418–5

Conversation No. 418-5

Date: March 9, 1973
Time: Unknown between 2:15 pm and 3:05 pm
 -19-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-3 (cont’d)




Location: Executive Office Building

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

President’s schedule

The President talked with Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo between 2:15 pm and 2:18 pm.

[Conversation No. 418-5A]

[See also Conversation No. 37-69]

[End of telephone conversation]

Public relations
-Crime speech
-Name of slogan
-Clean Air Act, Safe Streets Act, New Federalism
-Patrick J. Buchanan, William L. Safire, [unintelligible name]
-Legislative package
-Request for capital punishment
-Congress
-Criminal code revision
-Need for phrasemaker
-Herbert G. Klein [?]
-Editor
-Work with Ehrlichman
-Crime speech
-Ehrlichman’s edits
-Cop killers
-Criminal penalties
-Ehrlichman's work load
-Importance of work
-Hugh Scott
-Cabinet meetings
-Compared to Dwight D. Eisenhower’s cabinet
-William P. Rogers [?]
 -20-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-5 (cont’d)




-President’s use of rhetoric
-John A. Scali
-John A. Volpe
-Phrasemaking
-Scali
-Domestic Council
-Speech writing
-Crime speech
-Ehrlichman
-Taxes and spending
-Education
-Family budget
-Phrasemaking
-Spiro T. Agnew's contributions
-Television [TV]
-Rogers
-Critique
Agnew
Problems of leadership
-Compared to John B. Connally, Nelson A. Rockefeller
-President as Vice President under Eisenhower
-Role of Vice President
-Cabinet

Crime Speech [?]

Appointments
-New appointments
-Ambassadors
-Pool of 40 candidates
-New career appointees
-Blacks
-Labor unionists
-Black appointments
-Compared to State Department
-Foreign Service Officers [FSO]
-Career compared to non-career appointments
 -21-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-5 (cont’d)




-Limits
-Iceland, Malta, Yugoslavia, Venezuela,
-Indonesia, Malaysia, Afghanistan, Dominican Republic
-Difficult assignments
-Hold-overs
-Australia
-Marshall Green
-Belgium
-Robert Strauz-Hupe
-France
-John Irwin
-India
-Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan
-Iran
-Richard A. Helms
-Italy
-Volpe
-Spain
-Adm. Horacio Rivero
-Turkey
-William B. Macomber, Jr.
-Contributors
-Problem for Maurice H. Stans
-Careerists
-Rogers
-Contributors
-Priority
-Replacements
-Strausz-Hupe'
-Conservatives
- Rivera
-Philip K. Crowe, John D. J. Moore
-Thomas Burns
-Career Service
-Labor Background
-George Meany
-Blacks
 -22-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-5 (cont’d)




-Careerist from State Department
-Strausz-Hupe, Rivero [?], Burns
-Replacements

Manolo Sanchez and Fina Sanchez
-Pay
-Source of funds
-Residence appropriations
-Interior Department
-Civil Service
-GS level
-Base pay
-Room and board
-Overtime
-Total pay
-Fina Sanchez
-Compared to domestic work
-Starting pay
-Increases


******************************************************************************

[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

-Bonus

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]

******************************************************************************

-Total pay
-Increase

Kissinger entered at 2:35 pm.

John Downey
 -23-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-5 (cont’d)




-Mother’s illness
-President’s message
-Chou En-lai
-Release from prison
Call to Downey’s brother

Kissinger talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 2:35 pm and 2:46
pm.

[Conversation No. 418-5B.]

[See Conversation No. 37-70]

[End of telephone conversation]

-Release from prison
-Hong Kong
-Press statement
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-Ronald L. Ziegler

People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Release of prisoners
-Robert J. Flynn, Philip E. Smith
-Downey

Pay raises
-Sanchez, Kissinger
-PRC Dr. K. E. Bruce appointment
Head of liaison office
-State Department’s recommendation
-Edwin W. Martin
-Ambassador to Burma
-President’s experience
-Latin America
-Brazil
-Malcolm Smith, “John F. Kennedy’s 13 Great Mistakes in the
 -24-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-5 (cont’d)




White House”
-Liaison office
-Transportation
-Military plane
-Peking

Edwin Martin
-Misidentification

Bruce
-Appointment to the liaison office
-Back channel communication
-State department officers
-Alfred L. Jenkins, John H. Holdridge
-Announcement

Press conference
-Announcements
-Liaison office appointments
-USSR visit
-State visits
-Tanaka
-Connection with PRC announcement
-Prisoners’ release compared to liaison office
-Bruce’s appointment

Bruce
-Age
-Compared to Chou En-lai

Messages
-President’s letter
-Kissinger’s letter to Chou En-lai
-Bruce

Announcement
-Bruce
 -25-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-5 (cont’d)




The President talked with William Downey at an unknown time between 2:35 pm and 2:46 pm.

[Conversation No. 418-5C]

[See Conversation No. 37-71]

Health of Downey’s mother

Announcement
-Kissinger call to Ziegler

Kissinger talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 2:35 pm and 2:46
pm.

[Conversation No. 418-5D]

[See Conversation No. 37-72]

Announcement
-Prisoners’ release
-Downey
-Timing
-Wording
-Request to Chou En-lai
-Downey's mother
-Illness
-Thomas J. Meskill
-Connecticut
-Appeal
-Ziegler

Telephone call to Meskill

The President talked with the White House operator at 2:46 pm.

[Conversation No. 418-5E]
 -26-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-5 (cont’d)




[See Conversation No. 37-73]

[End of telephone conversation]

Call to Meskill
-Reasons for call

Announcement
-Downey
-Ziegler

Kissinger talked with Ziegler at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 2:53 pm. The President
can be heard in the background.

[Conversation No. 418-5F]

[See Conversation No. 37-74]

Downey
-Private message to Chou En-Lai

[End of telephone conversation]

Release of Downey
-Announcement
-State Department’s role
-Method of Appeal
-Edward Kennedy
-Letters, telephone calls
-Meskill
-Telephone calls
-Credit
-Announcement
-Ziegler
-Telegram
-Announcement
 -27-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-5 (cont’d)




-PRC
-Announcement
-Selective release
-[unintelligible name]
-Howard K. Smith
-New York Times
-Washington Post
-New York Times
-Call to Charlie Daniel
-Handling
-President's message to Chou

Meeting with. Rogers
-Reasons
-Report on trip
-Cabinet meeting
-Rogers’ statement
-US commitment
-Ehrlichman
-Spiro T. Agnew

Foreign Aid
-Congress
-Pakistan
-India
-Weapons
-Armored personnel carriers [APCs]
-Spare parts, repaired equipment
-David Packard
-Contract
-Delegation
-Kenya
-Uganda
-Size
-Evacuation
-Thomas P. Melady
-Idi Amin
 -28-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-5 (cont’d)




-Letters
-Melady’s return

Ziegler's Announcement

Kissinger left at an unknown time after 2:46 pm.

Downey release
-Kissinger’s skills

Kissinger entered at an unknown time before 2:53 pm.

President's press conference
-Timing
-Announcement
-PRC
-Bruce

Kissinger left at 2:53 pm.


******************************************************************************

[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

Public relations
-Strategy
-Plan
-Vetoes
-George H. W. Bush
-Spokesperson
-Janet Johnson

Bush
-New York City mayoral election
-Primary
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
 -29-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-5 (cont’d)




-William T. Cahill
-John N. Mitchell

House Campaign Committee
-Robert C. (“Bob”) Wilson
-Resignation
-Clarence (“Bud”) Brown, Jr.
-Succession struggle
-Wilson’s staff
-Compared to Agnew’s staff

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]

******************************************************************************


President's schedule
-Republican Congress members
-Meeting with President
-Cabinet room, Oval Office [?]
-Freshmen
-Function on Saturday
-William E. Timmons
-Evening at the White House
-Camp David
-Church service
-Shamrock presentation
-Gift
-Ashtray

The President talked with Meskill between 3:00 pm and 3:02 pm.

[Conversation No. 418-5G].

[See Conversation No. 37-75]

[End of telephone conversation]
 -30-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 418-5 (cont’d)




Public relations
-Budget
-Statements
-Cabinet meeting
-Plan
-President's public appearances
Advance work
-Press conferences
-Radio speeches
-Meetings with Congress members
-William J. Baroody, Jr.
-Outside assistance
-Meeting with Charles W. Colson

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman left at 3:05 pm.