Secret White House Tapes

579–15

About this recording

579–15
  • President Richard M. Nixon
  • H. R. Haldeman
  • Thelma C. Ryan "Pat" Nixon
  • Henry A. Kissinger
  • White House operator
  • Charles W. Colson
September 28, 1971
Conversation No. 579-15
49

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)



Date: September 28, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:51 pm and 6:42 pm
Location: Oval Office

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

Vietnam
-National League of Families
-Henry A. Kissinger's statement for the President
-The President's position
-Prisoners of war [POWs] families
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-Summary

The President talked with Mrs. Nixon between 5:53 pm and 5:54 pm.

[Conversation No. 579-15A]

[See Conversation No. 10-18; one item has been withdrawn from the conversation]

[End of telephone conversation]

Kissinger entered at 5:55 pm.

Mansfield amendment
-F. Edward Hebert
-Vote in House of Representatives
-Gerald R. Ford
-Leslie C. Arends
-Hebert
-Carl D. Albert
-Conversation with the President
-Hebert
-Ford
-Arends
-Ford's views
-Draft
-The President's administration
-Effort towards passing legislation
-Ford
-Individuals voting for Mansfield amendment
50

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 579-15 (cont.)


-Election
-Possible outcome in respect to voting for amendment
-End of war
-Time length
-POWs
-Effect on negotiations
-Republicans and Democrats
-Hebert
-Support

People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Kissinger's conversation with William P. Rogers
-Announcement of Kissinger's trip
-Rogers's analysis
-Kissinger's trip
-United Nations [UN] vote
-Comparison to India trip
-UN vote
-Timing
-Gorge H.W. Bush's views
-General debate
-Soviet Union trip announcement
-Effect from announcement
-Date of announcement of trip
-Kissinger's conversation with Rogers
-Kissinger's interim visit
-PRC's responsibility
-Replacement of Kissinger by another
-Trip by the president
-Rogers's knowledge
-Results
-Contacts with US
-Rogers's reaction to Kissinger's trip
-Kissinger's conversation with Rogers
-Press attendance
-Publicity for Kissinger
-State Department personnel
-U. Alexis Johnson
-Rank
-David K.E. Bruce
-Strategy of Kissinger and Haldeman
51

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 579-15 (cont.)


-Comparison to India trip
-The President's PRC trip
-Advance team
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Secretary of State
-Johnson
-Effect
-Kissinger's trip to PRC
-Effect on UN vote
-Bush
-Length of debate
-Kissinger's presence in PRC
-Date of debate
-Bush
-Length of debate
-Possible request of Bush

Mansfield Amendment
-Capitol Hill actions
-Arends, Ford

Announcement by PRC
-Parade cancellation
-Timing

PRC
-Politics
-Chou En-lai
-Briefing in Hong Kong
-Mao Tse-tung's health
-The President's visit to PRC
-Madam Mao [Chiang Ching]
-May 16 Group

The President’s PRC policy
-Holmes P. Tuttle
-Telephone call to Kissinger
-Kissinger’s briefing
-Effect on conservatives
-Support for the President
-Support for the President
52

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 579-15 (cont.)


-Ronald W. Reagan

Kissinger's forthcoming trip to PRC
-Rogers
-Concern about press accompaniment
-Comparison to India trip
-Kissinger's previous visit to PRC
-Johnson
-State Department accompaniment
-Johnson
-Marshall Green
-Control by Kissinger
-Alfred Les Jenkins
-Advice to Kissinger
-Kissinger's conversations with PRC officials
-Negotiation tiers
-Technicians
-Chou En-lai
-Timing of announcement
-Domestic impact
-UN vote on Taiwan
-Situation
-Debate
-State Department
-Bush
-Debate at UN
-Timing
-Kissinger's visit to PRC
-African issues


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[National Security]
[Duration: 1m 52s ]


AFRICA
53

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 579-15 (cont.)


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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


Kissinger's forthcoming trip to PRC
-Rogers
-Planning dates
-Negotiations between US and PRC
-UN vote on Taiwan
-Reasons for Kissinger's presence in PRC
-Chou En-lai
-Effect on UN vote

Mansfield amendment
-Deadline in House of Representatives

Edward M. Kennedy's statement to POW wives
-Ford
-POW issue
-Remark
-Ngo Dinh Diem assassination
-John F. Kennedy's administration responsibility
-Charles W. Colson's possible actions

Joseph McCarthy

Vietnam
-End of war
-Credit
-Mansfield amendment
-Press coverage
-Possible effect on negotiations
-Ceasefire
-Effect on deadline issue
-Nguyen Van Thieu issue
-Thieu's election
-Hugh Scott's question
-Possible impact
-Kissinger's PRC trip announcement
-Effect on US position in relation to North Vietnam
54

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 579-15 (cont.)



PRC
-Question of cancellation of trip
-Relationship with us

Soviet Union

Vietnam
-Negotiations
-Pace
-Type of results
-Mansfield Amendment
-Capitol Hill reaction
-Congress
-Senate
-Effect on negotiations
-Negotiating strategy by US
-Security leaks
-Melvin R. Laird
-Trips
-End of war
-Negotiations
-Credit for ending the war
-Record
-Public opinion
-The President's actions
-Mansfield Amendment's effect on negotiations
-Thieu
-North Vietnamese reaction to US offers

Kissinger's forthcoming visit to PRC
-Reasons
-Question about US recognition problem
-Discussion in the President’s presence
-Rogers's concerns
-US relations with Taiwan
-Effects of Kissinger's trip on Taiwan relations with US
-Timing of debate in UN
-Bush
-Kissinger's relationship with Rogers
-Paris meetings
55

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 579-15 (cont.)


-Publicity for Kissinger
-UN vote
-Bush
-Delay
-Timing of Kissinger's trip to PRC

The President talked with the white house operator at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and
6:26 pm.

[Conversation No. 579-15B]

[See Conversation No. 10-19]

[End of telephone conversation]

UN debate on Taiwan
-Timing
-Length

Kissinger's forthcoming trip to PRC
-Speculation by US
-Dates
-Soviet Union announcement compared to PRC announcement
-Rogers
-Andrei A. Gromyko

Soviet Union trip
-Rogers's role
-Kissinger's upcoming meeting with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Memorandum

The President talked with Colson between 6:26 pm and 6:30 pm.

[Conversation No. 579-15C]

[See Conversation No. 10-20]

[End of telephone conversation]

The President's schedule
-The President's attendance at the National League of Families Convention
56

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 579-15 (cont.)


-Robert J. Dole’s appearance
-Response
-Kissinger's comments in past
-US strategy
-Vietcong
-Envoys
-Laird's comments
-The President's possible comments
-POWs and Missing in action [MIAs]
-Edward Kennedy
-Propriety

POW families
-Relationship with Laird
-Achievement of prisoner exchange

National League of Families convention
-Laird's statement
-News coverage
-The President's statement
-News coverage
-Press coverage
-Movement and location within room
-Knowledge of the President's appearance
-White House press
-Statler Hilton Hotel
-The President's schedule
-Time

Mansfield amendment
-Hebert, Arends
-Instructing conferees
-Committee

North Vietnam
-As issue
-Bombing
-Mansfield's comments

John Sherman Cooper
57

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 579-15 (cont.)


Marlow W. Cook
-Retirement
-Time duration

Kissinger left at 6:37 pm.

Funeral for Justice Hugo L. Black
-The President's attendance
-Effect
-Exploitation

National League of Families Convention
-Timing
-Number of people
-Location
-Head table
-The President's schedule
-Arrival time

Mansfield amendment
-Clark MacGregor
-Ford
-Support for the President on Capitol Hill
-Hebert
-Vote
-Strength
-Success on issues
-Clement F. Haynsworth, Jr.
-Supersonic Transport [SST]
-Capitol Hill
-House
-Conference
-Politics

Kissinger and Rogers
-Relationship
-Trip to PRC
-Green

The President's schedule
-Wire service coverage
58

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 579-15 (cont.)


-Drop-by
-Justice Black's funeral

The President and Haldeman left at 6:42 pm.
Secret White House Tapes |

579–15

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