716–4

Conversation No. 716-4

Date: May 1, 1972
Time: 5:57-6:47 pm
Location: Oval Office

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

Henry A. Kissinger
-Final instructions for meeting with Le Duc Tho
-Schedule

Vietnam
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Ceasefire
-Kissinger's statements
-Tone
-Compared to the President
-News summary
-Haldeman's notes
-Murray Marder
-Meeting
-John A. Scali, Ziegler
-Kissinger
-Discussion with President
-William P. Rogers’s statement
-Kissinger's statement
-Differences from President
-Rogers
-Scali, Charles W. Colson and Ziegler
-State Department
-Richard M. Helms
-News reports
-Distortions of Kissinger's statement
-Le Duc Tho
-President's approach
-Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.'s briefing
-Quang Tri
-Kontum
 21

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 716-4 (cont.)

-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-South Vietnamese losses
-Scali
-Abrams
-US bombing
-Negotiations
-Plenary session
-Walkout by William J. Porter
-North Vietnamese offensive
-US bombing

Kissinger entered at 6:01 pm.

-Opposition
-Charles H. Percy
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Percy
-Poll results
-Release
-Breakdown
-Public support
-Use in negotiations

Soviet Union
-Leonid I. Brezhnev's letter
-Meeting with President
-Vietnam
-References
-Differences
-Soviet visit to Hanoi
-Democratic Republic of Vietnam [DRV]
-DRV readiness to negotiate
-US military action
-Bombing
-Haiphong
-President's visit to Soviet Union
-Arrangements
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Leningrad
-Television appearance
-Text for translation
 22

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 716-4 (cont.)

-Dwight L. Chapin
-Church service
-Scali
-Public knowledge
-Church service
-Publicity
-William F. (“Billy”) Graham
-Soviet plane
-Agreement
-Chapin
-Trip to Leningrad
-Trip to Kiev
-Summit
-Cancellation possibility
-Soviet intentions
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Blockade
-Prisoners of war [POWs]

Vietnam
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Victories
-Quang Tri
-Abrams's report
-Army of the Republic of Vietnam's [ARVN] performance
-Abrams’s view
-Military leadership
-Gen. [Forename unknown] Thieu [sp?]
-Gen. Ngo Quang Truong
-Hue, Kontum
-Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Prognosis
-ARVN
-Morale
-Abrams's report
-US air support
-Battle zone
-Air action
-Abrams's report
-ARVN morale
 23

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 716-4 (cont.)

-ARVN losses
-Kontum
-Hue
-Impact of possible loss
-Casualties
-Number of refugees
-Military Region [MR] One
-Abrams's report
-ARVN morale
-North Vietnamese losses
-US air support
-ARVN performance
-Cooperation among commanders
-25th Division
-Activities
-An Loc
-Comparison with Quang Tri
-Planning
-ARVN performance
-Compared with previous situation in Laos
-Coordination
-MR Three
-MR Four
-Weather
-MR Three
-MR Two
-Hue
-Abrams's report
-President's evaluation
-ARVN morale
-Leadership in MR 1
-Quang Tri
-Loss
-MR Two
-22nd Division
-An Loc
-ARVN performance
-North Vietnamese losses
-Calculations
-US air power
-ARVN losses
 24

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 716-4 (cont.)

-MR Three
-25th Division
-Tai Nien [sp?]
-An Loc
-21st Division
-Units in action
-Abrams's report
-Laird
-The President’s view

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-Previous meeting
-Laird’s performance

Vietnam
-Gen. Hoang Xuan Lam
-Kissinger's impression
-Haig
-Laos operation
-Abilities
-North Vietnamese offensive
-ARVN
-1st Division
-Performance at Firebase Bastogne
-Haig’s view
-Northern Group
-Hue area
-Quang Tri
-B-52 strikes
-Abrams's report
-Flexibility
-Air strikes
-Impact on ARVN morale
-Flexibility
-Psychological effects
-Hanoi and Haiphong
-Saigon
-Hanoi
-Schedule
-Blockade
-Kissinger briefing
 25

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 716-4 (cont.)

-Washington Special Action Group [WSAG] meeting
-Implementation
-Necessity
-South Vietnamese collapse
-POWs
-Impact on Soviets
-Soviet Summit
-President's speech
-Mail response
-Max Ascoli
-Contribution to President's campaign
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Abrams's report
-Impact
-ARVN performance
-Provincial capitals
-Bunker
-Meeting with Thieu
-Purpose
-Abrams’s briefing
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Losses
-B-52 raids
-Impact
-Compared to World War II
-Losses
-Extent
-Air strikes
-Tactical air [TACAIR]
-Impact
-Number of planes
-Compared to World War II
-Abrams’s view
-Strength
-Israel
-Phantom airplanes
-Performance in Middle East
-Dien Bien Phu
-Viet Minh
-Negotiations in Paris
-Kissinger's return to US
 26

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 716-4 (cont.)

-Announcement
-Time

SALT
-President's meeting
-Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
-Rogers
-Gerard C. Smith
-The President’s view
-Brezhnev's proposals
-Contents
-Rogers’s view
-Moorer’s view
-Smith’s acceptance draft
-Kissinger’s view
-Dobrynin's response
-Smith's proposals
-Submarines
-Limits
-Moorer
-Haig
-Laird, Helms, Moorer
-Smith
-Rogers
-Submarine-launched ballistic missiles [SLBMs]
-Rogers
-The President’s view
-Congress
-[Arms Control Disarmament Agency]
-Kissinger
-Brezhnev
-Smith
-Comments compared with those relating to Berlin Agreement
-John J. McCloy
-Gen. Lucius DuB. Clay, Jr.
-Motivation
-Kissinger's position
-Brezhnev proposals

Vietnam
-North Vietnamese offensive
 27

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 716-4 (cont.)

-ARVN performance
-US bombing
-North Vietnamese attitude
-Bombing
-Hanoi
-Haiphong
-Soviet Summit
-Possibility of cancellation
-Press
-Kissinger's position
-Soviet Summit
-Cancellation by Soviet Union
-Intentions
-Dobrynin
-Cancellation by US
-President's initiative
-Ziegler
-Press campaign
-Cambodia
-Laos
-Possible end of war
-Timing
-North Vietnamese offensive
-ARVN capabilities
-North Vietnamese resolve
-A helicopter
-Losses
-Missing in action [MIA]
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-US retaliation
-ARVN morale
-Limit of endurance
-Artillery capacities
-Kissinger's trip
-Message

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 6:41 pm.

Kissinger left at 6:42 pm.

Rose Mary Woods
 28

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 716-4 (cont.)


Items for the President’s signature

Butterfield left at 6:45 pm.

Woods
-Talked with the President about Quang Tri

SALT
-Smith
-Rogers's performance
-The President’s view
-Reason
-Soviet submarines
-President's response to proposals

Woods

John D. Ehrlichman

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 6:45 pm.

President's schedule

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 6:47 pm.

Vietnam
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Capabilities
-Kissinger
-US public opinion
-Support for bombing
-Haiphong
-Kissinger’s view
-Press
-Haig
-Soviet Summit
-Impact
-Kissinger

Haldeman left at 6:47 pm.
 29

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)