529–16

Conversation No. 529-16

Date: June 28, 1971
Time: 9:21 am - 10:04 am
Location: Oval Office

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

Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 9:22 am.

Briefing
-Camp David meeting
-Cabinet meeting
-Expected Supreme Court decision
-Dynamics of decision
-Decisions versus opinions
-Timing of major decisions

Ziegler left at 9:24 am.

Pentagon Papers
-Congressional investigation
-Carl B. Albert
-Impact on Vietnam negotiations
-President’s conversation with David K.E. Bruce
-Prospects
-Recall of Bruce
-Prospects for House passage of Mansfield Amendment
-Lucien N. Nedzi-Charles W. Whalen, Jr. amendment
-Whalen
-Alternative resolution
-Tactics
-John W. Byrnes
-Authority of resolution
-Impact
-House prospects
-Timing of introduction
-Conference tactics
-Senate filibuster on draft bill
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Impact
-Clark MacGregor
-Fixed date fund cutoff in both houses
-Henry A. Kissinger information
-Fixed date fund cutoff
-Impact on negotiations
-Statement by President
-George P. Shultz Conv. No. 529-16 (cont.)
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Charles W. Colson
-Upcoming decision
-Albert
-F. Edward Hebert

President's schedule
-New Hampshire and Maine
-Visit by President
-Timing
-Ship conversion
-ACTION Project
-Portsmouth Navy Yard
-Haldeman forthcoming conversation with William P. Rogers
-Camp David trip

Pentagon Papers
-Question and answer session
-Ehrlichman
-Timing
-Value
-Hostility of audience
-Haldeman and Richard A. Moore preparations
-George H. Mahon mailing
-Attendance
-Calls to Congressmen
-Norris Cotton
-Gerald R. Ford
-Hugh Scott
-Longevity of Congressmen
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
-Duane J. Matthies [?]
-MacGregor's expertise
-Responsibility
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Preparation for Richard H. Ichord
-Bryce N. Harlow
-Whalen
-Congressional tactics
-Calls to Congressmen
-Albert
-Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
-Other Congressmen Conv. No. 529-16 (cont.)

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 9:24 am.

Request for Kissinger

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 9:39 am.

President's schedule
-Albert's health
-Effect on meeting with President
-Congressional “Half -hour”, July 2
-T. Warren Parker
-Receiving line
-MacGregor
-Politically important people

Kissinger entered at 9:39 am.

Casualties
-Number
-Trends
-Play by media
-National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Washington Post/New York Times
-Pentagon Papers
-Offensive in Vietnam

President's talk with Albert
-Effect of Congressional action
-Negotiations with the Soviet Union
-People’s Republic of China [PRC] negotiations
-Vietnam
-Bruce
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Recall
-MacGregor's report
-Filibuster in Senate
-Benefit to administration
-PRC and Soviet Union trip announcements
-Albert
-Stand on Congressional action
-Weekend schedule Conv. No. 529-16 (cont.)
-Health

Congressional action on Vietnam
-Cutoff of funds
-MacGregor's report
-Accuracy
-Effect on US strategy
-Kissinger’s conversation with Nguyen Van Thieu
-Perception of President's action
-Strategy
-Timing
-PRC visit announcement
-End of combat announcement
-Soviet Union visit announcement
-MacGregor's report
-Accuracy
-Albert
-Administration opponents
-Albert
-Contact with John C. Watts
-Congress
-Effect of other accomplishments
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-PRC initiative
-Ping-pong diplomacy
-Vietnam
-Robert J. Dole
-Two schools of thought
-President's success
-Dole
Vietnam
-Vietnam strategy
-\"Lifeboat\" concept
-Need for strong front
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Vietnam agreement
-Terms
-Ceasefire
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-President's comments to Albert
-President's comments to Mansfield
-Support for President
-Compared to support for Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967 Conv. No. 529-16 (cont.)
-Vietnam agreement
-Nine points
-Supervision
-Changes
-Ceasefire
-Use as bargaining chip
-Support for Thieu, Nguyen Cao Ky, and Duong Van Minh
-Support by South Vietnamese
-Timing
-Effect on US strategy
-SALT
-President's appearance on television
-Timing
-Effect on Audiences
-News summaries
-Length
-Compared to foreign service reporting
-Good ambassadorial reports
-William C. Bullitt
-Joseph C. Grew

Pentagon Papers
-Media coverage
-Richard (“Dick”) Wilson
-Peter Arnett of Associate Press
-Arnett’s view of administration
-Rationale for Arnett story
-Defense of Daniel Ellsberg
-Ellsberg criminal prosecution
-Counterattack after PRC announcement
-Administration response
-Albert breakfast
-President’s contact with Mansfield
-Bruce
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Albert
-Bruce's efforts in PRC
-Chou En-lai

Foreign Policy
-Triumphs
-SALT
-PRC Conv. No. 529-16 (cont.)
-Bruce's efforts in PRC
-Soviet summit
-Effect on Bruce's efforts in PRC
-PRC strategy
-Timing
-Reaction of free Chinese to President's announcement
-Soviet summit
-Double play
-Bruce
-President's visit
-Compared with Bruce's visit
-Prospects


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10
[National Security]
[Duration: 36s ]


SOVIET UNION


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10

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-Obsession with Vietnam
-Effect of other events
-Congressional action
-Effect of PRC announcement
-Cut-off of funds
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Effective date
-Watershed of US policy
-End of World War II
-Civil War
-PRC announcement
-Length
-Content
-\"Peace\" focus Conv. No. 529-16 (cont.)
-Pacific region
-World
-PRC trip
-Attendance
-Rogers
-Democrats
-Mansfield
-Scott
-Necessity of first visit by President
-Chou En-lai
-Handling by PRC
-Mansfield's letter to Norodom Sihanonk
-Invitation by Chou to Mansfield
-United Nations [UN] debate
-Rogers
-Timing
-PRC
-Chou En-lai
-Taiwan
-Reaction

Stephen B. Bull entered at 10:02 am.

Schedule
-Cabinet Committee on Economic Policy [CCEP]
-Days engagements

Bull left at 10:03 am.

Foreign policy
-PRC trip
-Attendance
-Richard A. Moore [?]
-Other Democrats
 25

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Press conferences

The President, Haldeman and Kissinger left at 10:04 am.