691–5

Conversation No. 691-5

Date: March 21, 1972
Time: 5:10 pm - 5:47 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull, Gerard C. Smith and Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

The President's schedule
-Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.
-Meeting with Raymond P. Shafer
-Forthcoming state dinner fort Nihat Erim

Bull left at an unknown time before 5:47 pm.

General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament [ACDA]

The President’s forthcoming Soviet trip
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-Decisions
-Agreement
-Pro-arms control group
-Anti-arms control troup
-The People's Republic of China [PRC] trip
-Communique
-Arms Control Agreement
-US position
-Defense Department
-Political reaction
-Example of Taiwan, Republic of China issue
-National security
-Right wing
-Human Events
-National Review
-Melvin R. Laird
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 691-5 (cont.)

-Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
-John C. Stennis
-SALT delegation
-Smith’s efforts
-Arms control agreement
-Democrats
-Political opportunity
-Other nations
-Reelection year
-Reactions
-Critics
-Haig
-John G. Tower
-Congressional reaction
-Smith’s appearances before committees
-Tower
-Robert C. Byrd [?]
-Jackson
-Stennis
-Submarine-launched Ballistic Missile [SLBM]
-SLBMs
-Defense Department
-State Department
-Haig's view
-Defense Department
-Submarines
-Land based missiles
-Anti-ballistic missiles
-Navy
-William P. Rogers’s forthcoming memorandum to the President
-Aleksei N. Kosygin
-Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Soviets
-May 20, 1971 agreement
-The President’s view
-Smith's talks with the Soviets
-Vienna
-Vladimir S. Semenov
-National Security Council [NSC]
-French submarines
-British submarines
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 691-5 (cont.)

-Soviets
-Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles [ICBM], SLBM, ABM
-Programs
-Poseidon, Minuteman
-Multiple Independently-Targeted Reentry Vehicle [MIRV]
-Jackson
-Proposal for an interim freeze
-SLBMs
-Congressional Record
-Minuteman III
-Soviets
-ICBM
-Hardsite defense
-SLBMs
-Congress
-Taiwan
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Quemoy, Matsu
-John Foster Dulles
-China lobby
-Warheads
-Production


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration: 10s ]


DEFENSE


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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-MIRV
-Power
-Minuteman MIRV
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 691-5 (cont.)

-SLBMs

Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:10 pm.

The President's schedule
-Forthcoming meeting with Shafer

Bull left at an unknown time before 5:47 pm.

SALT
-Hardsites
-Defense Department
-ACDA
-Reaction of Congress
-Allies
-Weapons production
-Interceptors
-Need to keep issue open
-Lasers
-Soviets
-Treaty
-Research and Development
-Laird
-Components
-Sites
-Short range radar
-Sprint missiles
-ABM
-Future
-Interceptor
-Radar
-Verification of hardsites
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Soviets
-Possible divisions in the Soviet government
-Domestic compared to military expenditures
-Soviet estimate of US domestic politics
-Soviet military
-Politics
-Democratic platform
-Jackson
-Budget cut request
 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 691-5 (cont.)

-US bargaining power
-NSC
-Military budget
-Soviet desire for agreement
-Semenov
-Timing for agreement
-Haig
-US desire for deal
-Forthcoming US-Soviet summit
-Soviet domestic politics
-Hardsites
-Further negotiations in Vienna
-Helsinki
-Smith's trip
-Llewellyn E. (“Tommy”) Thompson, Jr.
-SLBMs
-ABMs
-Finances
-ABMs
-Interceptors
-ICBM program
-Left wing reaction
-Non-proliferation
-Test Ban Treaty
-SALT compared to Non-Proliferation Treaty and Test Ban Treaty
-Arms control agreement
-Announcement
-Timing
-The President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
-Congress
-The Administration
-Smith
-Moscow summit
-Duration of agreement
-Possible participation of entire arms control delegation
-Smith
-Haig
-Smith’s view
-Haig's view
-Paul H. Nitze
-Comparison of Soviets to Chinese
-Soviets
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 691-5 (cont.)

-Drinking
-SLBM
-John J. Mccloy
-May 20, 1971 understanding
-ABMs
-Land based defensive missiles
-Semenov’s talks with Smith in Vienna
-ICBMs
-SLBMs
-Forward bases


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[National Security]
[Duration: 31s ]


DEFENSE


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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-Moorer
-Verification panel
-NSC
-Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]
-The President's instructions to Smith

Smith and Haig left at 5:47 pm.