646–2

Conversation No. 646-2

Date: January 12, 1972
Time: 4:04 pm - 4:30 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Vice President Spiro T. Agnew.

The President's schedule
-Return from Camp David
-Writing

The President's writing technique
-Speeches
-White House staff
-Camp David
-Seclusion

Press
-White House relations
-Attitude
-Government secrecy
-Liberals
-People's \"right to know\"
-President’s performance of duties
-Democratic contenders' views

Document secrecy
-Court rulings
-Courts’ competency to adjudicate
-Possible legislation
-White House appeal to congressional leaders
-F. Edward Hebert
-John C. Stennis
-Margaret Chase Smith
-Leslie C. Arends
-Restriction on document classification
-Current abuse
-Limitation to authorized people
-Level of classification
-Presidential classification
-Authority of courts
 3

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 646-2 (cont.)


-The President's power of classification compared to content of
document
-Analogy to slander per se
-Improper use by violator
-Penalty
-Use of document in defense
-Constitutionality
-Courts
-Sensitivity
-Jack N. Anderson
-General public
-Foreign agents
-Possible use
-Possible legislation
-Congressional leaders
-Public's \"right to know\"
-Relevance
-Presidential classification
-Improper use
-Court rulings
-Libel laws
-Press attitude
-Possible legislation
-Agnew’s discussions with congressional leaders
-Hebert
-Administration's activity on declassification
-William H. Rehnquist
-Quantity
-John W. Dean III
-John D. Ehrlichman
-David R. Young, Jr.
-Investigative work on Anderson papers
-Person who leaked information
-Prosecution
-Compared with Daniel Ellsberg
-Ellsberg case
-Ehrlichman's work as private lawyer
-Pentagon Papers
-Neil and Susan (Margulies) Sheehan
-Harvard University think-tank
-The Sheehans
 4

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 646-2 (cont.)


-Alleged activity in obtaining documents
-Press
-Prosecution by White House
-New York Times
-Election year considerations
-Future plans
-Possible legislation
-Agnew’s work
-Press
-Relations with White House
-Agnew’s possible role
-The President’s recent telephone conversation
-1970 election
-Possible interpretation
-Agnew’s proposed legislation
-Possible contacts
-Stennis, Arends and Hebert
-J. William Fulbright
-Dean and Ehrlichman
-Rehnquist
-Previous work
-Relations with the Vice President
-Dean and Ehrlichman
-Declassification
-Increase
-Presidential classification
-Sanctity
-Harry S. Truman
-The President’s activity in Alger Hiss case
-Political uses
-National security use
-India-Pakistan issue
-Leaks
-Impact
-National Security Council [NSC] and Washington Special Actions Group [WSAG]
-Confidential conversations
 5

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 646-2 (cont.)


National security
-Presidential confidential conversations
-The President's methods
-Dwight D. Eisenhower's example
-Emmett Hughes's book
-John F. Dulles and the President
-Conduct of government
-Government operations
-The President's methods
-NSC
-[Unintelligible]
-India-Pakistan Partition War, 1948
-Casualties
-India-Pakistan War of 1971
-Dacca
-American Residents
-Helicopter evacuation
-US treaty
-Pakistan
-Lack of US treaty commitment
-Other nations’ possible aid
-Options
-Interpretation by press
-Agnew’s proposal
-Convictions for leaking secrets
-Ellsberg
-Compared to liberal [causes celebre]
-Huey Newton
-Juries
-Public opinion
-Approach to Congress
-Submission to the President
-Conversation with Rehnquist
-Conversations with Ehrlichman and Dean
-Possible work
-Rehnquist
-Approach
-Rehnquist's new position
-Legacy
-Possible memorandum to Dean
 6

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 646-2 (cont.)


Supreme Court nominations
-Rehnquist
-Rejection of other possible nominees

National security
-Press attitude
-Anderson
-Agnew
-Possible speech
-Reaction
-Possible interview
-Herbert E. Kaplow
-Content and tone
-Kaplow's possible action
-Agnew’s relations with the press

1972 campaign
-1956 election example
-Adlai E. Stevenson II
-Attacks by the President as Vice President
-Tone
-Stevenson's response
-Eisenhower's response


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 2m 37s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

*****************************************************************
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 646-2 (cont.)


Agnew’s forthcoming speeches
-Lincoln Day
-University of Georgia
-Invitation from Dean Rusk
-Message from the President about Rusk
-Florida Memorial College
-Fund-raiser for Dr. Arthur A. Fletcher
-College campuses
-Question and answer format
-Midwest
-Colleges
-Question and answer format
-Agnew’s delivery
-Compared with Edmund S. Muskie

Muskie
-Speeches
-Ability
-Previous appearance in Florida
-Reply to question from Black person
-Newspaper coverage
-Television coverage

State of the Union message

Troop withdrawal announcement, January 13, 1972
-Rate

Laos
-Vulnerability
-South Vietnam
-Cambodia

South Vietnam
-US accomplishment
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 646-2 (cont.)


Laos and Cambodia
-Press coverage
-Public opinion
-US presence
-Purpose
-US withdrawal

Vietnam
-US troop strength
-Withdrawal
-Casualties
-Withdrawal
-Rate
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-South Vietnam
-Political prospects
-Military strength
-Air Force and Navy
-North Vietnam
-Army
-North Vietnam
-Military operations
-North Vietnam
-November 1972
-Weather
-The President's trip to People's Republic of China [PRC]
-II Corps
-Press coverage

Agnew’s proposal on national security and document secrecy
-Approach to Rehnquist
-Ehrlichman's and Dean's work

The President's schedule
-George W. Romney
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 646-2 (cont.)


Briefing on budget, January 12, 1972
-George P. Shultz
-Performance

Agnew left at 4:30 pm.