827–7

Conversation No. 827-7

Date: December 20, 1972
Time: 10:20 am – unknown before 11:20 am
Location: Oval Office
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)

Conversation No. 827-7 (cont’d)


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


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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 38s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 10:21 am.

The President’s schedule
-Henry A. Kissinger’s schedule
-Budget briefing
-Ziegler’s schedule
-Trip to Florida
-Duration
-Return
-Timing
-Christmas
-Kissinger’s press relations
-George Sherman
-[Washington Star] article
-Telephone calls
-Trip to Florida
-Duration
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Christmas
-Mrs. Nixon’s schedule
 -5-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)

Conversation No. 827-7 (cont’d)

-California
-Rose Bowl
-Return to Washington, DC
-Timing
-Christmas
-Camp David
-Christmas
-New Year’s Day
-Mrs. Nixon’s schedule
-Christmas
-California
-Trip to Florida
-Return
-California
-Mrs. Nixon’s schedule
-Rose Parade
-1973 Inauguration
-Budget messages
-State of the Union address
-Trip to Florida
-1973 Inauguration


*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

Press relations
-The President’s health
-James C. Hagerty
-Dwight David Eisenhower
-Heart attack
-Briefing
-Annual physical exam
-Questions from the press
-The President’s previous experience
-Congressman

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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 -6-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)

Conversation No. 827-7 (cont’d)



Press relations
-The President’s forthcoming meeting with Saul Pett
-Tour
-[Oval Office]
-Executive Office Building [EOB], Lincoln Sitting Room, Oval Office
-Photograph opportunity
-Associated Press [AP]
-Helen Thomas
-Washington Post
-Life
-Photograph opportunity, July 25, 1972
-Duration
-Quality
-Cessation of publication
-Thomas

Vietnam negotiations
-Breakdown
-State Department briefing
-William H. Sullivan
-William P. Rogers’s conversation with Haldeman
-Tone
-Kissinger’s conversation with Rogers
-John A. Scali
-Kissinger’s relationship with the President
-Settlement agreement, October 26, 1972
-Kissinger’s “peace is at hand” statement
-Differences
-Diplomatic circles
-Europe
-Victor Zorzas’s article
-Kissinger’s October 26, 1972 briefing compared to December
16, 1972 briefing
-References to the President
-Tone
-Peace
-Record
 -7-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)

Conversation No. 827-7 (cont’d)

-“Peace is at hand”
-The President’s view
-The President’s address, “Look to the Future,”
November 2, 1972
-Cables, December 4-13, 1972
-The President’s possible television [TV] appearance
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s and Vice President Spiro
T. Agnew’s possible trip to Saigon
-Kissinger’s motives
-Rogers
-The President’s possible TV appearance
-Settlement agreement
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-US bombing north of the 20th Parallel
-Hanoi
-Settlement agreement, October 26, 1972
-Differences
-Kissinger’s October 26, 1972 briefing compared to Kissinger’s
December 16, 1972 briefing
-References to the President
-Demilitarized Zone [DMZ]
-Marvin L. Kalb
-Conversations with Kissinger
-James B. (“Scotty”) Reston’s and Joseph C. Kraft’s
articles
-Paris
-South Vietnam’s strategy
-State Department briefing
-Sullivan
-DMZ
-South Vietnam
-North Vietnam
-Rogers
-Location
-Rogers
-Relationship with Kissinger
-Conversation with Haldeman
-The President
-Conversation with Ziegler
 -8-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)

Conversation No. 827-7 (cont’d)

-Kissinger’s relationship with the President
-Settlement agreement
-Differences
-Instructions for Kissinger
-North Vietnam
-Settlement agreement
-South Vietnam
-DMZ
-POWs
-Return
-Timing
-Conditions
-Civilians prisoners in
South Vietnam
-Kissinger’s statements
-Kissinger’s motives
-Ziegler’s possible briefing
-Rogers
-Responsibility
-Kissinger’s relationship with the President
-Kissinger’s motives
-The President’s possible TV appearance
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-Press relations
-Reston
-Paris
-Le Monde
-Continuation of talks
-South Vietnam
-State Department briefing
-Sullivan
-North Vietnam
-Ziegler’s conversations with Rogers, Sullivan, Kissinger
-US conditions
-Number
-Kissinger

Zosimo T. Monson entered at an unknown time after 10:21 am.
 -9-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)

Conversation No. 827-7 (cont’d)

Refreshment
-Coffee

Monson left at an unknown time before 10:44 am.

Vietnam negotiations
-Ziegler’s briefing compared to Kissinger’s briefing
-Points
-Personality
-John D. Ehrlichman’s briefings
-Ziegler’s conversation with Rogers
-Sullivan briefing
-Tone
-Administration unity
-North Vietnam’s intransigence
-DMZ
-POWs
-Administration unity
-Kissinger
-Timing

Press relations
-Ziegler’s briefing
-Gen. Walter R. Tkach
-Announcements
-Holidays
-[Anne L. Armstrong]
-Office location
-White House
-West Wing

Ziegler left and Monson entered at 10:44 am.

Monson’s schedule
-Vacation
-Departure
-Timing
-Duration
 -10-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)

Conversation No. 827-7 (cont’d)

Monson left at an unknown time before 11:04 am.

Vietnam negotiations
-Sullivan briefing
-Rogers
-Relationship with Kissinger
-The President
-Kissinger
-Conversation with Ziegler
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-Press relations
-The President’s reading
-The President’s health
-Dilation of eyes
-New York Times
-Tone
-Kissinger’s view
-Future
-US losses
-Civilian casualties
-US losses
-B-52s
-Navy ship
-Personnel
-Significance
-People compared to airplanes
-B-52s
-Kissinger’s view compared to Haldeman’s view
-Air Force
-B-1 bomber
-Inevitability
-Determination
-Press relations
-Tone
-Congressional relations
-Recess
-Reconvention
-Public relations [PR]
-Charles W. Colson
 -11-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)

Conversation No. 827-7 (cont’d)

-Meeting with the President
-Statements
-Press relations
-Martin Z. Agronsky
-The President’s viewing
-Winston S. Churchill
-WTOP
-Breakdown in talks
-Opposition to the administration
-Tone
-PR
-1972 election
-Haig’s trip to Saigon
-Paris
-Kissinger
-Recent articles
-Self-image
-Zorza
-October 26, 1972 briefing
-References to the President
-1972 election
-Briefings
-Congressional relations
-Colson
-The President’s schedule
-1973 Inauguration
-Press conferences
-Intellectuals
-PR
-Ziegler
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-Clarifications
-Justification
-North Vietnam’s buildup
-Resumption of talks
-PR
-Resumption of talks
-North Vietnam’s response
-Timing
 -12-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)

Conversation No. 827-7 (cont’d)

-Kissinger’s view
-Timing
-Holidays
-Christmas, New Year’s Day
-1973 Inauguration
-Congressional relations
-The President’s possible TV appearance
-Kissinger’s view
-Previous TV appearances
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-US losses
-B-52s
-POWs
-Missing in action [MIAs]
-Military and news reports
-Timing

Kissinger’s press relations
-Zorza’s article
-Briefings
-First term
-Rogers
-Interview with Oriana Fallaci
-Kissinger’s conversation with the President
-Haig’s view

Rose Mary Woods
-Mood
-White House social affairs
-Invitations
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Christmas decorations
-Reception for surrogates and campaign workers
-Cabinet dinner
-Robert J. Brown
-Leonard Garment
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-William L. Safire
-Patrick J. Buchanan
 -13-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)

Conversation No. 827-7 (cont’d)

-Charles W. Colson
-Private affairs
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-Relations between White House staff and Committee to Re-elect
the President [CRP]


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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

[Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
-Harry S. Dent
-Congressional race
-Timing

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************


Ziegler entered at 11:04 am.

Vietnam negotiations
-Sullivan briefing
-Ziegler’s recent conversation with Rogers
-North Vietnam
-South Vietnam
-Blame
-Reston’s and Kraft’s articles
-End of war
-Support

Ziegler left at 11:05 am.

The President’s schedule
-Meeting with Productivity Commission
-The President’s health
-Dilation of eyes
-Duration
-George P. Shultz
 -14-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)

Conversation No. 827-7 (cont’d)

-Ehrlichman
-Work habits
-Meetings
-Professors
-Pace
-Kissinger
-Quadriad meetings
-Herbert Stein, Arthur F. Burns
-Meeting with Productivity Commission
-Duration
-The President’s health
-Dilation of eyes

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 11:20 am.