493–10

Conversation No. 493-10

Date: May 6, 1971
Time: Unknown between 11:00 am and 12:10 pm
Location: Oval Office

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


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General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. entered at 11:26 am
Conv. No. 493-9 (cont.)
Vietnam
-President’s meeting with General Nguyen Van Thieu
-Draft
-Henry A. Kissinger
-An announcement
-President’s schedule
-Negotiations
-Kissinger
-US position
-Kissinger
-Timetable
-Xuan Thuy
-People’s Republic of China [PRC], Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
[USSR]
-US position
-Kissinger
-An announcement
-Date
-PRC
-USSR
-US position
-Motivation
-President’s meeting with Thieu
-Timing
-Congressional votes
-Appropriations
-US position in Vietnam
-Stewart J. O. Alsop, Chalmers Roberts
-President’s meeting with Thieu
-Negotiations
-US offer
-Public opinion
-President’s meeting with Thieu
-Negotiations
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Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] agreement
-Possible announcement
-Effect on public opinion

Public opinion
-Vietnam, PRC
-Polls Conv. No. 493-10 (cont.)
-Long-term
-PRC
-SALT
-Antiballistic Missile [ABM]
-Compared with PRC
-President’s press conferences
-Press
-Columnists

SALT
-Possible announcement
-Importance
-Vietnam
-Timing
-Congressional vote
-Consultation
-Congressional vote

USSR
-Possible summit

PRC
-Possible meeting
-Ping-pong team
-Possible trade

SALT
-Possible announcement
-Congress

USSR
-Possible summit

Vietnam
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-President’s meeting with Thieu
-US troop withdrawals
-Timing of announcement
-Senate vote
-President’s meeting with Thieu
-Senate
-Forthcoming vote
-Response to Washington, DC demonstrators Conv. No. 493-10 (cont.)
-President’s meeting with Thieu
-Draft
-Timing
-President’s meeting with Thieu
-Effect of announcement

Congress
-Effect of possible USSR or PRC announcements
-SALT announcement
-ABM vote

Vietnam
-Military situation
-Effect of upcoming Senate vote
-North Vietnam
-Negotiations
-US offer
-Kissinger
-Importance compared with Talks with USSR and PRC
-Importance compared with Senate debates
-Possible effect of Senate votes
-Draft
-An announcement
-Timing
-Draft

An announcement
-Timing
-SALT announcement, possible summit announcement
-Public opinion

PRC
-Possible visit
-USSR
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-North Vietnam
-USSR

USSR
-Possible summit
-Public opinion
-Compared with a PRC or Vietnam War announcement
Conv. No. 493-10 (cont.)
Joseph S. Farland

PRC
-Kissinger

Congress
-Influence of possible announcements
-Possible USSR summit
-Edward W. Brooke
-President’s forthcoming meeting
-Possible SALT announcement
-Senate
-Possible announcements
-President
-Kissinger
-Leaders
-Position on SALT
-”Doves”

USSR
-William P. Rogers
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Vladimir S. Semenov
-SALT talks
-ABM
-Semenov
-Gerard C. Smith
-Kissinger
-President’s role
-Smith
-Possible summit
-Joseph C. Kraft
-Possible column
-Possible summit
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-Congress
-PRC
-ABM

Vietnam
-Possible announcement
-Draft
-President’s meeting with Thieu Conv. No. 493-10 (cont.)
-Timing of announcement
-”Doves” response
-Thieu’s election
-Possible outcome

Announcements
-SALT
-Vietnam

Vietnam negotiations
-Kissinger
-PRC, USSR
-Effect of US affairs
-Position of the dollar
-Washington Post
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Hanoi, Europe
-Thuy
-A Senator
-Balance of payments
-Public opinion

President’s schedule
-A message
-Farland
-SALT announcement
-Timing
-PRC
-USSR
-Thieu meeting
-SALT announcement
-USSR summit
-PRC announcement
-Thieu meeting
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-SALT announcement
-Importance
-Thieu meeting
-USSR summit
-PRC announcement
-USSR

Haig left at 11:58 am Conv. No. 493-10 (cont.)

Haig
-Compared with [Name unintelligible]

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 11:58 am

President’s schedule
-Charles S. Rhyne
-John B. Connally
-Rhyne meeting
-Time

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:06 pm

Vietnam negotiations
-Haig’s position
-Kissinger’s position
-President’s experience
-Importance
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-US position
-Compared with Middle East
-Kissinger, Haig
-Administration policy
-Hardhats, Congressmen
-Howard H. Baker, Jr.

Bull entered at an unknown time after 11:58 am

President’s schedule
-Connally
-Rhyne
-Connally
-Ronald L. Ziegler
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Bull left at an unknown time before 12:06 pm

White House Correspondents’ dinner
-Mr. and Mrs. Arte Johnson
-Mrs. Johnson’s appearance
-Accent
-A takeoff on Kissinger Conv. No. 493-10 (cont.)

Haldeman left and Rhyne and Richard A. Moore entered at 12:06 pm; a photographer was
present at the beginning of the meeting

A book

International law
-Experts
-Washington Post
-Professors

Rhyne’s schedule
-Taipei, Yugoslavia

Rhyne’s book
-Publication date

Lawyers

A book

International law
-Possible announcement by President
-US treaty obligations
-African countries’ treaty obligations
-Codification
-Possible effect

A paper

Rhyne’s suggestion

Rhyne and Moore left at 12:10 pm
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