653–8

Conversation No. 653-8

Date: January 24, 1972
Time: 11:04 am - 11:53 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

Meeting with Kurt Waldheim
-Kissinger’s schedule
-William L. Safire
-Length

Waldheim, William P. Rogers, George H. W. Bush, and Emil (“Bus”) Mosbacher, Jr. entered at
11:05 am; the White House photographer and members of the press were present at the
beginning of the meeting.

Introductions

Seating arrangements

The President’s previous meeting with Waldheim in 1956

[Photograph session
-[General conversation]

Introductions
-John Shannon [sp?]

Shannon [sp?]
-New York Times
-Los Angeles Times
-United Nations [UN] bureau
-Wife
-Background
-Visits to Bush

UN
-US support
-Rogers’s conversation with Waldheim
 16

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


-US political problems
-Foreign aid issue
-Non-peacekeeping functions
-Peacekeeping functions
-Financial concerns

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 11:05 am.

Refreshment

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 11:21 am.

Waldhein’s gratitude for meeting

UN
-Relations with US
-Newspaper stories
-World confidence
-US
-Newspapers
-Austria
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Future crises
-Influence of member nations
-US
-PRC
-Soviet Union
-World confidence
-US public
-Financial concerns
-World confidence
-Importance
-The President’s foreign policy
-PRC
-India-Pakistan War
-UN vote
-UN role
-Security Council
-Financial concerns
-Payment of US dues
-Timing
 17

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


-US internal concerns
-Installments

Kissinger left at 11:21 am.

-Peacekeeping debts
-Soviet union
-France
-Contributions from various countries
-Committee of fifteen
-Budget cuts
-Streamlining the secretariat
-Peacekeeping
-India-Pakistan relations
-US policy
-Robert S. McNamara’s and Pierre-Paul Schweitzer
-Conversations with Waldheim
-McNamara’s and Schweitzer’s schedules
-Bangladesh
-Recognition
-Humanitarian relief
-US support
-US support
-Contributions
-Use of veto
-Public opinion
-Role
-Differences between great powers
-National interests
-Prevention of confrontations
-Publicity
-Failures
-Compared to successes
-Henry C. Lodge’s statement
-Middle East
-Africa
-Waldheim’s role
-Challenge
-US support
-Finances
-Rogers
 18

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


-The President
-US ambassadors
-Congress
-Speeches
-PRC membership
-Effect
-Expansion and divisiveness
-Soviet Union
-US
-Neutrality
-Great powers
-US relations vis-à-vis Soviet Union and PRC
-Broker role
PRC membership
-Effect
-U Thant
-US view
-Departure
-Waldheim
-Role
-Leadership
-US and international support
-Speeches
-Compared with Thant
-Television
-Visibility
-Soviet Union and PRC reaction
-US reaction
-Rhodesia
-Financial concerns
-US fiscal problems
-July 1972 payment
-Waldheim
-Leadership
-Fairness
-Relations with US
-International relations
-Compared with Thant
-Pubic relations
-Changes made
-Bureaucracy
 19

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


-Finances
-Relations with Bush
-Tour of UN building
-Edicts on streamlining
-Television speeches
-Effect in congress
-View of the President’s comments
-Leadership
-Criticisms
-Press
-Talks with Bush
-Edicts
-Possible meetings in other countries
-Compared with US cabinet meetings across US
-Los Angeles, New Orleans, Chicago
-Impact
-New York City identification as headquarters
-Organization of African Unity [OAU], Geneva and Japan
-World racial make-up
-Security Council
-Addis Ababa
-New York Times criticism
-Olympic games
-Competition for site
-Prestige
-Munich
-Compared with US cities’ competition for political conventions
-Possible effects
-Paris
-Expense
-Need for businesslike approach
-Expense
-View of American public
-Publicity of achievements
-General assembly
-Compared with Olympics
-Dag Hammerskjold
-Travel
-India-Pakistan relations
-Refugee aid
-Publicity
 20

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


-US aid
-Amount
-Waldheim
-Announcement
-Opening ceremony
-Secretariat
-Middle East
-Gunnar Jarring’s work
-President Leopold S. Senghor of Senegal
-President Moktar Ould Daddah of Mauritania
-Presidency of OAU
-Group of Ten
-Senghor’s request
-Daddah
-Possible trip to Washington, DC
-Rogers
-African concerns
-Prestige
-Report
-Jarring
-UN ambassador’s request
-Rogers plan
-Need to contact African heads of state
-Rogers’s responsibility
-Truce
-Peace talks
-Daddah
-The President’s and Rogers’s schedule
-Jarring
-Africa
-Rogers
-Israel
-Flexibility
-Egypt
-Prime Minister Aziz Sidky’s speech
-Youth problems
-Anwar el-Sadat’s actions
-Riots at University of Cairo
-Sidky
-Expertise in domestic issues, economy
-Education
 21

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


-Harvard University, University of Oregon
-Military preparations
-Economy
-Possible war
-Soviet Union
-India-Pakistan War
-Egypt
-Restraint
-Sadat
-UN action
-Domestic pressure
-Egypt
-Note
-Negotiations
-Negotiations
-Possible US help
-Bush
-Confidence of the President and Rogers
-Background
-Liaison position
-Discretion
-The President and Rogers
-US relationship with Waldheim
-Balance between proximity and distance
-Waldheim
-Difficulty of position
-Image
-Compared with Thant
-Importance
-Bush
-Leaks
-Jack N. Anderson papers
-Concern of world
-Bush and Rogers
-US support
-Hope for success
-India-Pakistan relations

Elizabeth (Ritschel) Waldheim
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Unknown Ambassador to Africa
 22

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


-Location
-Blair House
-Tours

Waldheim, et al. left at 11:53 am.