415–10

Conversation No. 415-10

Date: February 27, 1973
Time: 9:30 am-10:20 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

Statement [?]
-North Vietnam [?]
-Kissinger’s talk with Elliot L. Richardson
-Richardson’s reaction
-Lt. Col. Bui Tin
 -8-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 415-10 (cont’d)


-Civilian, military prisoners of war [POWs]

Vietnam cease-fire agreement
-North Vietnam
-Civilian POWs
-Negotiations
-South Vietnam
-Release
-Scheduled POW release and troop withdrawal
-List of prisoners
-Announcement
-Delays
-Transportation
-Arrangement for a plane
-Joint Military Commission
-Lt. Col. Bui Tin
-Hanoi
-Statement
-Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Analysis of military commission
-Improved accommodations
-Saigon [?]
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-President’s announcement
-Thieu’s visit to the US
-Civilian and military prisoners
-Civilians released in South Vietnam
-Status according to cease-fire agreement
-Announcement
-North Vietnam’s goals
-International recognition
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR], People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Conflict with US
-President’s statement for press
-Postponement
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Statement
-North Vietnam’s position
 -9-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 415-10 (cont’d)


-Questions
-Aid compared with POWs
-Tenor of statement

The President talked with the White House operator at 9:43 am.

[Conversation No. 415-10A]

[See Conversation No. 43-204]

[End of telephone conversation]

President’s statement
-Advisability
-Impact on North Vietnam
-Timing
-William P. Rogers
-Paris
-North Vietnam’s statements
-Minesweep
-Message to North Vietnam
-Escalation
-Public compared with private message
-Instructions to Rogers
-Kissinger
-Reaction of North Vietnam
-US withdrawals

North Vietnam’s infiltration
-South Vietnam
-Cease-fire agreement
-Violations
-Rearmament
-Laos
-Preparation for offensive
-US aid
-South Vietnam
-Kissinger’s viewpoint
 -10-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 415-10 (cont’d)


-Timing
-Outcome of offensive [?]

Ronald L. Ziegler entered at an unknown time after 9:43 am.

President’s press conference
-Postponement
-POWs
-Mining [?]
-Ziegler’s statement
-Text

Private message to North Vietnam
-Troop withdrawals, minesweep
-Possible halt
-Ziegler’s statement
-Timing
-William H. Sullivan
-Kissinger’s cables
-Briefing questions

Ziegler’s press briefing
-Press relations [?]
-State Secretary [?]
-Conference [?]
-Delay
-POWs
-Background information
-Release of civilian prisoners in South Vietnam
-Cease-fire negotiations
-October 1972
-Civilian compared with military POWs
-US position
-South Vietnam delegations

President’s press conference
-Impact and timing
-Possible response
 -11-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 415-10 (cont’d)


-Clark R. Mollenhoff

Press relations
-Ziegler’s briefing
-Questions
-Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty [SALT] II
-Memorandums
-Sullivan, Richardson

Kissinger left at 9:58 am.

News summary
-Press attack on POWs
-Orchestration
-New York Times [?]
-News magazines and wire services
-United Press International [UPI]
-Ziegler’s view

Vietnam settlement
-Possible administration action
-Bombing
-Effectiveness
-Paris talks
-Ho Chi Minh
-Nguyen Thi Binh
-USSR, PRC
-POWs
-Delay
-North Vietnam
-US public opinion
-Military action
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Criticism
-Robert J. McCloskey
-Cease-fire violations
-Linkage to POWs, withdrawals
-Compared to US compliance to terms
 -12-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 415-10 (cont’d)


-Laos and Cambodia
-Linkage to POW release
-Thieu
-McCloskey’s statement
-Cease-fire violations
-Ziegler’s position
-Sample response to press question by Ziegler

Watergate
-Maurice H. Stans’s lawyers
-Subpoenas
-Journalists
-Katherine L. Graham
-Carl Bernstein
-Robert U. (“Bob”) Woodward
-Libel case
-Shield law
-Problems

Committee to Re-elect the President [CRP]’s libel case
-Ziegler’s handling of issue
-Shield law
-Attorney General
-Criminal compared to civil actions
-State compared to federal cases
-Caldwell case in US Superior Court
-Black Panthers
-Court testimony
-John W. Dean, III
-Research on law

Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Watergate
-Ziegler’s statements to the press
-President’s remarks
-Frederick C. LaRue [?]
-Mollenhoff
 -13-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 415-10 (cont’d)


-Cover up
-Advantage

Ziegler’s press statement
-Ziegler’s manner
-POWs
-Release on schedule
-Bui Tin’s statement
-Unofficial capacity
-US position
-Proposed handling
-POWs
-Stories

News summary
-Negativity
-POWs
-Time essay on morality of war

Press relations
-Two levels
-White House press corps
-Concerns regarding Vietnam
-Morality
-Martin Z. Agronsky
-Personalities
-Weaknesses
-Attitude of superior morality

George P. Shultz-John T. Dunlop controversy
-George Meany
-Reservations about Phase II and Phase III wage-price action
-Inflation
-Goal
-Wage settlements

Press relations
-Issue of morality
 -14-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 415-10 (cont’d)


-Robert F. (“Bobby”) Kennedy
-Moral leadership
-Vietnam
-Other issues
-Attacks on President
-President’s statement
-Divisions in country
-Vietnam
-Other issues
-Budget
-Role of government
-Role of Press
-Cessation of debates about war
-Press conference
-Purpose

War
-Newsworthiness
-Divisiveness

Budget cuts
-Severity
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Howard J. Phillips [?], James Keogh
-Speech
-Political philosophy

Vietnam settlement
-Rhetoric
-Escalation
-Message to North Vietnam
-Kissinger
-Tone
-Mining
-US public opinion
-Statements by Ziegler, Rogers
-Statement by President
-Private
 -15-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 415-10 (cont’d)


-Ultimatum
-Mining
-Terms
-Withdrawal
-POWs
-Cease-fire by US
-Removal of mines
-POWs release
-Message to North Vietnam

Budget
-Increases
-Compared to cuts
-Harris poll
-Liberal bias
-Division of opinion
-Vietnam
-Context of questions
-Tax increases
-Deficit
-Aid to cities, poor

News summaries
-Two sections
-Emphasis on columnists compared with wire services, networks
-Appendix for columnists
-Kevin P. Phillips, Hobart Rowen, Carl T. Rowan
-Need for balance
-Washington Post, New York Times
-Separation of news from opinion
-Television [TV]
-Editorials
-Percentage of readers
-Front, sports, finance, society pages
-Thomas Grey (“Tom”) Wicker, Richard (“Dick”) Wilson
-James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
-Newspaper
-Circulation
 -16-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 415-10 (cont’d)


-Time, Newsweek
-Readership

POWs
-North Vietnam
-Possible delay, stonewalling
-US reaction
-Bombing

President’s trip to Philadelphia
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Atlantic City
-Speech
-POW issue
-Speech
-Teachers [?]
-Changes of plans

President’s schedule
-Press conference

Ziegler’s statement
-Concern over agreement
-Expectation of compliance

Ziegler left at 10:20 am.