760–6

Conversation No. 760-6

Date: August 3, 1972
Time: 8:28 am - 8:57 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

Kissinger's schedule

Vice President Spiro T. Agnew’s previous call to the President
-George D. Aiken amendment
-Edward W. Brooke amendment
-Senate Republicans
-The President’s possible actions

Vietnam negotiations
-News summary
-Critics of the Administration
-Effect of 1972 election
-North Vietnamese
-The Administration
-Liberals in Congress
-Possible acknowledgement of progress in negotiations
-Increase of Congressional support for the Administration
-Aiken
-Implication of progress through continued negotiations
-Increase of Congressional support
-Adverse reaction from North Vietnamese
-Passage of Brooke amendment
-North Vietnamese reaction
-Possible acknowledgement of progress
 4

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

-Increase of Congressional support
-North Vietnamese reaction
-Congressional support for the Administration’s policies
-Congressional schedule
-The President’s previous conversation with Aiken
-Kissinger’s previous conversation with Thomas J. McIntyre
-Thomas C. Korologos
-Protection of private channel for negotiations
-The President's conversation with Congressman
-Charles McC. Mathias, Jr.
-Charles H. Percy
-Desire of Senate for role in foreign policy
-Marlow W. Cook
-Ted Stevens
-Kissinger's previous meeting with Congressional
leaders
-Compared to Cabinet
-Role of the Cabinet in foreign policy
-Nelson A. Rockefeller as hypothetical secretary of state
-John B. Connally
-John N. Mitchell
-Agnew
-Support for the President’s May 8, 1972 proposal
-Withdrawal of US forces
-Brooke amendment
-North Vietnamese view
-Exchange of prisoners of war [POWs] for withdrawal of US
forces
-Exchange of POWs for end of bombing, mining, and withdrawal of US forces
-Removal of Nguyen Van Thieu
-End of US military and economic aid to South Vietnam
-Brooke amendment
-Possible compromise by Hugh Scott
-Possible break in negotiations
-The President’s view
-POWs
-The President’s previous press conference
-Robert J. Dole
-Kissinger's relationships
 5

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

-Percy
-Mathias
-Agnew's view
-Kissinger’s previous conversation with Agnew
-Percy
-Kissinger’s view

Federal government
-Proposed reorganization after 1972 election
-Andrew Jackson
-Department of Defense [DOD]
-State Department
-Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD]
-Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Need for loyalty

Vietnam
-Press
-Kissinger’s previous conversation with Robert B. Semple, Jr.
-Article on negotiations
-Kissinger’s trip to Paris
-Sources for article
-State Department
-Separation of military and political issues
-Thieu

State Department
-Marshall Green
-Involvement in foreign policy
-William P. Rogers
-Involvement in negotiations during the President’s trip to the Soviet
Union
-Andrei A. Gromyko
-Aleksei N. Kosygin
-Plenary sessions
-Vietnam negotiations
-Kissinger’s view
 6

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

Vietnam negotiations
-Chances for success
-Kissinger’s view
-Political elements of the negotiations
-The President's view
-Soviet Union
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Thieu
-South Vietnam
-Compared to Israel
-Damage to North Vietnam
-Chances for survival
-1972 election
-Possible collapse of South Vietnam
-Timing
-Effect on US foreign policy
-Collapse in several years
-Collapse in several months
-Theiu
-PRC
-Domestic impact
-Public reaction to collapse after a year
-Possible settlement in October 1972
-Compared to Algeria
-North Vietnam

The President’s possible meeting with Kissinger and Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
-Lack of flights over North Vietnam
-News summary
-Lack of bombing of fixed targets
-Armed recce
-Surface-to-air missile [SAM] sites
-Timing
-Moorer’s schedule
-Forthcoming Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction [MBFR]
meeting

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 8:28 am.
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

The President's schedule
-Telephone call from John O. Marsh, Jr.

Bull left at an unknown time before 8:48 am.

The President talked with the White House operator at 8:48 am.

The President talked with Marsh between 8:48 am and 8:54 am.

[Conversation No. 760-6A]

[See Conversation No. 28-49; one item has been withdrawn]

[End of telephone conversation]

Vietnam
-Passage of Brooke amendment
-Negotiations
-1972 election
-Possible breakdown of talks
-Congress
-Chances for success
-Kissinger's forthcoming trip to Saigon
-Negotiations
-Discussions in various forums
-Plenary sessions
-Possible standstill ceasefire
-North Vietnamese offer
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Brooke amendment
-Offer of POWs for withdrawal of US forces
-Ceasefire

Kissinger left at 8:57 am.