535–4

Conversation No. 535-4

Date: July 2, 1971
Time: 9:15 am - 10:39 am
Location: Oval Office

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

Pentagon Papers case
-William P. Rogers' appearance characterized
-Foreign government reaction to case
-Effect on foreign relations
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] documents
-Effects of possible leaks
-Henry A. Kissinger
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



North Vietnamese peace offering
-Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield, Carl B. Albert
-Media coverage
-Congressional resolutions
-National Liberation Front [NLF]
-Congressional resolutions
-Cooper-Church amendment
-Congressional fund cut-off Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
-US troops
-John Sherman Cooper

The President's forthcoming speech at the National Archives
-The President's appearance July 3, 1971 with Chief Justice Warren E. Burger
-Opening of the Bicentennial Era
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-News lead
-Audience
-Media coverage
-Bicentennial Commission

Pentagon Papers
-Patrick J. Buchanan's recommendations
-Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy
-Johnson Democrats
-Support for the President on foreign policy
-Relation to the President
-Issuance of statements
-Ziegler, the President

The President's schedule
-Charles W. Colson

Campaign funds
-Haldeman's meeting with John N. Mitchell
-Control of funds
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-Monitoring during forthcoming campaign
-Polls
-Amount
-Haldeman's forthcoming conversation with Herbert W. Kalmbach
-Leonard Firestone
-Polls
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Role of Domestic Council
-Different types
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Payments
-Funds for revenue sharing group
-Milk Fund
-1970 spending on film (?)
-Leonard Garment Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
-Private funds
-Kalmbach’s role
-Uses from the past
-Amount
-Congressional campaigns
-President’s orders

Colson entered at 9:28 am

Unemployment statistics
-Release
-James D. Hodgson's forthcoming briefing
-Congress
-Joint Economic Committee
-Gerald R. Ford, Hugh Scott, Charles H. Percy
-Release of statements
-Roger E. Johnson and staff
-Responsibilities
-Monthly decrease
-John A. Scali's network contacts
-News story
-Significance

Peter M. Flanigan entered at 10:02 am

Unemployment statistics
-Statistical aberration
-Rate
-Herbert Stein
-Composition of the unemployed
-Number of young people
-Paul W. McCracken, Arthur F. Burns
-Predictions on future unemployment trends
-Forecasters
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Need to prove accuracy of projections
-Psychological boost from decrease in unemployment

Pentagon Papers case
-Daniel Ellsberg
-Outside assistance in gathering information
-The President's July 1, 1971 conversation with J. Edgar Hoover
-Impression of reluctance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Conv. No.[FBI]
535-4
to (cont.)
pursue the case
-Possible call by Haldeman
-Investigation of conspiracy
-Need for conversation with Melvin R. Laird
-Haldeman
-Ehrlichman
-Legal side of case
-Coordination of anti-conspiracy effort
-New York Times
-Ehrlichman
-Polygraph tests
-President’s orders
-Mitchell's knowledge
-Persons needed for coordinator's role in the White House
-Colson
-Tom C. Huston
-Need to begin the investigation
-Mitchell
-Need for prosecution
-Ziegler
-New York Times
-Publication of documents
-Impact on settlement of Vietnam war and return of the prisoners of war
[POWs]
-Draft Presidential statement from Buchanan
-Administrations position
-Mansfield, Albert
-Focus of press coverage
-Perception of newspaper publication of the documents
-Timing of action by the President

Newark, New Jersey
-Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson
-Appointment of seventeen-year old student to school board
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



Pentagon Papers case
-Ellsberg
-Mitchell
-Newspaper publication of documents
-Perception of Kennedy's reluctance to enter Vietnam war
-Johnson
-The President's citation of Kennedy and Johnson's role
-News coverage limitation Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
-The Kennedys
-New York Times Review of Books
-Forthcoming biographies
-Rose F. Kennedy
-Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
-M. V. Thayer
-Ethel S. Kennedy
-Comparison with Mrs. Nixon
-White House reaction
-Low level of response
-July 6, 1971 use of television in Kansas City
-John A. Scali
-Recommendations
-Timing

Forthcoming news stories
-Unemployment figures
-Effect of July 4 weekend on news impact
-Steel industry story
-Presidential leadership

The economy
-Effect of unemployment figures
-Burns
-Impact of unemployment figures
-Harris polls
-President’s popularity
-Productivity Commission
-Edward Carter
-Reaction to the President's appearance at meeting
-John B. Connally
-Recommendations on taxes, control, and spending
-Retail sales figures
-Sears, Roebuck and Company
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-California
-Forecast
-Foreign imports
-Connally
-George P. Shultz, Peter G. Peterson
-Japan
-Business and unions
-Farmers Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
-Farm prices
-Consumer prices

Pentagon Papers
-Need for conspiracy investigation
-July 1, 1971 declassification meeting
-Limited news release
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Rand Corporation
-Brookings Institution
-Cut-off in access to classified information
-Break-in
-Removal of documents
-Laird
-Rand Corporation
-Changes in handling classified information
-Declassification
-Washington Post article
-Vietnam war
-William F. Buckley, Jr.
-Impact of issue
-Protection of classified documents as opposed to repression of the press
-Conspiracy investigation
-Colson, Ehrlichman, and Haldeman
-Laird, Hoover
-Mitchell
-Need for action
-Neil Sheehan of the New York Times
-Prosecutions in case
-Ellsberg
-[Forename unknown] Cooke
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Ellsberg's statement on involvement
-Motivation
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Comparison to Alger Hiss


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
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[Duration: 6s ] Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)


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-Hiss
-Ellsberg
-The Eastern liberal Establishment
-Howard K. Smith
-Vietnam issue
-Jack Smith
-James B. (\"Scotty\") Reston
-Scali
-Rogers’ statement

Public Broadcasting Corporation
-Anti-trust action
-Peter M. Flanigan

Pentagon Papers
-Conspiracy investigation
-Unnamed man from the United States Information Agency [USIA]
-Richard V. Allen
-Huston
-Mitchell

Television broadcasting
-Anti-trust action
-Mitchell
-Film and television production
-Control of product
-Broadcasting networks
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Increase in production of programs, movies
-Precedential effect
-Federal Communications Commission [FCC]
-Prime time access case
-Independent networks
-Gulf Oil request for Nixon-Cox wedding rebroadcast
-Julian Goodman
-Previous request on speech Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
-National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
-Control and influence
-Mitchell
-Cable Access Television [CATV]
-Corporation for Public Broadcasting [CPB]
-Board membership
-John D. (“Jack”) Wrather, Jr.
-Committee on standards
-President of the Board
-Democratic party affiliation
-Funding cutbacks
-National Education Television
-CPB
-Ford Foundation
-Board members
-Public Broadcasting Service [PBS]
-Elizabeth Drew's program
-Sesame Street
-Jerry Slater
-Previous position at CBS with Frank Stanton
-Proposed evening news show
-Yearly costs
-Public broadcasting
-Leverage over commercial networks
-Cuts
-NET and PBS
“Sesame Street”
-Changes in management
-Cutbacks in funding
-Government controlled networks
-French, Canadian, British, Italian
-PBS
-Drew program
-Viewership
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-NBS’s “Today” show
-Frank Pace, Jr., Wrather
-William Moore (?)
-Funding cutbacks
-Possibility of passage of legislation by Congress

Ambassadorial appointments
Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
Public Broadcasting Corporation
-Funding cutbacks
-Shultz

Ambassadorial appointments
-Japan
-[Armin H. Meyer]
-Background required for post
-John B. Connally
-Request for recommendations


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-Need for business to fill post
-Okinawa
-Bert S. Cross
-Frederic V. Malek's list of candidates
-Flanigan’s list of candidates
-[Forename unknown] (“Bud”) Humphrey, George T. Humphrey
-Cross
-Bart (“Tex”) [Surname unknown]
-Connally
-William J. Porter
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Transfer of Posting
-Korea, Paris
-Marshall Green


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4 Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
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[Duration: 2m 34s ]


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-Japan
-Requirements
-Recommendations
-Kissinger
-Peter G. Peterson
-Ambassadorial posts
-Tokyo, Japan
-Germany
-Soviet Union [USSR]
-Britain, France, Italy
-Germany
-Japan
-(David) Kenneth Rush
-Green
-State Department
-Qualifications
-John D. Lodge
-Kissinger’s concerns
-Argentina
-Finland
-Financial situation
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



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END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5 Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)

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-Austria
-John F. Humes
-Contributions
-Finland
-Val Peterson
-Belgium
-Raymond Guest
-Contributions
-Ireland
-Don Strait
-Wife
-Contribution amount requested
-Australia
-John Sherman Cooper
-Flanigan’s conversation with Mitchell
-Louie B. Nunn
-Primary election

-Lodge
-Argentina
-J. William Middendorf, II
-Return from assignment in the Netherlands
-John J. (“Jack”) Caulfield
-[Forename and surname unknown]
-Ceylon
-Netherlands
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
-State Department
-Anthony D. Marshall
-Ceylon
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



State Department
-Rogers
-Position for Flanigan
-Economics specialist
-Second undersecretary position
-White House insider
-1972 Campaign
-Request for Flanigan to converse with Peterson and Connally
Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
-Subsequent meeting with the President and Haldeman
-Connally’s view
-Peterson’s view
-Haldeman’s view
-Flanigan’s view
-Rogers’ reluctance
-U. Alexis Johnson
-Role

Ambassadorial appointments
-George Champion
-Hobart D. (“Hobe”) Lewis


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-Donald Mc I. Kendall
-Japan
-Champion
-Cross
-[Forename unknown] Tyson
-John Bechtel
-Bechtel Corporation
-Type of ambassador required
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Free trade versus protectionist
-Peterson’s recommendations
-Connally’s recommendations

State Department
-Undersecretary position for Flanigan
-Connally, Peterson, Haldeman, the President
-Rogers Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
-Policy
-White House

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
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[Duration: 4s ]


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-John N. Irwin, II
-Effect of Pentagon Papers case
-Rogers
-Staff structure
-Economic specialist
-Provision of a balance to Peterson

Haldeman and Flanigan left at 10:39 am