South Vietnamese atrocities
-Reports
-North Vietnam
-Propaganda about US advisors
-Truck driver incident

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 10:12 am.

-US bombing of Haiphong
-Sanchez’s view
-North Vietnamese and Soviet complaints
-US responses

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 10:32 am.

-North Vietnamese invasion
-US responses
-Softness of American Society
-White House staff
-Problems
-Soviet Summit
-The President’s instructions to Haldeman

White House staff
 21

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 709-9 (cont.)


-Problems
-Dealings with aides
-Ehrlichman, George P. Shultz and Herbert G. Stein
-Dealings with Cabinet officers
-John B. Connally
-Ehrlichman and Haldeman
-Dealings with Connally
-Meetings with the President

Weather at Camp David
-Spring
-Sunlight
-Rain and thunderstorms

White House staff
-Kissinger's staff

Vietnam
-Haig
-B-52s
-Navy
-Success
-Vietnamization
-Muskie's criticism
-Cease-fire
-Problems

Haldeman left at 10:32 am.