501–18

Conversation No. 501-18

Date: May 19, 1971
Time: 2:10 pm - 2:56 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Melvin R. Laird and Henry A. Kissinger.

Greetings

Laird's health
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
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Laird's schedule
-Defense planning committee
-Meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
-Nuclear Planning Group
-Brussels
-Germany
-Meeting with European cabinet ministers
-Relationship Conv. No. 501-18 (cont.)
-France
-Harmon[?] [Surname unintelligible], Helmut Schmidt
-Agenda
-Violence
-US policy
-Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions [MBFR]
-NATO Council meeting

MBFR
-Defense Department study
-Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty [SALT]
-Alexsei N. Kosygin
-US and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] policy on forces
-European Security Conference
-Importance of agreement
-Format
-Timing
-US policy
-Laird’s and William P. Rogers’ statements
-Europeans' position
-SALT agreement impact
-USSR
-Andrei A. Gromyko
-Kosygin
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******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[National Security]
[Duration: 4s ]


CANADA Conv. No. 501-18 (cont.)


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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


-Strategy
-Meetings
-Europeans
-US and USSR
-Warsaw pact
-US allies
-Laird's and Rogers’ statements
-Defense Department study
-Laird's meetings with defense ministers in Lisbon
-Kissinger's forthcoming talk with Rogers
-Laird's and Rogers’ schedules
-Lisbon
-Meeting of Laird and Rogers
-Defense Department study
-Nature of negotiations
-NATO and Warsaw pact
-USSR

Defense Department staff
-Deputy Secretary of Defense
-David Packard
-Work
-Reuben F. Mettler of TRW. Inc.
-Financial regulations
-Packard's Hewlett-Packard holdings
-Mettler
-Possible tenure
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

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-Blind trusts
-Secretary of the Treasury
-Mettler
-Work at TRW
-Possible stock sale
-Packard
-Schedule
-Possible notification of SALT agreement Conv. No. 501-18 (cont.)

SALT agreement
-Possible effects
-Charles H. Percy, Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield, W. Stuart Symington
-Antiballistic missile [ABM] and offensive weapons
-US and USSR negotiating position
-May 20, 1971 meeting with Congressional leaders
-USSR
-Laird's position vis-a-vis Congress
-ABM
-US and USSR negotiating position
-Congress
-James B. Pearson

An unknown person [Manolo Sanchez?] entered at an unknown time after 2:10 pm.

Refreshments

The unknown person [Sanchez?] left at an unknown time before 2:44 pm.

Salt agreement
-Meetings with Congressional leaders
-May 18, 1971
-Soviets negotiating practices
-Meetings with Congressional leaders
-May 18, 1971
-Notification of agreement
-Laird
-USSR
-Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union [TASS]
-Announcement
-Public opinion
-Administration handling of MBFR and Vietnamization
-Columnists
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
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-Congress
-J. William Fulbright
-\"Fence Riders\"
-Mansfield
-Administration efforts
-Announcements
-Effect
-Senate reports Conv. No. 501-18 (cont.)
-Gerard C. Smith and SALT delegation in Vienna
-Performance
-Soviets’ negotiation practices
-US position
-ABM and offensive limitation
-USSR
-Laird's previous statements
-Reiteration
-Effect on \"Doves\"and \"Fence Riders\" in Congress

Defense issues
-Wright-Patterson Air Force Base [AFB]
-Robert A. Taft, Jr., William B. Saxbe
-Votes on draft extension, ABM
-Interview with Cleveland Plain Dealer after meeting with President
-Laird's strategy
-Clark MacGregor
-Role
-President's meeting with Taft and Saxbe
-Portsmouth, New Hampshire Navy Yard
-Margaret Chase Smith
-Thomas J. McIntyre
-Vote on ABM
-Smith
-MacGregor's and Kissinger's role
-Wright-Patterson AFB
-President's meeting with Saxbe
-Possible Florida relocation
-Patrick AFB
-Edward J. Gurney
-Laird's role with Congress
-President's role
-Donald W. Riegle, Jr.
-Army reorganization
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

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Defense Department staff
-Deputy Secretary of Defense
-Corporate executives
-Requirements
-Mettler
-Bert S. Cross at 3M Corporation
-Requirements Conv. No. 501-18 (cont.)
-John H. Chafee
-Future plans
-Secretary of the Navy
-John W. Warner
-Experience in negotiating
-Brazil
-Secretary of the Army
-Requirements
-Stanley R. Resor
-Army’s present status
-Thaddeus R. Beal
-Background
-Robert F. Froehlke
-Present position
-Laird's possible forthcoming meeting with Peter M. Flanigan
-Bob Wolf
-Ambassadorships
-Secretary of Army
-Replacement for Resor
-Announcement
-Timing
-John S. Foster, Jr.
-Army’s current status
-Draft
-Saxbe's statement
-Prospects
-Saxbe's position
-Wright-Patterson AFB
-Son's Vietnam service
-Replacement for Resor
-Listing of possible replacement
-Flanigan
-President's schedule
-Lyndon B. Johnson Library dedication
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

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-Announcement
-Retirement date
-Froehlke
-Possible confirmation
-Relations with Laird
-Background
-Century Insurance Company
-Work Conv. No. 501-18 (cont.)
-Public testimony
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-Deputy Secretary of Defense
-Robert Clinton Moot
-National Security Council [NSC] undersecretaries group
-Packard
-Charles D. (“Tex”) Barton
-Financial regulations
-Financial regulations
-Compared with State and Treasury Departments

Vietnam
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-Laird's conversation with Kissinger
-North Vietnam
-Needs
-Continued military assistance
-Modernization
-POWs
-Importance
-POW wives
-A poll
-Kissinger's meeting
-Marianne Nelson
-Mrs. [Forename unknown] Dahlberg [?]
-US forces (Volunteer Army)
-James L. Buckley’s amendment
-Kissinger, President
-Gen. William C. Westmoreland
-Volunteers, draft
-William F. Buckley's column
-President, Kissinger
-Buckley Amendment and other amendments in Senate
-Laird’s analysis
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
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-Cambodia
-Current situation
-Needs
-Personnel
-Current level of assistance
-Current military assistance program
-Needs
-Personnel Conv. No. 501-18 (cont.)
-Marshall Green and Emory C. Swank
-Possible meeting of President and Rogers
-Green
-Needs
-Funds
-Personnel
-A forthcoming report from Laird
-Meeting of President, Laird, and Rogers
-Green

Defense Department staff
-Packard
-Possible ambassador to Japan
-Family
-Relations with Laird and President
-Work
-Effect
-Kissinger's experience
-Possible ambassador to NATO
-Robert F. Ellsworth
-Job
-Family
-Possible future Cabinet job
-Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD]
-Department of Transportation
-Health
-Work
-Background
-Stanford University Board of Trustees
-Intellectuals, \"Georgetown crowd\", Business Council
-Secretary of the Army
-Laird's forthcoming meeting with Flanigan
-Announcement of Resor's departure
-President's possible meeting with Flanigan
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)



-Froehlke[?]
-Requirements
-Deputy Secretary of Defense
-Mettler
-Previous work
-Roy L. Ash

President's schedule Conv. No. 501-18 (cont.)
-Meeting with Smith and SALT delegation

Kissinger left at 2:55 pm.

Defense Department staff
-Deputy Secretary of Defense
-Packard
-Planned departure date
-Secretary of the Army

Laird's health

Laird left at 2:56 pm.