718–4

Conversation No. 718-4

Date: May 3, 1972
Time: 10:20 am - 10:50 am
Location: Oval office

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

Henry A. Kissinger
-Location
-Washington Special Actions Group [WSAG]

A meeting
-Nelson A. Rockefeller's attendance
-John N. Mitchell

President's schedule
-Meeting with Richard G. Kleindienst
-Time
-Announcement on L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
-Time

Polls
-Results
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 718-3 (cont.)

President's schedule
-Trip to Annapolis, Maryland
-Cancellation
-Arrangements
-Format
-Chapel


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 34s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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


Vietnam
-George D. Aiken
-J. William Fulbright’s amendment
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Support for President in Senate
-Disenchantment over Soviet backing
-Soviet Summit
-Cancellation
-Aiken
-Kissinger’s schedule
-Moscow, Paris
-Kissinger's advice
-Reasons
-Cancellation
-Impact
-South Vietnamese morale
-Soviet Summit
-Cancellation
-Impact on President's policies
-Kissinger's advice
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 718-3 (cont.)

-U-2 incident
-Cancellation
-Domestic impact
-President's reasons
-Conclusion of war
-Soviet propaganda
-Kissinger
-Worldwide reaction
-Postponement
-Possibilities
-Disadvantages
-Soviet propaganda
-Effect on US foreign policy
-Cost


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 8m 59s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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


Vietnam
-Soviet Summit
-Cancellation
-Kissinger's advice
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Announcement
-Support
-Initial reaction from “hawks”
-Erosion
-Press criticism
-Problems
-Support
-Duration
 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 718-3 (cont.)

-Erosion
-Democrats' position
-Kissinger's advice
-Reasoning
-Evaluation
-Bombing
-Targets
-Hannoi and Haiphong harbor
-Melvin R. Laird's position
-The President’s view
-William P. Rogers's position

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-News leaks
-Rogers
-Gerard C.Smith
-Bernard Gwertzman's story
-Rogers's dealings with press
-Credit for SALT
-Rogers and Smith
-President's role
-Kissinger's concerns

J. Edgar Hoover
-Funeral
President's eulogy
-News coverage
-Detractors
-Rennie Davis, Dr. Benjamin (McLane) Spock
-Press coverage
-Investigation of Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
-Pressure
-Relation to confirmation of new director
-L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
-Withdrawal of nomination as
Deputy Attorney General
-Timing
-Kleindienst's confirmation
-Wording of Ronald L. Ziegler’s statement
-Gray's preferences
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Dec-01)
Conv. No. 718-3 (cont.)


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 17s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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


Haldeman left at 10:50 am.