628–16

Conversation No. 628-16

Date: December 2, 1971
Time: 3:05 pm - 4:53 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Golda Meir; the White House photographer and members of the press
were present at the beginning of the meeting.

Greetings

Photograph

[General conversation]

[Unintelligible]
 33

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


Meir’s schedule
-Henry A. Kissinger and Yitzhak Rabin
-Frank discussions with Meir

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Relations with Israel
-US and Israel
-Strategy
-Meir's talk with Kissinger

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:05 pm.

Refreshment

Rabin

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:13 pm.

US and Israel relations
-Rabin and Kissinger
-Kissinger
-Relations with Israel
-William F. (“Billy”) Graham’s call to the President
-Timing
-Concern by Graham
-American Jews
-William P. Rogers

Kissinger and Rabin entered at 3:13 pm.

Kissinger and Anatoliy F. Dobrynin communications

Map room
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-World War II
-Maps
-Robert Taylor [?]
-Franklin D. Roosevelt

US and Israel relations
-Possible leaks
 34

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


-Less then confident feelings between US and Israel
-Issues
-Payments [?]
-The President's trip to the USSR
-Issues
-Aircraft
-Presidential responsibility
-Joseph J. Sisco
-Working out technical aspects
-Congress
-Kissinger's meeting with Meir
-Unknown person
-Sisco and Rabin meeting
-Instructions to Sisco
-Time limit
-Rogers
-Negotiations
-Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Future negotiations
-State Department
-Political program
-Sisco
-Kissinger's meeting with the President
-Sisco
-Instructions
-Kissinger and Dobrynin communications
-Airplanes
-Dinner
-Kissinger’s recommendation
-Rogers
-President’s schedule
-Signing of memorandum
-Talk with Kissinger
-USSR
-Phantoms
-Separate understanding
-Working out the details with Rabin
-USSR
-US attempts to maintain balance
-Politics
-Backgrounders
 35

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Under the President’s instructions
-Kissinger
-Balance
-President’s advice to Meir
-Sisco/Rabin meetings
-Pressure
-Politics
-Rogers
-Kissinger’s forthcoming conversations with Rogers
-Agreement
-President’s schedule
-Sisco/Rabin meetings
-Rogers
-Protocols
-Brezhnev and Anwar el-Sadat
-President’s view
-Delivery of planes
-Political side
-Planning
-Continuance of frank talks
-Monthly rate
-Rabin/Sisco/Kissinger agreement
-Dates of deliveries
-Presidential decisions
-Political side
-Need for US discussion
-Israeli/Egyptian agreement
-State Department
-Linkage with the Phantoms
-US commitment to balance
-USSR
-Delivery schedule
-Proposed date of arrival
-President’s view
-Speculation on Israel’s future
-Sadat
-Possibility of negotiations
-US interests
-Political settlement
-Balance
 36

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


-Mediterranean
-Middle East
-USSR
-Prospects for peace
-Progress
-Attempts
-President’s view
-Meir’s response
-Pressure
-Communication with the President
-Rabin
-Meir’s outlook
-Ceasefire
-Rabin
-Attrition
-Compromise
-Possible Israeli concessions [?]
-Egyptians
-Sadat
-Procedures
-Egyptians
-“The Rogers Plan”
-International borders
-United Nations [UN]
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Unknown person
-Negotiations with Israel [?]
-Trade matters
-Andrei A. Gromyko's talk with Chou En-lai
-USSR
-Alliance with the Arabs
-Moscow
-Money to Vietnam and Egypt
-Amount
-Brezhnev
-Mao Tse-tung [?]
-Israeli perspective
-World view
-Suez agreement
-Pressure
-War
 37

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


-Past conflicts
-1957
-Golan heights
-Israeli position
-1957
-UN
-Gaza Strip
-Promises
-Egyptians
-Freedom in negotiations
-Military
-Level of strength
-US agreement on 1969 border policy
-Potential US diplomatic problem
-Kissinger’s conversation wit unknown Prime Minister
-USSR
-Gromyko
-Talk with the President
-Rogers
-Military action
-Brezhnev
-State Department
-Unknown Prime Minister
-Kissinger’s instructions to Meir and Rabin
-[Unintelligible]
-Ceasefire
-Possible scenarios
-Egypt and USSR
-Kissinger
-USSR
-Potential escalation of tensions between the US and USSR
-Concerns
-Subsidies in the Middle East
-Unknown situation
-USSR
-Jordan crisis
-1967 war
-Meeting in may
-Meir's Skill
-“Two track operation”
-Negotiations
 38

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


-1967 war
-Diplomatic reasonableness
-Request from the President
-US
-Security
-Two tracks of negotiations
-USSR summit
-Discussions
-US attempt to work out negotiations
-Suez Canal
-Arabs
-Attempt to quell tensions
-Israeli cabinet
-USSR
-Egypt’s inability to negotiate with the USSR [?]
-Interim period
-US-Israel negotiations
-Pressure-free
-Kissinger’s proposal
-General statement
-Timing
-Kissinger’s conversation with unknown Prime Minister
-Talk with Dobrynin
-Status of US actions
-Egyptians
-Timing
-Gromyko
-Rogers
-Talk with the President
-USSR
-Trust
-Previous US-USSR discussions
-Dobrynin
-Brezhnev
-Previous discussions
-The President/Meir meeting
-The President's talk with Gromyko
-Potential settlement
-Meir and Rabin
-Elections [?]
-The President's talk with Meir
 39

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


-Kissinger
-Kissinger's talk with Dobrynin
-Possible stand by the President
-Dobrynin talk with Meir [?]
-Dobynin
-Possible meeting
-Timing
-[Unintelligible]
-Kissinger’s view
-Dobrynin
-Moscow
-Egyptians
-Prepared to talk
-Negotiations
-Kissinger’s view
-The President's talk with Gromyko
-Reductions [?]
-Egypt
-Possible opening of dialogue
-Syria
-USSR
-US-USSR relations
-Possible uncomfortableness from Israel
-Kissinger-Rabin talks
-Status of world situation
-USSR
-Clark MacGregor [?]
-State Department
-Proposed action
-Dobrynin
-US options
-UN
-USSR
-Negotiations
-Gromyko
-Sisco [?]
-USSR
-[Unintelligible]
-Exploratory talks [?]
-Rabin-Kissinger meeting
-[Unintelligible]
 40

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


-Israeli army
-Figures
-State Department
-The survival of Israel
-Rabin
-USSR
-Possibility of war
-Finances
-USSR
-Potential breakthrough in negotiations
-Kissinger’s forthcoming conversation with Rabin
-[Unintelligible]
-Rogers
-Rabin
-[Unintelligible]
-Report from unknown person
-Mecca [?]
-Israeli situation
-Meir’s view on the situation
-US position
-Security
-Possibility for tough discussions with Israel
-Kissinger
-USSR
-Negotiations
-Dobrynin
-Talk with Kissinger
-Timing
-US position
-Related to the USSR
-Deadlock
-Negotiations
-Egypt
-State Department
-Moscow
-[Unintelligible]
-Golan Heights [?]
-Military equipment
-Request for Meir [?]
-Vietnam
-Rabin [?]
 41

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


-Credibility
-Lack of credit
-Arabs
-Vietnam
-Laos comparison
-Risky proposition
-USSR
-President’s view
-Balance of power in the Mediterranean and Europe
-Result
-USSR
-US position concerning the USSR
-Possible catalyst for negotiations
-Meir
-PRC and USSR
-Possible negotiations [?]
-Arabs
-Control
-Egypt
-Concern by Meir
-Kissinger’s previous meeting with an unknown woman
-President’s view
-Dobrynin
-Kissinger
-Closing remarks

The President, et al. left at 4:53 pm.