524–27

Conversation No. 524-27

Date: June 17, 1971
Time: 2:42 pm - 3:33 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and Ronald L. Ziegler.

Pentagon Papers
-Charles W. Colson
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Efforts
-Administration counter
-Focus on other administrations
-Television reports
-Lyndon B. Johnson press conference
-Demeanor
-Bryce N. Harlow effort
-Press coverage
-Tricia Nixon Cox
-Johnson book
-Colson's \"lines\"
-“Publication of stolen goods”
-“Aid and comfort to enemy”
-Justification for publication
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Use of Johnson
-Use of William P. Rogers
-Interference with judicial process
-Rogers statement
-Buchanan
-Link with statement by President
-Interference with judicial process
-Other statements
-Ehrlichman statement
-Problems
-Use
-President
-Rogers
-\"Breaking the law\"
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-\"Aid and comfort\"
-Ehrlichman
-Need for \"bite\"
-Buchanan

Colson entered at 2:46 pm.

-Publication of classified material Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
-Use of stolen goods
-Buchanan wording of statement
-Publication
-Use as editorial
-Mailing
-Statement in Senate
-Congressional statements
-Arthur O. Sulzberger
-Declassification of World War II and Korean War information
-Contact with New York Times reporters
-Penalty
-Recognition at press conference
-Scope of attack on Times
-Legal situation
-Ehrlichman
-Grand jury
-Restraining order
-Status
-Options
-Judge's background
-Administration’s possible action
-Effect on Times
-Daniel Ellsberg case
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] action
-Arrest
-Questioning
-Background
-[Elizabeth] Bentley investigations
-Problems
-Nathan Silvermaster
-John Abt
-Victor Perlo
-[Forename unknown] Goldberg
-Whittaker Chambers
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Alger Hiss
-Hiss background
-Morton H. Halperin background
-Leslie H. Gelb background
-Security efforts
-Melvin R. Laird
-Rogers
-White House Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
-Henry A. Kissinger's role
-Recent Times publication
-National Security Council [NSC] paper
-Algeria paper
-Vietnam paper
-Source
-Haldeman and Kissinger’s Florida discussion

Drug statement
-Media play
-\"Public enemy\" lead
-Dr. Jerome H. Jaffe's role
-Question and answer ability
-Leadership comment
-Background information
-President's expectation
-Focus of drug efforts
-Allen J. Ellender point
-Ehrlichman
-Consolidation of drug programs
-Personnel
-George P. Shultz
-Arnold R. Weber
-Report to President
-Office of Economic Opportunity [OEO] role
-Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
-Reduction of inefficient personnel
-Haldeman and Shultz contact
-Use of \"coordination\" term
-State of drug fighting programs
-Personnel changes
-White House control

Pentagon Papers
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
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-Potential Barry M. Goldwater role
-Rationale
-Justification of criticism of Johnson
-Effect of story on President
-Color of statement
-\"Aid and comfort to the enemy”
-”Stolen goods”
-Comments on Johnson Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)

Haldeman, Ziegler, and Colson left at 3:04 pm.

Clark MacGregor and Barry M. Goldwater entered at 3:04 pm; the White House photographer
was present at the beginning of meeting.
Greetings

Congressional action
-Secretary of Defense housing report
-Cloture movement
-John C. Stennis
-Goldwater history
-William Proxmire's role
-Supersonic Transport [SST]
-President’s view
-Enemies of U.S.
-Efforts

SST and the aircraft industry
-Congressional action
-Paris air show
-Alternatives
-US-German cooperation
-Willy Brandt
-Potential Northrup deal

[The president talked with Henry A. Kissinger at an unknown time after 3:04 pm]

[Conversation No. 524-27a]

Brandt purchase of Northrup fighter
-Money involved
-Impact on California
-SST possibilities
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
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-D. Kenneth Rush

[End of telephone conversation]

Aircraft development
-German and French cooperation
-Airbus role
Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
SST
-US and German cooperation
-SST cancellation
-US and German cooperation
-Quality of US plane
-French air show
-US position
-Goldwater recollections
-Contacts with US businessmen
-William M. Allen statement on Boeing
-Allen reception of Collier award
-Contact with Ed Ewell

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:04 pm.

Refreshments

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:33 pm.

SST
-Boeing Vice President's statement
-Resources necessary to reopen assembly line
-General Electric decision
-Action on engine
-Payment
-Goldwater visit to \"Concorde\" factory
-Willard F. Rockwell Jr. efforts
-Engine procurement
-Garret Corporation (?)
-French technology
-US technological position
-Goldwater questions to Soviet engineer
-[Unintelligible name] report
-Proxmire
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
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-US technological position
-Life magazine story
-Media statement by President
-Perception of common man
-Benefits of depression
-Goldwater’s experiences

William A. Anders Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
-Future
-Problems with bureaucrats
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Personnel moves
-Frederic V. Malek's role
-National Aeronautic and Space Administration [NASA] position
-Paper on aircraft industry
-Comment to Goldwater
-MacGregor's role
-Domestic Council

SST
-President's effort
-Goldwater's effort
-Stennis’ effort
-Money fights
-Armed Forces subcommittee
-Soviet SST
-Photographs
-Compared to French aircraft
-European view of US action
-Goldwater’s recollections

Congress
-Popular reaction
-Recess
-Draft resolution
-Status
-Prospects of action

Election
-President's prospects
-Vietnam situation
-Prospects for negotiations
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
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-Status as an issue
-New York Times articles

Pentagon Papers
-Effect on administration
-Effect on Republican party
-College audiences' interest in Vietnam
Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
Economy
-Stock market performance
-Construction situation
-California
-Tax break
-Employment
-General economic improvement
-Inventories
-Construction
-Wages
-Unemployment
-Employment
-Age factors
-California problems
-Relationship to air industry
-Pacific Northwest
-Wichita, Kansas

Goldwater's efforts
-SST
-Defense

International affairs
-Soviet Union and US Anti-ballistic missile [ABM] agreement
-Need for offensive agreement
-Scope
-Berlin Agreement
-Bargaining
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Sino-Soviet relations
-Taiwan, Republic of China friendship with US
-US strategy
-PRC
-US national interest
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Future relations with Soviet Union and PRC
-Grain sales
-American bottoms
-Benefits for the American farmer
-Soviet Union and PRC
-Perception of President's stance on Communism
-PRC
-Trade Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
-Exchange with PRC
-Ping Pong
-World War III potential matchups
-Goldwater’s view
-Revival of US-Chinese friendship
-Japanese revival
-President’s view
-Economy
-Military
-Economic potential
-Size
-Arable land
-German situation
-Mark problems
-Socialism
-Willy Brandt

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 3:04 pm.

Schedule
-National Security Council [NSC] meeting

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:33 pm.

Defense
-Message from Goldwater to NSC
-NSC efforts
-Goldwater's role
-Vietnam
-Negotiation prospects
-Need for secrecy
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-Survival of Vietnam
-Role of war in 1972 election
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Democrat action
-Rationale
-Letter from Dean Rusk to Goldwater
-War powers of President
-Dean G. Acheson
-Lyndon B. Johnson Library opening
-Alteration
-Constitutionality Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
-Richard (“Dick”) Wilson column
-Media coverage

Bull entered at an unknown time after 3:04 pm.

President's schedule

Goldwater, MacGregor, and Bull left at 3:33 pm.