Secret White House Tapes

491–1

About this recording

491–1
  • President Richard M. Nixon
  • H. R. Haldeman
  • Henry A. Kissinger
  • Stephen B. Bull
April 28, 1971
Conversation No. 489-35/491-1

Date: April 28, 1971
Time: Unknown between 9:34 am and 11:37 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and Henry A. Kissinger; this recording began at
an unknown time after 11:06 am; an unknown portion of this conversation was not recorded
while the tape was changed.

Melvin R. Laird and William P. Rogers
-President's People’s Republic of China [PRC] initiative
-Credit
-Appointment
-Black admiral [Samuel L. Gravely, Jr.]
-Robert S. McNamara
-Lt. William L. Calley, Jr.
-Gravely

PRC initiative
-US policy
-PRC messages
-Compared to those of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Summit


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration: 4s ]


CHINA


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

**********************************************************************
2

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Exchange of messages
-Vietnam
-US table tennis team
-Nicolae Ceausescu
-Taiwan
-US leftists

Conv. No. 489-35/491-1 (cont.)
******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[National Security]
[Duration: 1m 8s ]


CHINA


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

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


-US approach to negotiations
-Staff
-Press
-Ronald L. Ziegler, William L. Safire, and John A. Scali
-Support for President
-Congress

Congress

Kissinger's conversation with John W. Chancellor

[Transcript #1: A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under
court order from December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access 8, Ronald V. Dellums,
et al. v. James M. Powell, et al., No. 71-2271. The National Archives and Records
Administration produced this transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]

[End of transcript]
3

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



President's forthcoming press conference, April 29, 1971
-Vietnam
-US proposals
-Ceasefire
-Enemy responsibility

Woodstock conference
-Vietnam Conv. No. 489-35/491-1 (cont.)
-Ceasefire
-Donald W. Riegle, Jr.
-Statements
-John D. Rockefeller, IV
-Reactions to statements
-Unknown Danish socialist
-Unknown Norwegian socialist
-Charles H. Percy
-Europeans
-Communists
-[James] Harold Wilson
-Denis W. Healey
-Reaction
-Americans
-Europeans
-Vietnam
-Press
-Russell A. Kirk
-Alastair Buchan
-Letter to Kissinger
-Background
-Imperial Defense College
-Letter to Kissinger

Possibilities for administration successes
-Draft
-Domestic situation
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]

SALT
-Rogers
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Schedule
-Leonid I. Brezhnev
4

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Message
-Negotiations
-President’s response
-Rogers’ schedule
-Possible debate
-Rogers’ schedule
-Position
-President’s response Conv. No. 489-35/491-1 (cont.)
-Timing
-USSR position
-US position
-Anti-ballistic missiles [ABM]
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
-Possible announcement
-Timing
-Notification
-Rogers
-John N. Irwin, II, David Packard, and Thomas H. Moorer
-Gerard C. Smith and Rogers
-British, French, and Germans
-Announcement
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
-State Department
-Latin America
-Smith
-Announcement
-Smith's schedule
-Austria
-Visit to Corinthia
-Rogers’ schedule


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Privacy]
[Duration: 3s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

******************************************************************************
5

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)




-Politburo
-US position
-USSR options

James E. Johnson
-Swearing-in ceremony Conv. No. 489-35/491-1 (cont.)
-Laird
-[Gravely]

[Transcript #2: A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under
court order from December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access 8, Ronald V. Dellums,
et al. v. James M. Powell, et al., No. 71-2271. The National Archives and Records
Administration produced this transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]

[End of transcript]

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 11:06 am.

President's schedule

Bull left at an unknown time before 11:35 am.

McGeorge Bundy
-Speech on Vietnam

Anti-war sentiment within administration
-Staff
-State Department

President's schedule
-Meeting with Gerhardt Schroeder
-Dr. Rainer Barzel
-Meeting with anti-war protesters
-Robert H. Finch
-Elliot L. Richardson

Ziegler entered and Kissinger left at 11:35 am.
6

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Upcoming photo session
-Timing
-Rose Garden
-Look Magazine
-Control

Haldeman and Ziegler left at 11:37 am.
Conv. No. 489-35/491-1 (cont.)
Secret White House Tapes |

491–1

This recording is currently not available on millercenter.org. To listen to it, please email Mike Greco at mdg4u@virginia.edu

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