489–17

Conversation No. 489-17

Date: April 26, 1971
Time: 2:57 pm - 4:12 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

Vietnam
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-Gen. James D. (“Don”) Hughes
-Memorandum
-US policy
-Charles W. Colson
-POW wives
-Issues
-Henry A. Kissinger and John A. Scali
-President's position
-Public relations efforts
-POWs
-North Vietnamese position
-Demonstrations
-Possible effect on North Vietnamese position
-US stance
-Peace negotiations
-Paris
-Kissinger's schedule
-US strategy
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-President’s view
-Possible North Vietnamese stance
-US strategy
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-South Vietnamese
-Kissinger
-US troop withdrawals
-Residual force
-Numbers
-POWs
-Effect on negotiations
-Congressional resolutions Conv. No. 489-16 (cont.)
-US position
-Possible proposals
-Return of POWs
-Ceasefire
-North Vietnamese position
-Possible US military activities

Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 3:03 pm.

Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon's schedule
-Meeting
-Tricia Nixon
-Wedding cake

[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under court order from
December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access 8, Ronald V. Dellums, et al. v. James M.
Powell, et al., No. 71-2271. The National Archives and Records Administration produced this
transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]

[End of transcript]

Stephen B. Bull entered and left at an unknown time during the transcribed portion.

Ziegler's press briefing
-Attributions to the President
-Supreme Court decision on school integration
-Possible comments by the Presidents
-President’s previous [Thomas] Woodrow Wilson speech
-Vietnam
-U.S. goals
-President's speech, April 7, 1971
-People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Mao Tse-tung
-President's remarks before American Society of Newspaper Editors [ASNE]
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-Possible visit to PRC

President's schedule, April 27, 1971
-United Nation concert
-Unknown man's schedule
-Announcement

Ziegler left at 3:05 pm. Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)

John D. Ehrlichman and George P. Shultz entered at 3:07 pm.

Anti-trust
-John N. Mitchell
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-Solicitor General
-Erwin N. Griswold
-Opinion
-Networks
-Mitchell
-Administration’s position
-Pentagon
-Movie industry
-ITT
-Grinnell Corporation
-Unknown man activities
-Moratorium
-Walter J. Cummings
-President's schedule
-Meeting
-Paul W. McCracken
-Mitchell
-Richard W. McLaren
-John B. Connally
-Politics
-Maurice H. Stans
-Connally
-Involvement
-Airlines
-President’s instructions
-McLaren
-Politics
-President’s instructions
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-McCracken
-Herbert Stein and Hendrik S. Houthakker
-Connally
-Mitchell
-Peter M. Flanigan
-Shultz
-Council of Economic Advisers [CEA]
Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
Haldeman left at 3:12 pm.

-Economics
-Shultz’s speeches
-Mitchell’s role
-Problems
-Cases
-Possible administration position

Anti-trust
-Networks
-Flanigan
-ITT
-President’s conversation with Mitchell
-Griswold
-Tenure
-Archibald Cox
-Cox
-John F. Kennedy
-Griswold
-Harold S. Geneen
-Administration’s position
-Griswold
-McLaren
-Tenure
-Importance
-Geneen

Lockheed
-Ehrlichman's previous conversation with Fred J. Borch
-Borch’s view
-Great Britain
-Guarantees
-Borch's views
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-Forthcoming Congressional testimony
-General Electric [GE] Company
-McDonnell-Douglas
-Hubert H. Humphrey’s support
-Borch’s view
-Financing
-Great Britain
-Guarantees Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
-US government role
-Connally’s role
-Robert S. Ingersoll
-Shultz
-Ingersoll’s view
-Administration's position
-Great Britain
-Borch’s suggestion
-US government role
-Airlines
-Connally’s analysis
-President’s position
-California
-Supersonic Transport [SST]
-Borch
-Need for US government assistance
-McDonnell-Douglas
-Connally

Revenue sharing
-General
-Wilbur D. Mills
-President's schedule
-Upcoming meeting with Russell B. Long
-John W. Byrnes
-Shultz’s meetings with Mills and Byrnes
-Talking paper
-States
-Shultz's conversation with Mills
-Mills possible support
-H.R. 1
-Administration proposal
-Special revenue sharing
-Fund distribution
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-Formula
-State needs
-Arkansas
-Byrnes view
-Mills view
-Byrnes view
-Possible support
-H.R. 1 Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
-Hearings
-Shultz’s meeting with Mills
-William L. Gifford
-State supplements
-Administration's position
-Welfare bill
-Mills political activities
-Effect on revenue sharing
-Texas state legislature
-Cities
-Byrnes
-Support
-Possible meeting with the President

Budget
-Fiscal 1973
-Fiscal 1972
-Full employment
-Balance
-Congressional hearing
-Fiscal 1973
-Defense
-Shultz’s testimony
-Overview
-Shultz's initiatives
-Balance
-Full employment
-Options
-Review
-Full employment
-Balance
-Taxes
-Outlays
-Fiscal 1973
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-Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]
-Funding
-Administration options
-Effect of full employment
-Increment
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-Kissinger
-Cash realizations Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
-Effect on Fiscal 1973
-Safeguards
-Effect on future budgets

Revenue sharing
-Mills
-Political aspirations
-Richard B. Russell
-Southern Democrats
-President’s view
-Cooperation with administration
-Pressure from colleagues
-Plan
-Welfare reform bill

Welfare reform
-Administration position
-Administration’s meetings with Congressional leaders
-Ehrlichman's schedule
-President's schedule
-Upcoming meeting with Long
-Health plan
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Mills staff
-Gifford
-Views
-Long
-John J. Williams
-Administration position
-Family assistance program
-Administration action
-Need for support
-Liberals
-Opposition
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-Family assistance program
-Minimum wage
-Mills view
-Unemployed
-Coverage
-Secretary of Labor
-James D. Hodgson
-Exceptions Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
-Youth differential
-Mills
-18 year-old vote

President's schedule, April 27, l971
-Connally
-Elmer H. Bobst
-Heath initiative
-Winton M. (“Red”) Blount
-Connally
-Presidential involvement
-Lockheed
-Connally’s role

Lockheed
-Review
-Penn Central Railroad
-Presidential involvement
-Ehrlichman’s view
-Competitors

Welfare reform
-Mills
-Administration proposal
-Mayors
-Carl B. Albert
-Democrat leadership
-President's previous speeches
-Republican Governors Conference
- Chamber of Commerce
-Guaranteed annual income
-Popular reaction
-George W. Romney
-Speech
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-View regarding labor
-Revenue sharing
-Chamber of Commerce

Shultz's schedule
-Trip to Chicago
-Speech to Economic Club
-Reception Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
-Questions for Shultz

Economy
-Profits
-Productivity
-Administration position
-Ezra Solomon
-McCracken
-Stanford
-Possible position
-Schedule
-Janet Solomon
-Retail sales
-Weather
-General Motors
-Airlines
-Stocks
-Tickets
-Businessmen
-American Express
-Shultz's schedule
-Trip to Chicago
-Montgomery Ward
-Unknown executive
-Mail order
-Sales
-Sears
-Bell & Howell
-Peter G. Peterson
-Mail order
-Increases
-Retail sales
-March 1971
-First quarter
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-April 1971
-Dan Cerrill [sp?]
-Recruitment of scientists
-Difficulties
-Views
-Ford Company
-Building complex
-Scientists and engineers Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
-Campus setting
-Schools
-Welfare
-Chicago
-Transition

Chicago
-Shultz’s view
-Washington

States
-Unemployment
-New England
-Grants
-Shift

Council of Economic Advisors [CEA]
-Solomon and Stein
-Abilities
-Stein
-Mildred Stein

Economy
-Paul A. Samuelson's views
-Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT]
-Shultz’s association with Samuelson
-Samuelson and Milton Friedman
-Qualities
-Federal Reserve Board
-Shultz's schedule, April 29, 1971
-Meeting with Friedman

President's schedule, April 29, 1971
-[James] Harold Wilson
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-Trip to California
-First Marine Division
-Shultz's schedule, April 29, 1971
-National Commission on Productivity
-First Marine Division
-Ceremony
-Timing
Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
Economy
-Administration policies
-Issues
-Vietnam
-Welfare reform

Bull entered at an unknown time after 3:12 pm.

President's schedule
-Meeting with John G. Gorton
-Kissinger
-Farm Bureau leaders

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:56 pm.

Economy
-Vietnam
-Administration policies
-Shultz's forthcoming activities
-Talks with business groups
-New York
-Academics
-Vietnam

Environment

Youth
-Bombings
-Vietnam
-Ehrlichman's schedule
-Stanford University
-President
-Richard W. Lyman
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Stanford University
-Lyman
-Background
-Faculty
-Disorders
-Element
-Ehrlichman’s previous visit
-Meeting With alumni and faculty Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
-Reception

Vietnam
-\"Winter of discontent\"
-\"Spring of uncertainty\"
-Outlook

President's schedule
-California

Ehrlichman's schedule
-Trip to Prague
-UN meeting regarding environment

Czechoslovakia
-Prague
-President’s view
-Jewish cemetery
-University
-Communists
-Churches
-Economy
-Pre-World War II
-Income
-French

Ehrlichman's schedule
-Trip to Prague
-Robert H. Finch and Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Plan
-Jean Ehrlichman

Kissinger entered at 3:56 pm.
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-Shultz's schedule
-Trip to Prague
-Timing

President's schedule
-Trip to California
-First Marine Division
-Kissinger's schedule Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
-President's speech

Ehrlichman and Shultz left at 3:57 pm.

-Kissinger’s view
-Vietnam
-Elections
-Length
-Content
-Chamber of Commerce

SALT
-Negotiations
-Kissinger’s previous meeting with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-The President’s instructions

President's schedule
-Farm Bureau
-Gorton

Kissinger's schedule
-Henry Ford II
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

President's schedule
-Gorton

US-Soviet Union negotiations
-Kissinger’s previous meeting with Dobrynin
-SALT negotiations
-Summit meeting
-Possibility
-Soviet Foreign Minister’s comments
-Timing
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-Soviet position
-Announcement
-Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Berlin
-Egon Bahr and [David] Kenneth Rush
-Possible US position
-Kissinger’s view
-Soviet Union Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)

SALT
-US and Soviet negotiations
-Kissinger’s comments to Dobrynin
-US position
-Wording
-Offensive weapons
-Freeze
-Soviet position
-Announcement
-Exchange of letters
-Prospects
-Kissinger’s view
-Exchange of letters
-Logistics
-The President
-Soviet Union reply
-The President’s response
-Jacob D. Beam
-William P. Rogers and Gerard C. Smith
-The President’s concern
-Dobrynin
-Rogers’ schedule
-Kissinger’s involvement
-Smith

Vietnam
-President's forthcoming press conference
-Prisoners of War [POW] issue
-Possible US proposal
-Public relations aspect
-Proposal US proposal
-Kissinger
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SALT
-Prospects
-Timing
-Rogers schedule
-Announcement
-Timing
-Dobrynin
-Possible Soviet position Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
-Dobrynin
-Berlin negotiations

Vietnam
-North Vietnam
-Possible US military activities
-Bombing
-Demonstrations
-Bombing
-Timing
-Negotiations
-Kissinger's schedule
-Dobrynin
-Cuban missile crisis

Summit
-Prospects

PRC initiative
-Kissinger's conversation with Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters
-Jean Sainteny
-Mao Tse-tung's Meeting with Edgar Snow
-Soviet Union
-Liberals
-Intellectuals
-Hugh S. Sidey
-John F. Osborne
-New Republic

Kissinger's previous meeting with Dean G. Acheson
-Rogers forthcoming trip to Middle East
-Vietnam
-Cambodia and Laos
-Support for President
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-Acheson's dinner at Joseph W. Alsop's, April 26, 1971


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 8s ] Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

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


Bull entered at an unknown time after 3:56 pm.

President's schedule
-Upcoming meeting with Gorton
-Timing
-Upcoming meeting with Farm Bureau leaders
-William J. Kuhfuss
-Congressional leadership
-Farm Bureau leaders
-Wire services

Bull left at an unknown time before 4:12 pm.

Kissinger's previous meeting with Acheson


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 17s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

**********************************************************************
 42

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Vietnam
-POWs
-Hughes activities
-Possible US proposal
-Public relations effect
-Possible North Vietnamese position
-Strategy Conv. No. 489-17 (cont.)
-US withdrawal
-US military options
-POW'S

Kissinger left at 4:12 pm.