333–21

Conversation No. 333-21

Date: April 26, 1972
Time: 3:43 pm - 4:31 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

Vietnam
-Negotiations
 31

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



-Current developments
-Le Duc Tho
-Trip to Paris
-Secret talks
-Xuan Thuy
-Statement to press
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Associated Press [AP] story
-Kissinger's press conference
-Questions
-Reports from Moscow
-Leonid I. Brezhnev's meeting with Kissinger
-Source
-The President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
-Brezhnev's offer
-Significance
-Willy Brandt
-Other issues
-Middle East
-Source
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-The President's visit
-Schedule
-Brezhnev
-Andrei A. Gromyko
-Significance of reports
-Soviets
-US bombing
-Hanoi
-Dobrynin
-The President's message
-Summit
-Yuli M. Vorontsov
-The President's speech
-Kissinger's revisions
-Additions
-Paris talks
-Use of channels
-US objectives
-Prisoners of War [POW] return
-Soviets
-Delegation in Hanoi
-Significance
 32

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



-Report of Kissinger's trip
-Purpose
-Brezhnev
-Press reports
-The President's speech
-Revisions
-Draft
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Changes
-The President's orders for counterattacks
-US role in Vietnam
-Limitations
-George S. McGovern's supporters
-Response in North Vietnam and Soviet Union
-Kissinger's conversation with Brezhnev
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-John K. Andrews, Jr.
-Abilities
-The President’s November 3, 1969 speech
-Bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong
-The President's decision
-Kissinger’s trip
-The President's Canadian trip
-Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
-Melvin R. Laird
-Negotiations
-[David] Kenneth Rush
-The President's speech
-William J. Porter
-Changes
-Kissinger's views
-Revisions
-Bombing halt
-US public opinion
-South Vietnam
-Changes in speech
-Defense
-Stakes in war
-The President's speech
-Bloodbath of non-communists
-Number
-Wording of statement
-US goals
 33

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



-Prevention of bloodbath
-Changes

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 4:04 pm.

-Cable from Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Release
-John A. Scali
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Network coverage
-Kissinger's office

Kissinger talked with an unknown person in his office at an unknown time between 4:04 and
4:10 pm.

[Conversation No. 333-21A]

Vietnam
-Cable from Bunker and Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-Delivery to Oval Office
-Location

[End of telephone conversation]

Vietnam
-Senate Democratic caucus
-Robert C. Byrd
-Vote against administration policy
-Kissinger's call to Byrd
-Delays in meeting
-Sensitive developments
-Jeopardy
-Caucus action
-Problems
-The President's reception for Congressmen
-Report from Clark MacGregor
-Response
-Forthcoming speech
-Presidency
-Speechwriters
-Wording
-Positive tone of the President
-The President's speech
 34

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



-Text
-Distribution to press
-Ronald L. Ziegler, Scali and Charles W. Colson
-Time
-Briefing

Haldeman left at 4:10 pm.

The President's speech
-Deletions
-Copies
-Distribution
-US goals
-Stopping invasion

Vietnam
-Kissinger's call to Byrd

Kissinger talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 4:10 and 4:31 pm.

[Conversation No. 333-21B]

[See Conversation No. 23-84]

[End of telephone conversation]

Vietnam
-The President's speech
-Revisions
-Consequences of defeat
-Loss of respect

Kissinger talked with Byrd at an unknown time between 4:10 and 4:31 pm.

[Conversation No. 333-21C]

[See Conversation No. 23-85]

[End of telephone conversation]

Vietnam
-Byrd's support of the President
-Democratic caucus
 35

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



-Delay
-J. William Fulbright's request in writing
-Byrd's problem
-Byrd
-Meeting with Kissinger
-Confidentiality
-Scheduling
-Time and day
-Negotiations
-Private meetings
-Democratic caucus
-Time and day
-Errors
-Kissinger's call to Haldeman

Kissinger talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 4:10 and 4:31 pm.

[Conversation No. 333-21D]

Call to Haldeman
-Return call

[End of telephone conversation]

Vietnam
-The President's speech
-Review
-Stakes in war
-US credibility with allies
-Future aggression
-Changes
-Kissinger's copy
-North Vietnamese invasion
-Demilitarized Zone [DMZ] crossing
-Shelling of civilians
-Violation of 1968 bombing halt understanding
-Deletions
-Issues in war
-Negotiations
-Return of POWs
-Conclusion
-Press copy
-Kissinger's copies
 36

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



-Rose Mary Woods
-Press copies

The President talked with Woods at an unknown time between 4:10 and 4:31 pm.

[Conversation No. 333-21E]

Vietnam
-The President's speech
-Kissinger's copy
-Corrections
-Delivery
-Press copy

[End of telephone conversation]

Vietnam
-The President's speech
-Further changes
-Impact on country
-Kissinger's press briefing
-Time
-Format
-Negotiations
-Resumption

Haldeman talked with Kissinger at an unknown time between 4:10 and 4:31 pm.

[Conversation No. 333-21F]

[See Conversation No. 23-86]

The President conferred with Kissinger twice during the conversation.

Confirmation of Senate Democratic caucus meeting time

[End of telephone conversation]

Vietnam
-Democratic caucus
-Kissinger's conversation with Byrd
-Byrd's reliability
-Change of date
 37

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



-Certainty
-Kissinger's trip to Paris
-Secrecy
-Byrd
-Byrd's position
-Kissinger's conversation with Fulbright
-Kissinger's call to Byrd
-Byrd's response
-Fulbright
-The President's speech
-Compared with the President's talk to Congressmen
-Simple language

The President’s schedule

Kissinger left at 4:31 pm.