Secret White House Tapes

374–11

About this recording

374–11
  • President Richard M. Nixon
  • Patrick J. Buchanan
  • Henry A. Kissinger
October 27, 1972
Conversation No. 374-11

Date: October 27, 1972
Time: 9:10-9:50 a.m.
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Patrick J. Buchanan.

White Paper on campaign practices
-The President’s instructions
-For the record
-Editor of Barron's
14

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)

-Subjects
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT] case
-The President’s press conference
-Soviet Union grain deal
-The President's involvement
-Carpet industry gift charges
-Corruption
-American Federation of Teachers [AFT] support for McGovern
-Right to strike
-Campaign contributions
-Press coverage
-ITT, Watergate
-The Milk Fund
-Congress
-Wilbur D. Mills

Henry A. Kissinger entered at 9:14 am.

White paper
-Watergate cover up and campaign practices
-Reports on H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman involvement
-Washington Post article, October 27, 1972
-Democratic National Committee
-San Francisco
-Clean administration
-Sabotage
-Information on rallies
-Necessity
-News summary
-Barry M. Goldwater’s campaign
-Democratic campaign tactics
-Action against Edward R.F. Cox
-Republican Phoenix headquarters
-Damage in San Francisco
-Los Angeles
-Republican National Convention
-McGovern supporters
-Damage
-Violence
-Lack of criticism
-Organization of demonstrators
15

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)

-Rallies of the President, Thelma C. (“Pat”)
Nixon, [Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Tricia
Nixon Cox]
-Hecklers
-Free speech
-Lack of criticism
-Campaign finances
-Double standard
-Desperation tactics
-Reasons

McGovern and 1972 campaign
-The President’s view
-McGovern’s position on Vietnam
-White House attacks
-Settlement
-W[illiam] Averell Harriman’s statement
-Communist government in South Vietnam
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Laos, Cambodia
-Disarmament of South Vietnam
-Unconditional withdrawal of US
-“Peace with surrender”
-“Peace with Honor”
-White House attacks
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Effect on negotiations
-Thailand
-McGovern settlement terms
-Cambodia
-Laos
-POWs
-Peter Lisagor’s statement on coalition government
-Administration achievement of peace terms
-Effect on critics

Press relations
-Administration policy on returning calls to the press
-The president’s orders
-Washington Post Watergate story
-Murrey Marder, Carroll Kilpatrick, Joseph C. Kraft
16

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)

-New York Times
-Libel actions
-John M. Mitchell
-Maurice H. Stans
-Haldeman

McGovern and 1972 campaign
-McGovern’s position on Vietnam
-Aid to Laos and Cambodia
-Ramifications
-Communism Laos and Cambodia
-Thailand
-South Vietnam
-Peace with surrender
-Guarantees on POW's
-Good faith of enemy
-White House attacks on McGovern criticism
-McGovern position
-Terms of agreement
-Ability to obtain same terms previously
-Charles W. Colson
-Response by the White House
-Kissinger’s previous trip to Paris
-R. Sargent Shriver’s statement on the President’s morality
-The president’s order to response
-Administration use of trip
-Indira Gandhi
-Hanoi
-Reason for trip

Vietnam peace settlement
-The press
-Ronald L. Ziegler’s view
-The President’s view
-Motivations
-Thieu
-POWs
-Laos, Cambodia
-Bombing and mining, May 8, 1972
-Summit meeting with Soviets, May 1972
-Mood
17

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)

-Issue of the coalition government
-Le Duc Tho
-Thieu’s strategy
-Opposition in South Vietnam
-Communists
-Cease-fire agreement
-Elections in Vietnam
-Prospects

-The press
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s conversation with Marder
-White House treatment of Washington Post
-White House attacks on McGovern, Shriver
-President’s view
-Strategy
-McGovern’s Vietnam position
-Thieu

Publication of White Paper by Barron’s
-Reprints
-Release by an individual
-St. Louis Globe-Democrat
-Clark MacGregor
-Reason for publication
-For campaign
-For the record

1972 campaign
-Television [TV] program October 26, 1972
-Press coverage
-Networks

McGovern campaign tactics
-Bombing
-Violence
-Hecklers
-Location
-Treatment of McGovern, Shriver compared with the President

Vietnam peace settlement
-1972 campaign
18

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)

-Aggressive campaigning
-Agnew
-Cease-fire Agreement
-Secrecy
-Administration campaign strategy
-McGovern attacks
-Delay of peace
-“Peace with honor”
-“Peace with surrender”
-Hanoi’s public release of settlement
-Content of agreement
-1972 election
-Timing of settlement
-Prospects for peace

Buchanan left at 9:30 am.

Vietnam peace settlement
-Administration campaign strategy
-Political aspects
-Contrast with McGovern proposals
-Coalition government
-POWs
-Laos, Cambodia
-Defense of South Vietnam
-North Vietnam
-Thieu’s position
-Propaganda
-North Vietnam
-Signing of agreement
-Western propaganda
-US support for Thieu
-Intelligence information
-North Vietnamese officials
-North Vietnamese strategy and 1972 election
-October 26, 1972

**********************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[National security]
[Duration: 11s ]
19

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)


INTELLIGENCE

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7

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

-Present situation
-Message to North Vietnamese
-Kissinger's schedule
-Press relations
-Kissinger's press briefing, October 26, 1972
-The President’s view
-Lisagor
-Bernard Kalb
-Killed in action [KIA] figures for previous week
-Media coverage
-Type of settlement
-No surrender
-Desire of American public
-McGeorge Bundy's appearance on TV

Watergate
-The New York Times
-The Washington Post story on campaign charges
-White House response
-H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and secret fund
-The President’s view
-Kissinger’s view
-Nelson A. Rockefeller’s campaign tactics
-Wiretaps
-Rockefeller’s associates
-Watergate
-Wiretapping
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Watergate break-in
-Democratic National Committee [DNC]
-Lawrence F. O’Brien, Jr.
-Responsibility
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Edmund S. Muskie
20

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)

-Kissinger’s view

Campaign strategy
-Attacks on McGovern
-Vietnam as issue
-Aggressive campaigning
-Barry M. Goldwater
-McGovern attacks on Vietnam peace settlement
-Effect on peace settlement talks
-Effect on US

Vietnam peace settlement negotiations
-North Vietnamese strategy
-Publication of settlement terms
-Possible White House strategies
-Thieu’s actions
-Dispatching of ambassadors worldwide
-Referendum proposal
-Kissinger’s conversation with Joseph W. Alsop
-William F. Buckley, Jr.’s possible visit with Thieu
-Catholicism
-Post-1972 election strategy
-Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-Kissinger’s role
-Thieu’s position in light of US strategy
-South Vietnamese government
-Administrative structure
-1972 campaign
-John B. Connally
-Haig’s call to Connally
-Reaction to timing of settlement
-Kissinger's talk with Alsop
-Forthcoming article
-Haig's forthcoming telephone call to Cardinal Cooke
-Kissinger’s forthcoming telephone cal to Ronald W. Reagan
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-Coalition government
-Attack on McGovern
-Haig’s forthcoming telephone calls to Samuel W. Yorty,
George C. Wallace
21

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 41s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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


Vietnam
-Kissinger’s forthcoming telephone call to Connally
-Colson’s previous call to George E. Christian
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-Agnew
-Haig’s briefing
-The President’s view
-The President’s relationship with conservatives
-The President’s November 3, 1969 speech
-Demonstrations
-Mining Haiphong, bombing North Vietnam
-Negotiations
-Thieu
-US strategy
-North Vietnam
-Strategy
-Message
-North Vietnam position compared with US position
-Bombing halt
-Progress
-Timing

The President’s schedule
-Harold Lee
-Hong Kong

Kissinger’s forthcoming telephone call to Connally
-Kissinger’s forthcoming telephone call to the President
22

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)


Kissinger left at 9:50 am.
Secret White House Tapes |

374–11

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