Secret White House Tapes

329–55

About this recording

329–55
  • President Richard M. Nixon
  • Henry A. Kissinger
April 16, 1972
Conversation No. 329-55

Date: April 16, 1972
Time: 10:20 am - 10:55 am
Location: Executive Office Building


The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

Vietnam
-Air strikes
-Reaction of Pentagon
-Kissinger's meeting with Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
-Washington Post and Washington Star articles
-George W. Wilson article in Washington Post
-The President's policy compared with Lyndon B. Johnson's
-An Loc article
-South Vietnamese army
-An Loc
-Kissinger's meetings with Melvin R. Laird and Moorer
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s trip to South Vietnam
-South Vietnamese attitude towards fighting
-Current situation
-New York Times editorial
-Public statement
-Hubert H. Humphrey demand
-United Nations [UN] Security Council
-Vetoes
-Soviet Union
-People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Johnson Administration
-Edmund S. Muskie statement
-Confrontation with Soviet Union and PRC

Dinner for Latin American Ambassadors
-Call from Kissinger
-Jose A. Mora Otero
-The President's remarks to John V. Brennan
-Birgit Nilsson
-Mora Otero
-Secretary
-Toast
65

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

-PRC
-Soviet Union

Vietnam
-Air strikes
-The president's conversation with Brennan
-American viewpoint
-Support for Administration's policy
-Effort to end the war
-Blockade
-Effect on the election and the war
-Duration
-Kissinger’s trip to Moscow
-Air strikes
-Extent
-Haiphong
-Oil storage areas
-B-52s
-Losses
-Unknown navy pilot
-Rescue by US destroyer
-North Vietnamese ships
-Moorer’s remark
-Destroyers and cruisers
-Gun installations
-Haiphong
-Fireball
-Size
-Observation from the carrier, Kitty Hawk
-Air strikes
-Hanoi
-Petroleum, oil, and lubricants [POL] dumps
-Fires
-Extent and size
-Pilot reports
-Damage reports
-Fires
-Haiphong
-Damage reports
-Extent
-Surface to air missile [SAM] sites
-Explosions
66

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

-Observation from the USS Kitty Hawk
-Naval bombardment
-Damage report
-Recovered pilot's report
-Extent of success
-North Vietnamese fishing and torpedo boats
-Naval morale
-Damage reports
-Truck parks
-Extent of damage
-Soviet response
-Kissinger’s trip to Moscow
-Kissinger’s meeting with Dobrynin
-Cancellation
-Success
-Impact on US foreign policy
-PRC
-Soviet union
-Compared with John F. Kennedy and Cuban missile crisis
-An Loc
-Tank attacks by North Vietnam
-Extent of destruction
-21st airborne division
-Capture
-Air strikes
-B-52s
-Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-Compared with Verdun strategy
-Field Marshal Erich Von Falkenhayn
-French
-Symbolism
-Abrams
-Air strikes
-Intensity
-Military region one
-Schedule
-Number of sorties
-B-52s
-Destroyers
-Impact
-Hue
-Unknown White House source
67

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

-New York Times report
-Soviet trip cancellation
-The President's instructions
-Hue
-Kissinger staff meeting
-Impact
-Soviets
-North Vietnamese
-Possible fall
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Third corps
-Ability to sustain offensive
-Casualties
-Compared with 1968 tet offensive
-Losses
-Cambodia
-An Lc
-Military region one
-New York Times
-Wilson
-Press
-Honesty
-Expected US-South Vietnam losses
-Duration
-Washington Star headline
-Air strikes
-B-52s
-Increase
-Hanoi area
-North Vietnamese losses
-Duration
-Soviets
-Kissinger’s conversation with Dobrynin
-Kissinger’s trip to Moscow
-Schedule
-Blockade
-Meeting with Leonid I Brezhnev
-Subjects for discussion
-The president's instructions to Kissinger
-Politburo meeting
-Discussion of US attacks
-Summit
68

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

-Cancellation
-Soviet/German treaties
-Kissinger’s preparation
-US goals
-Kissinger’s conversation with Dobrynin
-North Vietnamese offensive
-US bombing
-Hanoi and Haiphong
-Military areas
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Soviets
-Kissinger’s assessment
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Hanoi
-North Vietnamese meeting with Kissinger
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Hypothetical actions as president
-Advisors
-B-52 increase
-Tacair increases
-Naval increases
-Public opinion
-Kissinger’s trip to Moscow
-Haiphong
-Effect on foreign policy
-Bombing
-Air attacks
-B-52s
-Tacair
-Impact on Hanoi
-B-52s
-Damage
-Effect on North Vietnamese population
-Moorer’s conversation with Kissinger
-Compared with Johnson Administration
-Number of planes
-Targets
-Time frame
-Targets
-Number of sorties
-John W. Vogt
-Targets
69

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

-Conversation with Dobrynin
-Negotiations
-Meeting on April 24
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Rockets
-Number
-POL dumps
-Impact on election
-Negotiations
-Cease-fire
-POWs
-Issue in election
-Rogers
-The President's memo
-Statements
-Hanoi
-Laird
-Support for the President
-Statements
-Air attacks
-Panhandle
-Secondary explosion
-Fires and smoke
-Extent
-Negotiations
-US posture
-North Vietnamese invasions
-Bombing
-Compared with Johnson administration
-Moscow trip
-Kissinger’s meeting with North Vietnamese on April 24
-Plenary meeting on April 27
-PRC
-Soviet Union
-Bombing
-Air strikes
-Blockade
-Soviet summit
-Kissinger’s statement to Dobrynin
-Soviet-North Vietnam relationship
-US options
-Air strikes
70

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

-Weather conditions
-Negotiations
-Cambodia
-Soviet summit
-Blockade
-Blockade
-Public support
-Impact on US
-Impact on Nixon presidency
-Criticism
-Compared with Cambodia
-Muskie statement
-Moscow trip
-Negotiations
-Kissinger’s trip to Moscow
-Soviet summit
-Public opinion
-Compared with PRC trip
-Cancellation
-US response
-Soviet-German issue
-Willy Brandt
-Blockade
-Kissinger’s conversations with Dobrynin
-Bombing of North Vietnam
-War support
-Christians
-Catholics
-Baptists
-Quakers
-Episcopalians
-Hawks
-Joseph W. Alsop
-Richard Wilson
-Unknown person's call to Kissinger
-White House involvement in unknown issue
-Kissinger's trip to Moscow
-Success
-The President's Canadian trip
-Johnson's leaders meetings
-Laird's comments
-Bombing of North Vietnam
71

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

-Authority
-Concentration
-19th Parallel
-Naval Gunfire
-Haiphong
-Authority
-Damage
-Truck parks
-Explosions
-POWs
-Morale
-Probable observation of explosions and air attacks
-USS Kitty Hawk
-PRC
-The President's message to Destroyer crew
-John S. McCain

Kissinger left at 10:55 am.
Secret White House Tapes |

329–55

This recording is currently not available on millercenter.org. To listen to it, please email Mike Greco at mdg4u@virginia.edu

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