410–10

Conversation No. 410-10

Date: February 13, 1973
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler and Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Pride
-Amnesty issue
-Raising of flag
-Claudia A. (“Lady Bird”) Johnson
-Daughters

Press relations
-Ziegler’s briefing
-Hijacking agreement with Cuba
-William P. Rogers
-Normalization of relations
-Switzerland, Czechoslovakia
-Vessels
-Small boats
-Cuban-American community
-Large ships
-Haig’s uniform
-President’s statement
-Taping
-Reading
-Ziegler’s report to President
-Telephone call

Ziegler left at 3:05 pm.

Vietnam settlement
-Henry A. Kissinger’s trip to North Vietnam
-Cable from President
-Laos and Cambodia
 -10-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)


-Tone
-Negotiations
-Economic aid
-Military activities
-North Vietnam’s presence in Laos and Cambodia
-Cut off of economic aid
-Congress
-US military options
-Effect on North Vietnam
-Laos
-Cease-fire
-December 1972 bombing
-Factories
-Cambodia
-Gen. Lon Nol
-Position
-Health
-North Vietnam
-Kissinger’s cable
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]

POWs
-Meeting with President
-Capt. Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr.
-Col. Robinson Risner
-Capt. James A. Mulligan, Jr.
-Denton
-Neil Armstrong
-Reception of POWs
-Heroism
-Consequences of withdrawal
-President’s telephone call to Milligan’s wife
-Sign of support of US President
-President’s Vietnam policies
-Success
-Congress members
-Press
 -11-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)


-Chicago Tribune
-Buffalo Evening News
-References to President
-Commander-in-Chief
-Foreign policy
-Enemies
-Allies
-Support of American people
-Press
-Soviet Union
-Secret negotiations
-Vietnam settlement
-December 1972 bombing
-President’s possible television [TV] appearance
-Kissinger
-Rally US population
-North Vietnam
-Negotiating position
-Secret negotiations [?]
-Polish diplomats
-Hospital bombing
-President’s intentions
-Kissinger’s cable
-B-52s
-Losses
-Melvin R. Laird
-Compared to World War II
-Air Force
-Bombing success
-Nagasaki
-Morale
-Navy
-Morale
-Army
-South Vietnam
-Bombing
-Navy, Air Force
 -12-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)


-Impact
-Vietnamization
-Effect on Nguyen Van Thieu

Stephen B. Bull [?] entered at an unknown time after 3:05 pm.

Desk drawer

Bull [?] left at an unknown time before 3:50 pm.

Vietnam settlement
-Bombing
-Effect
-Public support

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:05 pm.

Refreshment

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:50 pm.

Vietnam settlement
-Public support for President's position
-Press, intellectuals, bureaucracy
-Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-Gen. William C. Westmoreland
-Letter to Haig
-North Carolina
-Support for President
-POWs
-Abrams
-Attitudes
-President’s actions
-South Asia
-Effect on PRC

India-Pakistan war of 1971
 -13-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)


-President's actions
-Naval fleet
-Criticism of President
-PRC

Vietnam
-Haig's talk with Abrams
-Army, Navy
-[Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
-Captain of ship

State Department
-Policy Planning Board
-Kissinger treatment
-Morale
-Haig’s conversation with Elliot L. Richardson
-NSC

Foreign policy
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] strategy
-Southeast Asia
-US position
-Unilateral disarmament
-Threat of nuclear war
-Conventional forces
-Robert S. McNamara
-Naval power
-Spiro T. Agnew's trip
-Thailand
-Aid
-Cambodia
-Lee Kuan Yew
-Ferdinand Marcos
-Lt. Gen. T. N. J. Suharto
-Adam Malik
-Requests for US assistance
-Australia, New Zealand, Canada
 -14-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)


-Military leaders in US
-Compared to Winston Churchill's World War I analysis
-Education
-War college
-Compared to State Department
-Policy Planning Board
-Quality of staff
-Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
-Joint Chiefs
-Consensus reports
-Depth
-Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]
-Meetings with President
-Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr.
-Kissinger
-Honesty
-David Eisenhower
-Military opinions, ideas
-Quality
-State Department Policy Planning Board
-Kissinger
-Power
-Advice for President
-Cambodia
-Troops
-Aid to South East Asia
-Advice for President
-Interest in military services
-Budget allocations
-Strategy discussions
-Recruitment of talent

Policy planning
-Trends from the 1960s
-Compared to Kissinger’s style
-Talent
-Rejuvenation
 -15-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)


-State Department
-Defense Department
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-James R. Schlesinger
-Informal sessions with President
-Avoidance of press, publicity
-Coordination
-Kissinger
-Crises
-President’s conversation with Edward R. G. Heath
-Europe
-Criticism of December 1972 bombing
-Press
-Talent
-David Eisenhower's advice
-Utilization

Europe
-Haig’s view
-Dealings with US
-Japan
-Great Britain
-France
-Germany
-Support for the president
-President's policies
-Haig’s speech
-Engagement with US
-Benefits to relations
-Reliability of US
-West Germany
-Willy Brandt

US-India relations
-Ambassador
-Triloki Nath Kaul
 -16-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)



******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National security]
[Duration: 36s]

INTELLIGENCE

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
******************************************************************************


US-India relations
-Kaul


*****************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[National security]
[Duration: 23s]

US-INDIA RELATIONS

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
****************************************************************************


US foreign policy and military strategies
-Communications
-Pentagon
-Courts martial
-Abrams
-Policy planning
-Utilization of talent
-Rank
-Field-grade officers
-Effect on creative thinking
 -17-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)


-Quality staffing
-State Department
-Kissinger
-President’s example
-Bombing halt [?]
-Telegrams
-Col. Richard T> Kennedy
-Camp David
-Balanced view
-Navy
-David Eisenhower
-Styx missile
-Concerns
-Soviet Union
-Egypt
-Israeli destroyer
-Future wars
-Scale
-Soviet Union
-Submarines
-Pearl Harbor
-Losses
-Significance
-Future wars
-Tactical Air Force
-Latin America
-John A. Scali
-Panama Canal settlement
-State Department
-Military diplomacy
-Weapons sales
-Kissinger
-Frank F. Church
-France
-US role
-JCS
-Weapons sales
 -18-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)


-US role
-France
-Military involvement
-State Department involvement
-New perspectives
-Europe


*****************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[National security]
[Duration: 8s]

NUCLEAR WEAPONS

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
****************************************************************************

Middle East
-Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
-Oil
-Israel
-Golda Meir
-Kissinger’s advice
-Election
-Solution to problems
-Israel
-US support
-Oil
-Saudi Arabia
-[Shah of Iran] Mohammed Reza Pahlavi
-Pipelines
-Soviet Union

Soviet Union
-Relations with PRC
-Import
 -19-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)


-Possible future actions
-Europe, US
-Attack on PRC


*****************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[National security]
[Duration: 7s]

WAR PLANS

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
****************************************************************************


PRC
-Taiwan
-Relations with US

Ziegler entered at 3:50 pm.

POWs
-Raising of flag for Lyndon B. Johnson’s mourning
-Ziegler’s conversation with Claudia Johnson
-daughters
-Change in statement
-News summary
-President’s telephone cal to Claudia Johnson
-Rose Mary Woods
-Flying of flag for POW welcome

Press relations
-President’s statement
-Taping

Ziegler left at 3:55 pm.
 -20-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)




Kissinger
-Policy planning
-Attitude
-Second Soviet Union summit
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-Middle East
-Europe
-Dealings with subordinates
-Staff
-Intelligence
-Loyalty
-Intellectuals in government
-Europe
-Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions [MBFR]
-Security conference
-Economic issues
-George P. Shultz
-Qualities
-John B. Connally
-May 8, 1972 decision
-1972 Moscow summit
-Bombing

Policy planning
-Use of military
-Richardson
-State Department
-Military personnel
-Perspective
-War colleges
-World strategy
-Mistakes
-Kissinger
-Pride
-Successes
 -21-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept.10)
Conversation No. 410-10 (cont’d)


-PRC, Soviet Union, Vietnam
-Compared to President
-Vietnam settlement
-Bombing
-Poker analogy

Haig left at 4:00 pm.