665–1

Conversation No. 665-1

Date: February 3, 1972
Time: 9:18 am - 10:52 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.
[Recording begins while the conversation is in progress]

Unknown man
-Candidate

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]

The President’s forthcoming trip to the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Michael J. Mansfield’s point
-President’s critics
-Japan

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 9:20 am.

Edmund S. Muskie
-Strategy
-Speech
-Press coverage

Bangladesh
-US humanitarian assistance
-President’s upcoming trip to PRC
-Edward M. Kennedy’s criticism
-Percentage

Pearl M. Bailey
-Presentation of watch to President
-News conference
-Relationship with President
-Previous gift
 2

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


Ted Lewis
-Criticism
-Vietnam peace plan
-Possible conversation with Herbert G. Klein

Muskie
-Speech

Arthur D. Sulzberger

Stewart J.O. Alsop
-Content of newspaper story
-Compared to Joseph W. Alsop
-Liability
-Otis Chandler’s opinion

Muskie speech
-Possible Administration response
-William P. Rogers’s role
-Call to President, February 2, 1972
-Schedule
-Irish Foreign Minister [Patrick Hillery]
-Rogers’s conversation with [Earl of Cromer] Georges R.S. Baring
-Vietnam
-Possible topic of conversation
-Conversations
-John A. Scali
-Charles W. Colson
-Follow-up conversation
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Working on the approach
-Melvin R. Laird
-Location
-Forthcoming conversation with Colson
-Forthcoming statement
-Rogers
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Statements by Gerald R. Ford, Robert J. Dole and William E. Brock, III, February 1,
1972
-Muskie
 3

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


Media hearings
-Coverage of Edith Efron testimony
-Daniel L. Schorr
-Frank Stanton
-1968 campaign
-Coverage of President
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
-American Broadcasting Corporation [ABC]
-Ziegler, Klein
-Coverage of President
-Efron
-Access to audiotapes
-Laos
-Harley O. Staggers
-Stewart Alsop
-Rogers
-Possible statements

Muskie’s speech
-Possible Administration response
-Rogers, Laird
-Congressional hearings
-Buchanan’s view
-Media coverage
-Press conference
-Aid to Saigon
-Possible administration response
-Kissinger’s view
-President’s 1968 statement
-Rogers
-President’s 1966 statement concerning Lyndon B. Johnson’s Manila statement
-1968 statement
-Colson
-Rogers
-Manila statement
-US intentions
 4

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


Vietnam
-Mansfield
-Withdrawal of amendment
-News summary
-New York Times communication with North Vietnam
-Timing
-Possible withdrawal for prisoners of war [POWs]
-William J. Porter
-Negotiations
-Probable deadline for POW release
-Press coverage
-Muskie’s speech
-Reported rejection of President’s peace plan
-Poll

Lewis
-Vietnam
-Criticism
-PRC initiative
-Colleagues’ views
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Conversation February 2, 1972
-Kenneth B. Keating

President’s forthcoming trip to PRC
-Press coverage
-Possible tone
-Communiqué
-Taiwan, Republic of China
-William F. Buckley, Jr.
-Proposed opinion
-US policy
-Defense treaty
-Japan
 5

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


Muskie speech
-Possible administration response
-Rogers
-Newsweek
-Foreign Service
-Loyalty
-Test

Ireland
-US policy
-Possible impact on the British
-Rogers’s concern
-Inquiries from Buckley and Richard J. Daley
-Rogers’s upcoming meeting with Hillery

Keating
-Upcoming meeting with the President
-Conversation with Kissinger
-Type of communication
-Forthcoming Senate testimony
-Lakshmi Kant Jha
-Foreign Relations Committee
-Cable
-Efforts of Joseph J. Sisco and Rogers
-India - Pakistan War
-Indira Gandhi
-State Department talking points
-Jack N. Anderson papers
-Forthcoming conversation with President
-Gandhi’s visit
-State Department memoranda
-US-Indian relations
-Possible problems
-Kissinger’s conversation with Jha
-Timing
-Bangladesh
-US policy
 6

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


-Possible willingness to accept recognition
-Conversation with Kissinger
-Bangladesh
-Pakistan
-Arms sales

Bangladesh
-US aid
-Humanitarian relief
-Percentage of United Nations [UN] contributions
-State Department views
-Definitive answer after President’s trip to PRC

Keating
-Forthcoming Senate testimony
-Gandhi
-Restoration of US aid
-The President’s forthcoming world report
-Restoration of US aid
-Kissinger’s view


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 42s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6

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


Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Forthcoming conversation with President
-Tenure in office
-Upcoming offensive
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


Porter
-Style

President’s schedule
-Joseph S. Farland
-Florida
-Previous meeting
-Keating
-Forthcoming call from Farland
-Ambassadors

Yevgeny Yevtushenko
-Rogers’s memorandum to the President
-Content
-Announcement

Rogers’s schedule
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Kissinger’s memorandum
-Location
-Florida

[Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:49 am.]

[Conversation No. 665-1A]

Kissinger’s memorandum

Kissinger left at 9:49 am.

[No conversation]

Kissinger entered at 9:51 am.

Kissinger’s memorandum

Yevtushenko
-State Department
-Comment about Vietnam
-Liberals
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


[The President talked with Rogers between 9:52 am and 9:55 am.]

[Conversation No. 665-1B]

[See Conversation No. 20-43]

Yevtushenko
-Views of Vietnam
-Dobrynin
-Liberals
-Public relations
-Memorandum from Rogers

Ireland
-President’s recent conversation with Rogers
-US policy
-Rogers’s conversations
-Earl of Cromer, Hillery
-US policy
-Possible impact on the British
-Edward R.G. Heath
-Analogy to US domestic situation

President’s schedule
-Farland
-Upcoming meeting
-Key Biscayne
-Briefing books
-Preparation for forthcoming trip to PRC
-Mao Tse-tung, Chou En-lai
-Biographies
-Mao’s favorite novels
-Keating
-Timing
-Bunker
-Timing

Kissinger left at 9:59 am.
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


-Farland
-President’s reading material on PRC
-Buchanan
-Kissinger
-Key Biscayne
-Timing
-Departure time
-Reception


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 5s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10

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


Vietnam
-Problems with departments
-Negotiations
-October 1971
-Rogers, Laird
-Cambodia
-Kissinger compared to Rogers
-Kissinger’s personality
-Conflict

President’s schedule
-Yevtushenko
-Rogers’s possible actions
-Rogers’s memorandum
-Timing
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


-Press photograph
-Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins
-Kissinger’s request
-Drug story

Rogers
-Henry Kissinger
-Previous conversation with Haldeman
-Lunch with Benjamin C. Bradlee, February 2, 1972
-Katharine L. Graham
-Concern for Rogers
-Previous relationship with Graham
-Foreign policy problems
-John N. Mitchell
-Schedule
-Dobrynin’s meeting
-Israelis
-Unknown meetings
-Kissinger
-Credit
-Assumed credit

John B. Connally
-Relations within administration
-David M. Kennedy


Kennedy
-Perceived role
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
-The President, Kissinger
-Tenure
-Travel allowance
-Amount
-Rogers, Connally
-Request for more money
-Haldeman’s forthcoming meeting with Connally, Peter M. Flanigan, and Kissinger
-President’s instructions

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 9:59 am.
 11

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


Keating

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:08 am.

Kennedy
-Role with administration

Kissinger entered at 10:08 am.

-NATO post
-US Ambassadors in Brussels and Geneva
-Relations with Connally
-Kissinger’s possible conversation with Kennedy
-Kissinger’s possible conversation with Connally
-Haldeman
-Flanigan
-Connally’s role
-Leadership

Flanigan
-Role with administration
-Peter G. Peterson

Connally
-Role with administration
-Kennedy

Kennedy
-Role with administration
-NATO job
-Supervisory role
-Relations with Connally
-Cabinet
-Geneva
-Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
[OECD] ambassador’s report
-Flanigan’s forthcoming efforts
-Connally’s view
-Relations with Connally
-Negotiations
-Kissinger’s previous talk with Connally
 12

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


-Trade negotiations with Japan
-Kennedy’s role
-State Department
-President’s instructions
-Haldeman’s forthcoming efforts

The President’s schedule

Keating and the White House photographer entered at 10:14 am.

Prayer breakfast

Distribution of photographs

Haldeman and the White House photographer left at 10:15 am.

India-Pakistan relations
-Historic relationship
-Previous wars
-Partition
-1962
-1971
-Possible future
-Possible future relationships
-European Community
-Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
-Mujibur Rahman
-Gandhi
-USSR
-PRC
-Relationship with India
-1962 War
-Pakistan
-Keating’s forthcoming testimony
-Timing
-Anderson’s papers
-Keating’s cables
-Keating’s approach and knowledge
-Farland [?]

Bangladesh
 13

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


-US policy
-Peking visit


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 15
[National Security]
[Duration: 8s ]

INDIA

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 15

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


-Decision making process
-Announcement
-Timing
-PRC trip
-Semantics
-Proposed US action
-President’s instructions to Keating
-Pragmatism
-PRC
-India

President’s forthcoming world report to Congress
-Timing
-US relations with India
-Dialogue
-Use by Keating
-Indian foreign secretary [Trikoli Nath Kaul]
-Senate testimony
-Foreign aid
 14

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


India-Pakistan
-US policy
-President’s conversations with Gandhi, November 4-5, 1971
-State Department memoranda
-Kissinger
-Toast
-Jawaharlal Nehru
-US aid
-Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan
-Unilateral withdrawal
-Refugee problems
-Keating’s forthcoming conversations with Indians
-President’s previous contributions to India
-Competition with PRC
-Democracy
-UN
-Non-alignment
-USSR
-Kissinger’s briefing of Keating
-PRC
-President’s and Keating’s experience


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 18
[National Security]
[Duration: 1m 5s ]


INDIA


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 18

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


Triloki Nath Kaul
-Relationship with Keating
-Conversations with Keating
 15

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


-Overtures for better relations
-Relationship with Kissinger
-Kaul’s USSR sentiment

[Forename unknown] Dar

President’s conversation with Kaul
-Blair House
-Accommodations
-Compared to British

Kaul
-Closeness to the USSR
-Conversations with Keating
-Kissinger’s conversations with Jha
-Gandhi
-Kissinger’s instructions to Keating

Keating
-Communications with Kissinger
-State Department
-[David] Kenneth Rush and Bunker
-Walter H. Annenberg
-State Department

Leaks
-State Department
-French
-Kissinger’s previous trips to Paris

India
-Relations with the Administration
-Japan
-President’s forthcoming trip to PRC
-Aid
-US law
-US policy
-Senate Foreign Relations Committee
-Samuel J. Ervin, Jr.
-B. Everett Jordan
-Republicans’ views
 16

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


-UN resolutions on conflict with Pakistan
-Apology
-Point by UN Secretary General
-Aid
-Basis
-Refugees
-Percentage of UN assistance
-Bangladesh
-PRC trip
-Announcement

Bangladesh
-US policy
-Refugees
-Edward M. Kennedy’s statement
-Veracity

Keating’s forthcoming senate testimony
-Senate Foreign Relations Committee
-White House
-India-Pakistan War
-US policy
-State of the Union address
-Briefing for Keating
-Dr. David K.E. Bruce
-State Department’s views
-Keating’s upcoming testimony
-Previous meetings with Kennedy and W[illiam] Stuart Symington
-Possible political issue
-Anderson’s papers

Keating
-Role as ambassador
-Previous conversations with Kissinger and the State Department
-Forthcoming Senate testimony
-India-Pakistan War
-US policy
 17

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)


US-India relations
-Keating’s conversations
-Kaul’s speech
-Relationship with Gandhi
-India’s relationship with
-USSR
-PRC
-US
-US wish for India to succeed
-Keating’s forthcoming message for Kaul
-Discussion with the President
-Memorandum

Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Kennedy
-Conversations with Keating
-Rockefeller’s location
-Ron Stafford


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 16
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 17s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 16

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


Personnel management
-Annenberg
-Tenure
-Keating
-Tenure in office
-Preparation for possible resignation


******************************************************************************
 18

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 665-1 (cont.)



BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 17
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 2m 4s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 17
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Gifts
-Money clip

Keating
-Security

Unknown woman

Keating and Kissinger left at 10:52 am.