528–4

Conversation No. 528-4

Date: June 24, 1971
Time: 9:10 am - 10:45 am
Location: Oval Office

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

President’s upcoming Midwest trip
-Hannah Milhous Nixon plaque dedication
-Attendees
-Clarence E. Miller
-Jennings County, Indiana Congressman
-Political party
-Miller
-Ohio
-Clifford M. Hardin
-Agricultural character of Jennings County
-Motorcade to Indiananalopis
-Distance
-Length of time
-Stops
-Richard J. Daley
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Location of airport
-Hardin
-Presidential statement
-Allocation of time

President’s schedule
-Upcoming meeting
-Location Conv. No. 528-4 (cont.)
-Oval Office
-Rose Garden
-Standing and seating arrangements

Presidential statement
-Length


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 37s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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President’s Midwest trip
-Staff
-Presidential statement
-Drug abuse
-Property tax
-Staff
-Rose Mary Woods
-Health
-Marjorie P. Acker

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at an unknown time after 9:10 am.

-Changes
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



Butterfield left at an unknown time before 9:38 am.
Pentagon Papers
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS] coverage of Daniel Ellsberg comment
-Charles W. Colson counterattack
-Administration response
-Need for simplicity
-Focus on Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy administrations
-Sanctity of national security documents Conv. No. 528-4 (cont.)
-Declassification process
-Terry McGuinnity visit
-Status
-Contact with Colson
-Colson contact with Yale graduate
-McGuinnity
-Haldeman’s efforts
-Ronald L. Ziegler's briefing
-Focus on previous administrations
-Sensitivity of papers
-Declassification procedure
-Administration response
-Ellsberg
-Court action
-Christian Science Monitor article
-Paul C. Warnke's comments
-Henry A. Kissinger

President's schedule
-Unveiling of portraits of President’s Zachary Taylor and James Buchanan
-George H. Mahon
-Clark MacGregor

Pentagon Papers
-John B. Connally's suggestion
-Visit to Johnson
-Bryce N. Harlow
-Kissinger's visit
-Schedule
-John D. Ehrlichman's visit
-Ehrlichman's visit to Johnson
-Agenda
-Kennedy's role in Vietnam
-Connally's recollection
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem
-Kennedy
-Foundation
-Revelation of information
-Extent of coverage
-Newspapers
-Television
-Impact on Nixon administration Conv. No. 528-4 (cont.)
-Harris poll
-Colson
-Shift
-Public perception
-Complexity of information
-Ziegler
-Herbert G. Klein
-Melvin R. Laird and William P. Rogers statement

Kissinger's trip
-Haldeman's call to Rogers


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[National Security]
[Duration: 52s ]


FOREIGN AFFAIRS


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

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Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 9:38 am.

Pentagon Papers
-Administration response
-Rogers and Laird involvement
-Need to reiterate points
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Ellsberg
-Previous administration
-Figures
-Involvement of Nixon administration
-Origination of classification
-President's legal responsibilities
-Congress
-Rule of law Conv. No. 528-4 (cont.)
-Declassification procedure
-Ziegler's previous statements
-Preoccupation of Washington Post and New York Times reporters
-Klein’s statement on CBS News
-Ellsberg's statements
-Walter L. Cronkite, Jr. demeanor
-Missed questions
-William S. Paley
-Colson
-Classification of papers
-Legal responsibility of administration
-Responsibility of editors
-Compromise of classified information
-Effects
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Ziegler
-Haldeman
-World War I illustration
-French and German battle
-Effect
-Infiltration information
-Ease of compromise
-Ehrlichman
-Need for examples
-Unknown Admiral's statement
-\"Cops and robbers\" boys
-Effect on Kennedy administration
-Stuart Laurie article
-David Craslow article
-Transcript of phone call
-Diem
-Henry Cabot Lodge
-Effect on Kennedy
-Effect on Lodge
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Removal of Lodge
-History of the period
-Fair treatment of issue
-Past Times stances
-Support for Kennedy
-Laos
-James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
-Harrison E. Salisbury Conv. No. 528-4 (cont.)
-Neil Sheehan

Pentagon Papers
-World War II documents
-Tom C. Huston's role
-Expansion of team study documents
-Pearl Harbor material
-Effect on Democratic Party
-Need for leadership
-Colson
-Joe Torrey [sp?]
-Qualifications
-Need for subject knowledge
-Ellsberg
-Richard V. Allen
-Peter G. Peterson
-Huston's role
-Allen's role
-Cuban missile crisis information
-Bay of Pigs information
-Longevity
-Bombing halt information
-Huston
-Effect on Johnson
-Effect on Hubert H. Humphrey
-Effect on Edmund S. Muskie
-Johnson
-Effect on Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-Public opinion
-Birch E. Bayh, Jr.
-J. William Fulbright
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 12s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5 Conv. No. 528-4 (cont.)

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-Attack on the Kennedy name
-Effect on Ted Kennedy
-Examples
-Ziegler
-Ehrlichman
-Klein
-Richard A. Moore
-Ziegler's attacks
-Arthur O. Sulzberger
-Off the record comments
-Effect
-John Carroll of the Baltimore Sun
-White House press corps
-View of Ellsberg
-Los Angeles grand jury action
-Actions of previous administrations
-Classification
-Administration’s legal responsibilities
-Accuracy of papers
-Classification of papers
-Johnson and Kennedy administrations
-President’s speech on Alger Hiss case
-Pumpkin Papers
-Potential damage
-Protection of security
-Examples
-Klein
-Colson
-Need for strong Senate action
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



[The White House operator talked with Haldeman at an unknown time between 9:10 am and
10:01 am]

[Conversation No. 528-4A]

[See Conversation No. 5-154]

Edward K. (\"Duke\") Ellington Conv. No. 528-4 (cont.)

[The President talked with Ellington between 10:01 am and 10:02 am]

[End of telephone conversation]

Ellington's health

Pentagon Papers
-Perception of average person
-Involvement of Nixon administration
-Kennedy and Johnson involvement
-Legal developments
-Perception of the public
-Sympathy for government
-President's speech on Hiss case
-Effect of compromised information
-Need for Senate help
-Robert J. Dole
-Colson
-John G. Tower
-President's handling of Hiss papers
-Fear of governmental coverup
-Ellsberg
-Declassification procedure
-Overclassification
-Effect of publication
-Previous day's publicity
-Post, Times
-Freeze
-Robert B. Semple, Jr.
-Freeze on backgrounders for the Times
-Semple
-Other Post reporters
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



Ziegler left at 10:09 am.

-Administration response
-Allen
-Kissinger
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-President’s wishes
Conv. No. 528-4 (cont.)
[Unintelligible]

White House administration
-Meeting with economic people
-President's preparation
-Location
-Economic policy meeting
-Preparation
-Connally meeting with Arthur F. Burns
-Burns
-George P. Shultz
-Prior assignments
-Church service attendance
-Alexander P. Butterfield
-Burns's wife
-Upcoming conversation with Connally
-Council of Economic Advisors [CEA]
-Control
-Administration handling of people
-Connally’s view
-Ehrlichman
-Shultz
-Need for specifics
-Leaks
-Ehrlichman
-Congressional role
-MacGregor
-Congressional role
-Need for accountability
-Post story
-Need to control leaks

Rose Mary Woods entered at an unknown time after 10:09 am.
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



Woods' health

Presidential trip
-Trip to Indiana
-President’s experiences
-Acker

Woods left at an unknown time before 10:45 am. Conv. No. 528-4 (cont.)

White House administration
-Leaks
-Need for tighter accountability
-\"Hill\" compared with White House leaks
-Economic problems
-Public review of recommendations
-Burns

Presidential statements
-Honor America Day
-Speech by President
-Teleprompter
-Effectiveness
-Rehearsal

Haldeman left at 10:45 am.