868–18

Conversation No. 868-18

Date: March 3, 1973
Time: 2:45 pm – 3:27 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman at 2:45 pm.

Press
-Radio address
-Subject
-Crime
-Dates

President's schedule
-Trip to California
-Baseball game
-President's attendance
-Pittsburgh
-Roberto Clemente
-President's appearance at opener
-Timing
-Benefits
 -52-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


-Trip to California
-Return for baseball game
-Easter
-Trip to Florida
-Congressional recess
-Senate
-House
-Time off
-Loose schedule
-Baseball game
-Trip to Pittsburgh
-Overnight stay
-Stop in Chicago
-Return to Washington
-Trip to Pittsburgh

George P. Shultz's trip to Europe

President's schedule
-Meeting on international monetary matters
-Need for time off
-Interruptions

George H. W. Bush
-Lunch at Alibi Club
-Number of members
-Alibi Club
Clubhouse
-Meal
-Luncheon
-Guests
-Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
-William P. Clements, Jr.
-Potter Stewart
-Pat Wilson
-William E. Brock, III
-Clarence J. (“Bud”) Brown
-Gillespie V. (“Sonny”) Montgomery
-Frank E. Fitzsimmons
 -53-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


-Spiro T. Agnew
-President's experiences as Vice President
-Value
-Talk
-Level of intelligence
-Moorer's talk
-Talk on Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Credit to President on Vietnam peace settlement and POW return
-May 8, 1972 decision
-December 1972 bombing
-Criticism of press
-Use of B-52s
-Reasons
-Precision
-Speed
-Devastation
-Effectiveness
-POWs
-Value of luncheon
-Maurice H. Stans, Henry Crown
-Cross section of guests

December 1972 bombing
-Compared to May 8, 1972 decision
-Difficulty of decision
-Support for President
-Public expectations
-Number of flights
-President’s desire to continue
-Moorer's talk
-Effectiveness
-North Vietnam’s air defenses
-Air Force morale
-Victory
-Settlement

Personnel appointments
-Backlog of vacancies
-Number
 -54-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


-Executive level
-Difficulties
-Lists of candidates
-Lower levels
-Difficultly filling
-Italian-Americans
-Polish-Americans
-Quotas
-Italian, Polish, Mexican-Americans
-Frederic V. Malek
-Managers
-Ethnics

Henry A. Kissinger
-Articles by Joseph C. Kraft and Hugh S. Sidey
-Conciliatory attitudes toward President
-Reasons
-Favor
-Success of President's policies

Press Corps
-Public consensus
-William F. Buckley, Jr.
-Other journalists

Reorganizations
-John A. Volpe
-Peter G. Peterson
-Problems
-Lower levels
-Problems
-Loyalists
-Pat Wilson
-Talk with Bush's brother
-Xerox Company
-Reputation as Democrats

Second administration
-\"Compassion gap\"
 -55-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


-Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger [?]
-Perceptions
-Robert H. Finch
-Elliot L. Richardson

Flag at half mast

White House social affairs
-Dinners
-White House Correspondents
-Radio correspondents
-Scheduling
-Advantages
-Compared to Correspondents dinner
-Gridiron
-Richard (“Dick”) Wilson
-President's support
-President’s appearance
-Compared to 1962, 1963
-Bush
-Appearance
-Sense of humor
-George S. McGovern
-Jokes
-Hollywood writers
-Viciousness
-Voice quality
-Evening at White House
-Rose Mary Woods
-Meeting with Haldeman
-Rowan and Martin
-Paul W. Keyes

President's schedule
-Burden
-Bills before Congress
-Administration losses
-Democrats
 -56-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


John D. Ehrlichman
-Congressional relations
-William E. Timmons

White House social affairs
-Evening at White House
-Scheduling
-State dinner for Guilio Andreotti’s visit

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 2:45 pm.

President to Executive Office Building [EOB]

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:27 pm.

White House social affairs
-Diplomatic reception
-William P. Rogers
-Dinner in March
-Dress
-Dress
-Scheduling
-April
-Rogers’s reception
-Fall
-September
-Weather
-Dean of Diplomatic Corps, Rogers’s knowledge
-Rogers dinner
-White House staff
-Cabinet officers
-Evenings at White House
-Scheduling
-Invitations
-Finance people
-Young people
-Church services
-Scheduling
-POW function
 -57-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-Outside function suggestion
-Dinner
-Reception
-Meeting with President
-Entertainment
-Boston Pops
-Variety show
-Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope
-Celebrities
-Bands, dancing
-Tents
-Dinner on terrace
-Reception at White House
-Number of guests
-Congress members
-Invitations
-Celebrities
-Loyalists
-Cary Grant
-Richard (“Red”) Skelton
-Jane Fonda
-POWs
-Receiving line
-Photographs
-Mementoes
-Cuff links
-Pins
-Gifts
-Place cards
-Matches
-Early start
-Diplomatic reception delay
-Number of events
-1973 compared with 1974
-Evening at the White House, church services
-Publicity
-Early Start
-Burst
 -58-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)



Haldeman left at 3:27 pm.