477–1

Conversation No. 477-1

Date: April 12, 1971
Time: 9:10 am - 10:33 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and an unknown man

Charles W. Colson
-Mailings

Polls

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 10:33 am

-National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
-Vietnam
-News summary
-NBC
-Washington Star
-Opinion Research Corporation [ORC]
-George H. Gallup
-Publicity
-Robert J. Dole
-Congress
-ORC
-Presidential popularity
-Democratic poll

President’s schedule

Forthcoming press conference, April 17, 1971
-Announcement
-Wire services
-Editors
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-President’s time spent with press and media
-Television network commentators
-Reporters
-Howard K. Smith
-Women’s press
-Women’s television commentators
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Press conferences
-Oval Office and television
-Scheduling
-Frequency
-American Society of Newspaper Editors [ASNE]
-Questions and answers
-Victor Lasky
-Allen S. Drury
-Peregrine Worsthorne
-Astronauts
-Instructions for Ziegler
-Herbert G. Klein
-John A. Scali
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Format of future press conferences
-Opportunity
-Reaction
-News summaries
-Smith
-Views of unknown journalists
-Editors’ bulletin on President’s press activities
-Press corps
-Ziegler

J. Edgar Hoover
-Possible resignation
-Washington Star article
-Congress
-Press
-President’s defense of Hoover
-Haldeman’s activities
-Richard G. Kleindienst
-John N. Mitchell
-President’s conversation with Hoover
-1972 election
-General Lewis B. Hershey
-Retirement
-President’s possible conversation with Mitchell
-Mitchell’s schedule
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



William P. Rogers
-Instructions to Haldeman
-Haldeman’s possible discussion with Rogers
-Attitude towards foreign service
-Charles W. Yost
-Tenure
-Views on Vietnam
-[Forename unknown] Tatu Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
-Cambodia
-Information to press
-State Department spokespeople
-Support for President’s Vietnam policy
-Laos
-Yost
-Rogers’ attitude
-Lack of information in White House files
-State Department
-Goals
-Rogers’ support for President’s Vietnam policy
-Yost
-President’s forthcoming meeting with editors
-Need for Rogers to disagree with Yost
-Possible questions
-Foreign service personnel
-Rogers’ attitude
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Support for President
-Yost
-Tenure
-President’s defense
-Rogers
-Alger Hiss
-Defense fund
-Courtesy shown by White House
-Council on foreign relations
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Article
-Kissinger
-Letters
-Middle East
-Vietnam
 4

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



Appointments
-[Robert M.?] O’Mahoney
-[Brian?] O’Doherty

Unknown event [Easter parade?]
-Need to abolish
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
President’s schedule
-President’s forthcoming meeting with Rogers
-Kissinger
-Vietnam
-Laos
-President’s Vietnam policy
-Sequoia
-Press conference
-Timing

Demonstrations
-Veterans, April 19, 1971
-Prospect
-Daughters of the American Revolution [DAR]
-Meeting
-Support
-Common Cause
-Composition
-Rennie Davis
-People’s Coalition for Peace in Vietnam
-Davis
-Names
-Timing
-April 24, 1971

President’s schedule
-Camp David
-Press conference
-Demonstrations

Demonstrations
-Focus
-Scheduling
 5

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-”May Day”
-Weathermen
-Goals
-Edmund S. Muskie

President’s schedule
-Mitchell
-Republican Governors’ Conference, April 18-20, 1971 Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
-Importance
-President’s possible attendance
-Mitchell’s views
-Press
-Revenue sharing
-Politics
-Mitchell’s ideas
-President’s possible participation
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Meetings
-Frequency
-Agnew
-Conference, April 18-20, 1971
-DAR
-White House church service
-Press conference, April 24, 1971
-Possible questions
-Demonstrations
-Possible response
-Routineness
-Camp David
-Sequoia
-Instructions for Haldeman
-Use
-Republican Governors’ Conference
-President’s participation
-Tom McCall
-Politics
-Mitchell
-Public sessions

Hoover
-Possible retirement
-Timing
 6

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Mitchell
-Timing of announcement
-Resolution from Congress
-Praise for Hoover
-Choice of successor
-Washington Star article
-Subsequent President
-Possible strategy Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
-L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
-1972 election
-Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI]
-Choice of successor

President’s schedule
-Speeches
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-DAR
-Duration
-Chamber of Commerce
-Content

President’s use of media
-Radio talks
-Scheduling
-Audience
-Subjects

Youth conferences
-Resolutions
-Vietnam


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 3m 53s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)




“Establishment” dinner
-Mitchell
-List
-Editors
-Preston Wolfe
-Francis L. Dale Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
-President’s possible participation
-Finance

Maurice H. Stans dinner
-Compared with W. Clement Stone dinner
-Significance to participants
-President’s activities
-Timing
-John B. Connally
-Reaction
-Paul W. McCracken
-Briefing

Economy
-First quarter figures
-Predictions
-Gross National Product [GNP]
-Optimism
-Laos
-Confidence
-Construction
-Employment
-President’s conversations with various people
-Recession
-Arthur F. Burns
-National agony
-Forecast

Revenue sharing
-Ehrlichman and George P. Shultz
-Sales plan
-Ehrlichman’s schedule
-William L. Safire
-Price
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Need for explanation of plan

Margaret Chase Smith
-Defense of President
-Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr.

Anti-ballistic Missiles [ABM]
-Appropriations Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
-Senate
-Kissinger
-Date of vote in Senate
-Briefing
-Kissinger
-Clark MacGregor
-William E. Timmons
-Scali
-Ziegler
-Kissinger
-Briefing
-View of MacGregor

Staff
-Need for unity
-Yost
-United Nations [UN]
-Yost
-Tenure
-MacGregor
-Relations with Congress
-Timmons
-MacGregor and Timmons

Vietnam
-Conclusion of President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
-Effects
-Compared with November 3, 1969
-Stabilization
-Safire
-President’s policies
-Troop withdrawal
-Casualties
-News story
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-US losses in fighting [related to North Vietnamese attack on Fire Base 6,
Central Highlands, South Vietnam]
-Helicopter
-Casualties
-Timing
-Casualties
-Cambodia
-News story Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
-Network coverage
-Casualties
-News summary
-Press coverage
-Decline since President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
-MacGregor
-Haldeman’s briefing
-Scali
-Colson briefing
-Colson
-Scali
-Attendance at meetings
-Kissinger
-MacGregor
-Morale
-President’s April 7, 1971 meeting with MacGregor and others
-Reaction to President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
-Kissinger

Congress
-MacGregor
-Domestic programs
-Revenue sharing
-Economy
-Military appropriations
-Draft extension
-Carl B. Albert
-Congressional reception at White House
-80th Congress members

Hoover
-[Thomas] Hale Boggs
-Publicity
-Resignation
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Resolution in Congress
-Letter of confidence
-Resolution
-Boggs
-Letter
-Circulation
-House of Representatives
-Political implications Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
-MacGregor
-Justice Department
-Colson
-Congress
-Letter
-Samuel L. Devine
-Democrat
-Circulation
-Content

President’s forthcoming meeting with ASNE, April 16, 1971
-Planning
-Ziegler
-Preliminaries
-Television
-Network radio
-Planning

President’s schedule
-Possible press conference, April 17, 1971
-Preparation
-Demonstrations

Demonstrations
-Polls
-Possible press conference
-People’s Coalition for Peace in Vietnam
-Administration’s efforts

President’s schedule
-Press conference
-Timing
-Press corps
-Press conference
 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Scheduling
-Demonstrations
-Press conference
-Preparation
-Television coverage
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] talks
-Press conference
-Scheduling Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
-May Day demonstrations
-Possible conflict with press conference
-Duration
-Press conference
-Timing
-President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971

President’s schedule
-Executive Office Building
-Hoover
-Kissinger
-Easter parade

Kissinger entered and the President left at 9:40 am

[Pause]

Easter egg roll

White paper
-Nixon Administration
-Staff unity
-Ziegler

The President entered at an unknown time after 9:40 am

Kissinger’s morale

Vietnam
-Casualties previous week
-Predictions
-Compared with Cambodia
-Yost
-Haldeman
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Rogers
-Letter of October 1969
-Memos on all subjects
-Tenure
-George H. W. Bush
-Yost
-Washington Post
-Meeting with Associated Press [AP] board Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
-Meetings with Time and Newsweek editors
-Support for President
-Yost
-Statement in 1968 on negotiations
-Richard M. Helms
-News summary
-Pathet Lao desertions
-Numbers

People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Visit of ping-pong team
-Announcement of visit
-Recognition by US
-Robert D. Murphy

Vietnam
-Fire Base 6
-Central Highlands
-Possible US strategy
-South Vietnamese military activities
-Press attitudes
-North Vietnamese casualties
-Pathet Lao
-Helms
-Helms
-Network coverage of losses
-Compared to Korea
-Casualty counting
-Methods
-Korea

Calley case
-Administration’s policy
 13

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Unknown general’s role
-Robert A. Taft, Jr.’s support for President
-Colson
-Prospects
-Release statement

PRC
-Radio broadcasts Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
-Reception of American ping-pong team
-Newsmen
-NBC
-AP
-Relations with US

Pakistan
-Agha Muhommad Yahya Khan
-State Department
-Rogers
-Joseph J. Sisco
-Dacca consulate
-US policy
-Analogy to Nigeria
-Civil war
-Biafra
-Nazi Germany
-Adolf Hitler
-Dangers of US involvement
-Bengali reaction
-Leadership
-West Pakistan
-Rogers
-Forthcoming policy statement for President
-State Department
-Rogers
-US role
-Vietnam
-”Civil War”
-Nigeria
-Biafra
-[Forename unknown] Bedell [sp?]
-Civil war
-Economic aid
 14

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-India
-Reaction to civil war
-Bengalis
-US policy
Neutrality
-Economic aid
-West Pakistan
Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
Vietnam
-Demonstrations
-Effects of war on American people
-US position
-Delaying action
-Negotiations
-Timing
-PRC
-USSR
-Possible summit meeting
-Lifting of trade restrictions with PRC


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[National Security]
[Duration: 53s ]


FOREIGN AFFAIRS


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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-Communists
-US policy
-President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971

PRC initiative
-Kissinger’s conversation with Rowland Evans
 15

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Rogers
-Marshall Green
-State Department
-Khan
-Jean Sainteny
-Nicolae Ceausescu
-Indira Gandhi
-Press reaction Conv. No. 477-1 (cont.)
-Announcement on lifting of restrictions on trade
-Timing
-State Department
-Announcement by President

President’s schedule
-Meeting with Anna C. Chennault
-Meeting with Taiwan ambassador
-Press corps

The President, Haldeman, and Kissinger left at 10:33 am