378–2

Conversation No. 378-2

Date: October 31, 1972
Time: 9:28 am - 9:50 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

Greetings

Vietnam negotiations
-The President’s letter to Nguyen Van Thieu
-Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Terms of agreement
-South Vietnam’s seven points
-News summary
-Criticism
-Left compared to right
-Concessions
-William F. Buckley, Jr., Robert B. Semple, Jr., Colm [sp?] [First
name unknown]
-Settlement text
-Publication
-US foreign policy
-Press coverage
-Clayton Fritchey, Joseph W. Alsop, Rowland Evans,
Thomas W. Braden
 2
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

-Time
-Jerrold L. Schecter
-Hugh S. Sidey
-US posture
-North Vietnamese position
-October 30, 1972 message
-Possible meaning
-Break-off of talks
-Resumption of talks
-Future message
-Forthcoming North Vietnamese – US meeting
-Expectations
-US position
-Kissinger’s schedule
-Timing of meeting
-1972 election
-Terms of agreement
-North Vietnamese troop removal from South Vietnam
-Analogy to Soviet Union troops in Poland
-US strategy
-Post-1972 election
-Bombing
-Hardline approach
-Bombing
-Demilatarized zone [DMZ]
-B-52’s
-19th parallel
-20th parallel
-Hanoi reaction
-Post-1972 election
-Radio
-Thieu position
-Effect of actions on 1972 election
-Victory claim
-US public relations stance
-Kissinger’s possible briefing
-Tone
-Timing
-Usefulness
-The President compared with Kissinger’s briefing
-Difficulties
-Kissinger briefing, October 26, 1972
 3
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

-Points
-Coalition government
-Reason for the US not signing
-Quality of agreement
-Compared to Laos, 1962
-Reaction in US
-Moral issue
-Right
-Tone
-Stress on negatives rather than positives
-News summary
-Charles W. Colson’s conversation with Louis P. Harris
-Harris
-Political preference
-Liberals
-Support
-Conservatives, hard hats
-George S. McGovern
-The President’s agreement with Harris’ analysis
-Kissinger’s forthcoming meeting with Jay Lovestone
-Thieu
-Terms of agreement
-Thieu
-Coalition government
-Aid to South Vietnam
-Thailand
-North Vietnam
-Laos
-Cambodia
-Joseph C. Kraft’s, October 31, 1972 column
-Liberals
-Kissinger’s view
-The President’s view
-Lovestone
-Alsop
-Buckley
-Reassurance to conservatives
-Media
-North Vietnamese options
-Breakoff of talks
-Timing
-Bombing
 4
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

-Results
-1972 election
-Administration’s stance
-Settlement
-Settlement
-Press statement
-Nelson A. Rockefeller’s forthcoming appearance at National Press Club
-“Peace with honor”
-Details of agreement
-Thieu position
-Bunker
-Kissinger’s view
-Strategy
-Schedule
-October 26, 1972 television [TV] speech
-1972 election
-The President’s letter to Thieu
-Negotiation strategy
-US posture
-Tone
-Congress
-US public relations stance
-William P. Rogers statement
-Melvin R. Laird statement
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew statement
-Kissinger’s and the President’s role
-Rogers
-Strategy
-1972 election
-New York
-Far left and far right
-Kissinger’s recent statement
-Agnew’s recent statement
-Kissinger’s possible statement
-The President’s address to the nation, “Look to the
future”, November 2, 1972
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-Length
-Progress
-Settlement
-Coalition government
-“semi-backgrounder”
 5
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

-Timing of statements
-Wires services
-Network people
-Major commentators

Pierre E. Trudeau
-Recent Parliamentary election
-Seat margins
-Liberals
-Conservatives
-[New Democrats]
-Reason for results
-Robert L. Stanfield
-Possible election
-Stanfield
-The President’s view

The President’s schedule
-Rockefeller

Kissinger left at 9:50 am.