667–1

Conversation No. 667-1

Date: February 8, 1972
Time: 10:25 am - 12:20 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and Alexander P. Butterfield.

Environmental program message, February 8, 1972
-President’s signature
-Pens as gifts
-Upcoming photograph opportunity
-John C. Whitaker
-Pens

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 11:00 am.

The President’s schedule
-Congressional leaders and cabinet meeting
-William P. Rogers
-John B. Connally
-Hugh Scott
-Connally
-Scott
-Rogers
-Effectiveness
-Reaction
-Scott
-Rhetoric
-Duration
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Compromise
-Earl L. Butz
-Dock strike

Butz
-Helping the President
-Farming
-Butz’s position
-Support of farmers
-Clifford M. Hardin
-Compared to Butz
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-Food prices
-Wholesale and retail
-Beef
-Hamburger

The President’s schedule
-Connally
-Robert S. McNamara
-Peter M. Flanigan
-Attendance at upcoming meeting
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Flanigan

The President’s speech, February 7, 1972
-New York Times
-The President’s view
-Drafting
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Audience for speech

Speech writing
-Price
-Douglas L. Hallett
-University of Nebraska speech
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-News coverage
-University of Nebraska speech
-Audience for February 7, 1972 speech
-The President’s work on Vietnam peace proposal speech, January 25, 1972
-Kissinger draft
-Length
-Style
-Cheer lines
-Frequency of speeches
-Price
-William L. Safire
-Style of speeches
-Improvements

Connally
-Memorandum to the President about Value-added tax [VAT]
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-Flanigan and Haldeman
-John D. Ehrlichman’s reply
-Memorandum
-Treasury Department

Instructions for Haldeman to meet with Connally and Kissinger
-Connally
-Scheduling
-White House
-President’s instructions on handling
-Letters
-Ehrlichman
-George P. Shultz
-Kissinger
-Flanigan
-Schedule
-Ability to accomplish work
-Meetings with ambassadors
-Congressmen
-William P. Pannell
-Example
-Ambasador from Mauritania
-Ehrlichman
-Handling
-Kissinger
-Letters to Rogers and Melvin R. Laird
-Telephone
-Letters
-Discretion
-Copy of Ehrlichman memorandum to Haldeman
-Possible talk with Ehrlichman

The President’s schedule
-Center for Voluntary Action
-Dinner
-Awards
-Awardees
-Eunice (Kennedy) Shriver
-Presentation
-Bipartisan leaders meeting
-Butterfield
-Ronald L. Ziegler
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-Armed Services Committee
-Foreign Relations Committee
-Appropriations Committee
-Foreign policy draft
-Safire
-Length
-Speeches
-February 7, 1972
-Quality
-Meeting
-Political interests involved

Connally
-Involvement with the 1990 Conference
-Maurice H. Stans

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:25 am.

-1990 Conference program
-Call from Connally’s office

Bull left at an unknown time before 11:00 am.

-Economics

Speeches
-Possible alternative
-Writers
-Price
-Previous conversation with Haldeman
-PRC
-The President’s preparation
-Amount of time
-Writers
-Computers
-Speechwriting
-Amount of work involved
-Understanding

Connally
-Activism
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Bull [?] entered and left at an unknown time before 11:00 am.

-Panels
-Luncheons
-James D. Hodgson
-Lunch
-Scheduling
-Attendance

Speeches
-Scheduling
-Suggestions from Haldeman
-Dictation
-Drafts
-Critiques
-Amount of time
-Price
-Outline
-Draft
-State of the Union address
-Talking points
-Reading
-State of the Union
-Reading
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Harry S. Truman
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Speechwriters
-Television
-Radio
-Comparisons to the President
-The President
-New York Times

Bull entered at an unknown time after between 10:25 am.

Request that Ziegler come to the Oval Office

Bull left at an unknown time before 11:00 am.

Speeches
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-Planning
-Text
-Preparation
-Cameras
-Prepared text
-Importance

Ziegler entered at 11:00 am.

-February 7, 1972 speech
-Press coverage
-Television
-Advanced text
-Benefits
-Live coverage
-Preferred times

Scheduling
-Preferences
-Time of day
-Television
-Advantages and disadvantages
-Radio
-Newspapers
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS] and the Today show
-Radio
-Possible impact

Scott
-Post leadership briefing
-Dock strike
-Losses in 1972
-Vietnam
-Foreign policy
-Alternatives
-President’s 1960 platform statement
-Statistics
-Vietnam
-Casualties
-Age
-Rogers
-Loyalty
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Ziegler’s schedule
-Environmental message
-William D. Ruckelshaus and Russell E. Train

Messages
-Suggestions from the President
-Length of time
-Number of words
-Desired length
-Teleprompter
-Dinners
-Messages
-Dinners
-Length

Speeches
-Speechwriting
-Idiom
-State of the Union address
-February 7, 1972 speech
-PRC
-Price
-Speechwriting compared with advertising
-Intricacies
-Scott
-Gerald R. Ford
-Speechwriting style
-Safire [?]
-L. Richard Guylay memorandum
-Scott

Haldeman’s statement on Today show
-Main story on the major networks

Leaders meeting
-Kissinger
-Previous conversation with Ziegler
-Manila conference, 1966
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Negotiations
-Unilateral declaration
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-Senators
-Columnists
-Haldeman’s statement
-Reaction by leaders

Haldeman’s statement
-Robert D. Novak
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Vietnam policy
-Ziegler’s view
-Democrats
-Polls
-Reaction of Nancy Ziegler’s mother
-McCarthyism
-“Average” radio listener

The President’s background

Harry S. Dent
-President’s relationship with the press
-South

Leaders meeting
-Press briefing

Media relations
-National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
-Muskie story
-Timing
-Press
-Conferences
-Today show
-Haldeman’s comments
-Haldeman’s comments
-Reporters
-Press corps
-Opposition to the President
-Allen S. Drury
-Washington Star
-Differences discussed
-Strategy
-Fairness from the administration
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-Methods used by the press
-1960
-Herbert G. Klein’s view
-Media bias
-Press confrences
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-John F. Kennedy
-Number of press conferences
-Cabinet meeting
-Role of Press secretary
-Questions and answers
-Ziegler
-Timing
-Location

Leaders meeting
-Jack F. Kemp
-William A. Steiger
-William E. Brock, III
-Steiger
-Brock

Haldeman’s statement
-Response from Democrats
-Unknown person
-Cameras
-Rogers
-Statements
-Impressions on country
-News
-Critics
-Vietnam
-Communism
-Joseph C. Kraft
-South Vietnam
-George S. McGovern
-Communism
-Possible ceasefire
-Ziegler’s view

Vietnam
-Democrats
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-Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu
-Prisoners of War [POW’s]
-Strategy
-Negotiations
-Communists
-South Vietnam
-Thieu
-Haldeman’s statement
-Presidential responsibilities
-Criticism of the President
-Support for the President
-Ceasefire
-Public opinion
-Thieu
-Muskie
-Statement
-Joseph W. Alsop
-Settlement
-Public sentiment
-Election
-Presidential responsibilities
-Public reaction
-Media coverage
-Criticism

Ziegler left at 11:32 am.

Dent

Media relations
-Connally
-National mood
-Muskie
-Possible program

Issues
-President’s schedule
-Ability to take on new challenges
-PRC
-Moscow
-Upcoming visits
-Vietnam war
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-Unemployment
-Rate
-Desired rate
-Budgets
-Economy
-California
-Unemployment rate
-Robert H. Finch
-Haldeman
-Schedule

Connally
-Talk with Ehrlichman
-Ehrlichman’s location
-Schedule
-Experience as governor

The President’s schedule
-Ambassadors
-Vice President
-Kissinger
-Rogers
-Abilities
-Compared to Kissinger
-Leaders meeting
-Kissinger
-Rogers
-Haldeman

Rogers
-Defense of the President
-Compared to Kissinger
-Ziegler’s view

Kissinger
-Press briefings
-Television
-Knowledge
-John A. Scali
-The President’s speech
-Press conference
-Kissinger’s approach
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-1972 election
-Rogers’s statement
-Substance
-The President
-Rogers
-Media
-Superficiality

Political leaders
-Congress
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Ronald W. Reagan
-Belief in simplification
-Effectiveness
-Kissinger’s effectiveness
-Knowledge
-1969
-Spokesman
-Briefings
-Rogers
-Scali
- Effectiveness as a briefer
-Ehrlichman
-White House spokesman
-Cabinet officers
-Competition
-Rogers
-Laird
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Peace proposal
-Kissinger’s trips to Paris
-Rogers
-Dobrynin
-Chou en-Lai
-Dialogue
-Chinese
-Kissinger’s intelligence
-Chou en-Lai
-Relationship with Kissinger

Butterfield entered at an unknown time after 11:32 am.
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Inquiry about request for Butterfield’s presence

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 11:55 am.

Media relations
-Briefing system
-Changes
-White House staff
-Cabinet
-Kissinger
-British Broadcasting Company [BBC]
-Special
-Eve of PRC trip
-British press
-Potential stories
-Barbara Walters
-Interview
-Today show
-BBC
-Possible advantages
-Congress
-American networks
-Interview
-Return from PRC
-Poor Richard’s Club
-Philadelphia
-Audience
-Influence

Kissinger entered at 11:55 am.

PRC trip
-Briefing book
-Chinese
-Chou En-Lai
-Previous conversation with Kissinger
-Position

Haldeman left at 11:56 am.

-Reading material for the President
-Kissinger
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-Memoranda
-Briefing book
-The President’s schedule
-PRC position
-The President’s position
-Recommendations
-Chou En-Lai
-Kissinger
-Briefing book

South Asia
-Robert S. McNamara
-Kissinger’s location
-India and Pakistan
-Kissinger’s previous conversation with Connally and Rogers
-Humanitarian relief
-Pakistan
-Bangladesh
-Briefing paper
-India
-Possible US aid
-Trip
-Purpose
-India
-Haldeman
-Edward M. Kennedy
-Robert F. Kennedy’s son
-Joan Kennedy
-Upcoming visit
-Reception
-Kissinger
-Upcoming lunch with Indian ambassador [Lakshmi Kant Jha]
-Timing
-Aid
-Edward Kennedy’s upcoming visit to India
-India
-Congressional votes


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
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[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 44s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
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Leaders meeting
-Scott
-Speech
-The President’s speech
-Manila Conference,1966
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Negotiations
-Unilateral statement
-President’s role

Democrats
-George S. McGovern
-Scott’s opinion
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
-Possible reaction


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 2m 7s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7

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Algeria
-Gen. Charles A.J.M. De Gaulle
-Radicals
-France
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-US
-Timing
-Number of years
-Opposition on right

Vietnam
-South Vietnam
-Communists
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Dinner attendance at British embassy
-Arthur Goldberg statement
-Muskie
-Democrats
-Stewart J.O. Alsop
-Muskie
-North Vietnamese
-News summary
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Possible deal
-Upcoming presidential election
-Dobrynin
-Talk with Kissinger
-EC-121 shootdown [April 1969]
-Cambodia
-Laos
-Offensive
-Effect
-Negotiations
-Negotiations
-Bombing
-Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
-Timing
-Military affairs
-Possible stories from Pentagon
-Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]

Reorganization
-Second term tasks
-State Department
-Defense Department personnel
-Moorer
-Previous conversation with the President
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-Arthur W. Radford
-Moorer
-Gen. William C. Westmoreland retirement
-Timing
-Haig
-Kissinger’s recommendation to the President
-Vice Chief of Staff
-Qualifications
-Kenneth E. Belieu
-Upcoming conversation with Kissinger
-Loyalty
-PRC and USSR trips
-Moorer retirement
-Chairman of JCS
-Haig’s possible future

Vietnam
-Bombing
-Targets
-Military thinking
-Military art
-World Wars I and II
-Winston L. Churchill
-Korean War
-Civilian efforts
-Korean War
-Gen. Douglas MacArthur
-Inchon landings
-Japan
-Wake Island
-Yalu River
-Bombing
-Status
-Weather
-Targets
-Sorties
-Carriers
-B-52s, A1s, F4s
-Timing
-South Vietnam
-North Vietnam attacks on South Vietnam
-Timing
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-PRC trip
-US advantages
-Expectations
-Communication
-Lam Son operation
-Kissinger’s opinion
-Air power
-B-52s
-US
-Experience in warfare
-Logistics
-MacArthur
-Strategy
-Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.
-Tactics
-German commanders
-Comparisons
-World War I
-France
-Casualties
-First Battle of the Marne
-Verdun
-[Battle of the Somme]
-Austria
-Italy
-Balkans
-MacArthur
-Patton
-Bombing
-Article
-US Military
-Compared to German military
-Cambodia
-Laos
-Bombing
-North Vietnam
-Mining
-Bombing
-Withdrawal
-Leonid I. Brezhnev letter

Kissinger left at 12:20 pm.
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