277–10

Conversation No. 277-10

Date: September 15, 1971
Time: 1:05 pm - 2:10 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

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

Weather
-Temperature
-President’s schedule, September 14, 1971
-[Truman] balcony

The press
-Instructions to Ronald L. Ziegler regarding contacts with the press
-Response
-Call from James B. (“Scotty”) Reston to Ziegler
-Time
-Appointment request
-Max Frankel
-Robert B. Semple, Jr.
-New York Times
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Conversation with Reston
-Strategy involved
-Pressure
-Contacts
-Ziegler’s handling
-Kissinger
-Clearance with Ziegler, Haldeman
-Joseph C. Kraft
-In-depth interviews with newspapers
-Handling prior to election time
-Timing
-Richard L. (“Dick”) Wilson
-Stewart J.O. Alsop
-Attitude towards the administration
-Agreements by Ziegler
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 277-10 (cont.)


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 55s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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The press
-Alsop
-Handling during forthcoming year
-Written articles compared with interviews
-US News & World Report
-Possible article by the President
-Associated Press [AP] and United Press International [UPI]
-Reston
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Ziegler
-Thomas W. Braden
-Semple
-President’s view
-The New York Times interviews
-Frankel, Reston
-Protection of the administration
-Semple, Edward Dale
-Strategy towards the press
-Exclusive interviews
-George P. Shultz’s view
-Dale, Semple
-The administration’s relations with the press
-Ziegler
-Press attitude
-Type of support for the administration
-Los Angeles Times
-Relationship with the administration
-Claude Erwin
-New York Post
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 277-10 (cont.)


-Don Erwing [sp?]
-Reston’s inquiry to Kissinger
-Haldeman’s involvement
-Response
-Estimation of newspaper response
-The President’s relationship with the press
-Possible outcome
-Question of interviews
-Alsop, Chalmers Roberts
-Ziegler
-George Putnam
-Influence
-Compared to Reston
-Votes

The President’s schedule
-National Security Council [NSC]
-Meeting
-Time
-John B. Connally
-Return from trip
-Time
-Date
-Schedule for meeting
-Date
-Time
-Camp David
-Florida
-Problems
-Discussion
-Chain of events
-Type of schedule
-Days of the week
-Scheduling of days
-Wednesday
-Preparation for possible press conference

Press relations
-Briefing book for press conferences
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Responsibility for briefing book
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 277-10 (cont.)


-Current situations
-Updating
-Day of the week
-Preparation for the President
-Reduction of questions for the President
-Update of events
-Day of the week
-Weekly review for the President
-Local news
-Accuracy
-John N. Mitchell
-Connally
-Shultz
-Edwin Hoyt’s use of contacts in the White House
-Herbert G. Klein
-Rose Mary Woods
-Knowledge
-Answers to questions
-Duty as personal secretary
-Position
-Edward C. Nixon

Publication of books
-Individuals writing books
-Time
-Paul Healy
-Administration reaction towards writing books about the President
-Time period before the election
-Lack of time
-After election
-Effects on the President
-Rowland Evans and Robert D. Novak
-Nixon in the White House: The Frustration of Power
-Lyndon Johnson: An Exercise in Power
-The People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Economic action
-Inclusion at end of book
-Publication of errata
-Style of writing
-Authenticity of book on the President
-Kissinger
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 277-10 (cont.)


-Evans
-Accuracy of facts, quotes
-Hugh S. Sidey
-Columns versus books
-Effects
-Effects of PRC developments
-Buchanan’s opinion of Evans’ book
-Bestselling book’s impact
-Type of book
-Reader’s Digest
-Personal focus
-Story of Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, Klein, William L.
Safire, Robert H. Finch, Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Buchanan’s view
-Type of book
-Possible effect of book
-Comparison to Victor Lasky’s book on John F. Kennedy
-Conservatives
-Book on Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Effect of book about the President
-Perceptions
-Arthur F. Burns’ role in the administration
-Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan
-Type of story
-Buchanan
-More books published about the President
-Look magazine article about Haldeman
-William Loeb
-Unknown book
-Evans
-Kennedy
-Reston

Press stories
-Pentagon Papers
-Kissinger
-Involvement of the New York Times
-Interviews
-Meeting between the President and Kissinger
-Reston
-Contact issue
 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 277-10 (cont.)


-Question of interview with Kissinger
-Instruction for Haldeman to talk with Kissinger

Security of documents
-Papers of the White House staff
-[Forename unknown] Reitzel (sp?)
-Retrieval system within the administration
-NSC papers
-Kissinger
-Importance
-Distribution among NSC staff
-Handling
-Post-election period
-Kissinger
-Possession
-Location
-Establishment of special safekeeping measures
-Possible problems
-Coordination of efforts
-Kissinger
-Contacts
-George S. McGovern, Edward M. Kennedy
-William P. Rogers
-Handling of contacts
-White House location

Scheduling
-Warren E. Burger
-Meetings with groups
-Value
-Clark MacGregor
-Congressional leaders, members
-Presidential trips
-Types of events
-Focus
-Type of meeting held at Camp David
-Second line staff
-Safire
-Paul A. Volcker
-Focus
-Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 277-10 (cont.)


-Safire, Kenneth W. Dam
-Ehrlichman, Weinberger
-Forthcoming economic action
-Quadriad
-Astronauts
-Trip to Camp David

Cabinet
-Connally
-Forthcoming talk with Haldeman
-Leadership
-Rogers
-Rogers C.B. Morton
-George W. Romney
-Maurice H. Stans
-Peter G. Peterson
-John A. Volpe
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Politics compared with administrative work

Press relations
-Interviews in the Oval Office
-Television
-News hour
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Announcement
-Timing
-Press conferences
-Editors
-Question and answer [Q&A] sessions
-Detroit
-East Wing
-News hour
-Press conference scheduling
-Number of appearances by the President since July 1

The President’s meetings with small groups
-Effectiveness
-Meetings
-Education factor
-Color reports on meetings
 13

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 277-10 (cont.)


-Kennedy administration

Evans and Novak book
-Challenging of judgements, facts
-Knowledge of details
-Drew Pearson
-Column
-Columns

The President’s schedule
-Florida
-Charlotte, North Carolina [William F. (“Billy”) Graham tribute]
-Opening of Disney World
-Veteran’s Day weekend
-Possible preview visit by the President
-Orlando, Florida
-Importance
-Publicity
-Interest by foreigners in Disneyland
-Visitors
-Disneyland compared to Disneyworld
-Southern California
-Florida
-Events
-Jews
-Dinner

Evans and Novak book
-Ehrlichman’s reaction
-Campaign comparison
-Focus
-John R. Chamberlain

Unknown woman

Evans and Novak book

Programs
-Possible changes

Polls
 14

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 277-10 (cont.)


-Effectiveness of the President’s actions
-Leadership
-Meetings with groups of individuals
-Influence
-Productivity

Economy
-Connally
-Burns
-Monetary issues
-Predictions
-Shultz
-Connally
-Penn Central Corporation
-Collapse of stock market

The media
-Publication of Edith Efron’s book

Attica State Prison riots
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Position
-Decision
-Hostages
-Killings
-Number of killings
-Sequence
-Decision by Rockefeller
-Convicts
-Guard killings
-Effect of kill ratio
-Rockefeller
-Relation of situation to Cambodia
-[Arnold] Eric Sevareid, Harry Reasoner
-Course of action by Rockefeller

Presidential leadership
-Perceptions
-The PRC initiative
-Public view of presidential authority
-Use of power of presidential office
 15

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 277-10 (cont.)


-Sidey’s column
-Possible impact
-Asia
-Japan and China
-Economic conditions
-Cambodia
-Use of power in foreign policy
-PRC trip
-Use of power in handling domestic issues
-The economy

The President’s staff

Congressional relations

Polls
-Charles W. Colson
-Imbalance of positive and negative

[Unintelligible]

Staff
-Morale
-Recent actions
-News summary reports
-Sense of activity


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 12s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

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[Unintelligible]
 16

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 277-10 (cont.)


Opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
-Leonard Bernstein
- Mass
-Reviews
-Performances, architecture, theaters
-Response
-Emotional impact
-Unknown person’s criticism


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 27s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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Buchanan
-Evans and Novak book

Haldeman left at 2:10 pm.