335–17

Conversation No. 335-17

Date: May 3, 1972
Time: 2:50-3:35 pm.
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Richard G. Kleindienst and L. Patrick Gray, III.

Greetings

A joke

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 2:50 pm and conferred with the President.

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 2:53 pm.

Gray
-Appointment
-Need for Gray's abilities
-Arrangements
-Political pressures
-Announcement

Kleindienst
-Nomination
-Statement
-Ronald L. Ziegler's announcement
-Meeting with the President

Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
-Appointment of Gray
-Charles W. Colson's call to Kleindienst
 14

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-01)
Conv. No. 335-17 (cont.)

-Ziegler's statement

John D. Ehrlichman and H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 2:53 pm.

-Status
-Confirmation
-Questions from press
-Ziegler, Gray, Kleindienst
-Status
-Permanent director
-Statement by Ziegler
-Political pressures

Kleindienst
-Status
-Deputy Attorney General
-Questions
-Answers
-Ziegler
-Confirmation

FBI
-Calls to Senators
-James O. Eastland
-Schedule
-Possible nominee for FBI director
-Eastland
-[Thomas] Hale Boggs
-Reaction
-Other calls
-Timing
-Announcement of Gray's nomination
-Mississippi, Georgia

Congress
-The President’s view
-Questions about W. Ramsey Clark
-Rep. Emmanuel Celler

Congratulations

Ehrlichman left at 3:10 pm.
 15

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-01)
Conv. No. 335-17 (cont.)


Kleindienst and Gray left at 3:20 pm.

Vietnam and Soviet Summit
-North Vietnamese invasion
-US response
-Bombing
-Henry A. Kissinger's concerns
-Possibility of Soviet summit cancellation
-Public opinion poll
-Soviet summit cancellation
-Questions
-Percentages
-Wording
-Soviet aid to North Vietnam
-President's trip
-Cancellation
-Delay
-Continuation
-Soviet support for North Vietnam
-President's trip
-Approval
-Cancellation
-Reasons for support for trip
-Analysis of Charles D. Bennett
-People's Republic of China [PRC] trip
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Soviet aid to North Vietnam
-Postponement
-Public support
-Support for trip
-Reasons
-Percentages of approval and disapproval
-PRC trip
-Cancellation
-Approval and disapproval percentages
-Expected effect on war
-Percentages
-President’s meeting with Kissinger

J. Edgar Hoover
-Eulogy
 16

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-01)
Conv. No. 335-17 (cont.)

-John K. Andrews, Jr.
-The President’s view
-Length
-President's delivery
-Whitney M. Young
-Ziegler
-President's schedule
-Television coverage
-Ziegler
-Amount
-Impact
-Young
-Amount of time
-Value
-President's delivery
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Method
-Young
-President's statement at Hoover's death
-Press coverage
-Eulogy
-Television coverage
-President's relationship with Hoover
-Amount of time in preparation
-Value

Vietnam and Soviet summit
-Polls
-Kissinger
-Bennett’s analysis
-Soviet summit
-Length of war
-The President’s view
-Bombing
-Impact
-The President’s view

Soviet Summit
-Timing
-North Vietnamese invasion
-Hue
-President's signing of agreement
 17

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-01)
Conv. No. 335-17 (cont.)

-Trade credits
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-Friendship
-Appearance
-President's decision
-Impact
-Vietnam War
-Public opinion
-Forthcoming presidential election
-Hawks
-Kissinger's view
-Timing of trip
-The President’s view
-Agreements
-Cancellation
-Impact on Hanoi and Moscow
-Importance to Soviets
-Cancellation
-Interpretation
-Trip to PRC

Public opinion
-PRC trip
-Support for President
-Sense of leadership
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Haldeman’s view
-Kissinger's judgment
-The President’s view
-Reasons

William P. Rogers
-Conduct
-The President’s view
-Richard F. Pederson
-Kissinger's backgrounder
-Source
-John A. Scali
-A story
-Accuracy
-Trips
-Peking
 18

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-01)
Conv. No. 335-17 (cont.)

-Shanghai
-Soviet Union
-Vietnam

US role in world
-The President’s view
-Europe

Soviet summit
-Haldeman's forthcoming meeting with Kissinger
-Continuation of summit
-Public opinion
-The President’s view

Public opinion
-Need
-Kissinger
-Tenor of public statements
-Rogers

President's speeches
-Tone
-Compared to Kissinger's statements
-Tone after Soviet summit
-Time
-Announcement of bombing

Kissinger
-Forthcoming meeting with Haldeman
-Length

President's schedule
-Forthcoming meeting with Haldeman and Kissinger
-Hoover eulogy
-Time of draft delivery

Haldeman talked with Kissinger at an unknown time between 2:53 and 3:35 pm.

[Conversation No. 335-17A]

Meeting
-Time
 19

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-01)
Conv. No. 335-17 (cont.)


[End of telephone conversation]

Soviet Summit
-Kissinger's advice
-Public response
-Support
-Hawks
-Center
-Michael J. Mansfield on doves
-Reaction
-Robert J. Dole
-Bombing in Vietnam
-Kissinger’s and President's concerns
-Cancellation of summit
-Possibility of summit cancellation
-Effect on forthcoming presidential election
-US appearance versus Soviet Union
-Kissinger
-Possible Soviet propaganda
-Demonstrations
-Timing
-Hoover
-Haldeman meeting with Kissinger
-Tone
-Forthcoming presidential election
-Possible effects
-The President’s view
-Cancellation
-Results expected
-Vietnam

President's schedule
-Location

Haldeman left at 3:35 pm.