706–1

Conversation No. 706-1

Date: April 11, 1972
Time: 9:41 am - 10:09 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

Kissinger's parents
-Comments on previous meeting with the President

Democrats
-Edmund S. Muskie
-George S. McGovern

Soviet Union
-Message to Kissinger

White House staff
-Public talking points
-Meeting with Kissinger
-Herbert G. Klein
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower and Tricia Nixon Cox
-The President's outline
-Kissinger's additions

Soviet Union
-The President's trip
-Stopover in Poland
-Invitation
-Polish Ambassador
-Announcement
-Publicity
-Vietnam
-B-52 strikes

Vietnam
-Air strikes
-B-52 raids
-North Vietnamese accounts to its public
-Withholding of knowledge
-Reasons
 2

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 706-1 (cont.)


-Repeat strikes
-Time
-Size

The President's schedule
-Meetings with Kissinger
-Time
-Washington Special Action Group [WSAG] meeting

The President's Canadian trip
-Mention of Soviets

Vietnam
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Response
-Importance
-Weapons
-Soviet knowledge
-Uses in South Vietnam
-Military Region One
-Army of the Republic of Vietnam [ARVN] counter-attacks
-The President’s call to Alexander M. Haig, Jr., April 10, 1972
-Resupply efforts
-South Vietnam
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Movement of tanks and troops
-Twenty-first division
-An loc
-B-52 strike
-North Vietnamese losses
-US actions
-Concentration of power
-Haig
-II Corps and I Corps
-Air strikes
-B-3
-Haig
-Concentration of forces
-Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.
-Gen. Omar N. Bradley
 3

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 706-1 (cont.)


-Gen. Bernard L. Montgomery
-Military Region One
-Attacks over Demilitarized zone [DMZ]
-North Vietnamese retreat
-Compared with Laotian operation
-Air strikes
-Naval gunfire
-Cruiser
-Destruction of tanks
-Guns
-Size
-Range
-Secondary explosions
-Destruction
-Tanks
-Number
-Military Region Three
-Setbacks
-Ammunition dump
-Saigon
-Replacement of ammunition
-Dong Ha
-North Vietnamese casualties
-Air strikes
-B-52s
-Psychological impact on North Vietnam
-Number
-Increase
-Carriers
-US policy
-News reports
-Jerry W. Friedheim
-Ground forces
-Withdrawal
-The President's news summary
-New York Times and Washington Post
-Newsweek
-Time
-Newsweek
-Kissinger's meeting with Mel Elfin
-Time
 4

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 706-1 (cont.)


-Circulation of evidence
-New Republic
-US public opinion
-Polls
-Instructions to H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-The President's television appearance
-Timing
-Vietnamization
-Support
-Opposition to war
-Kissinger's staff meeting
-Prisoners of war [POW] meeting with relatives
-Haig
-The President's policies
-Kissinger's explanation
-Communist government in South Vietnam
-Withdrawal deadline
-Rejection by North Vietnam
-Kissinger’s schedule
-Kissinger's meeting with congressional group
-Leaders meeting
-Kissinger's talk
-Purpose
-John C. Stennis
-Political opposition
-The President's news summary
-People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Statement of April 10, 1972
-Compared with Hanoi’s statement
-Interpretation
-The President’s hypothetical statement
-Thieu
-Democratic Republic of Vietnam [DRV]
-Demands
-US-PRC relations
-US attacks on Hanoi
-Kissinger’s meeting with PRC ambassador
-Michael J. Mansfield’s visit to PRC

Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Briefing by Kissinger
 5

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 706-1 (cont.)



Vietnam
-Public relations efforts
-State Department
-Melvin R. Laird and William P. Rogers
-John A. Scali and Ronald L. Ziegler
-Joseph C. Kraft column
-Blame on Soviets
-Soviet summit
-Problems for democrats
-Rowland Evans column
-Soviet summit
-Soviet foreign policy
-Importance
-Germany
-PRC
-US-Soviet Union relations
-India-Pakistan War

Alastair Buchan
-Conversation with Kissinger
-Vietnam
-US responsibility
-Consequences of defeat
-Lectures to Council on Foreign Relations
-Defense of the President's policies
-Balance of power policies
-Criticism of liberals
-Liberals
-United Nations [UN]
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]

Vietnam
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Kissinger’s meeting with Robert S. McNamara
-Kissinger’s conversation with John B. Connally
-Call to Otto E. Passman
-NATO
-Soviets
-Miscalculation
-Cambodia
 6

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 706-1 (cont.)


-Laos
-Edward M. Kennedy's criticism
-Mistake
-[Julie Nixon Eisenhower]
-Appearance on Mike Douglas Show
-Today Show
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Tone
-Compared to Laos operation
-Wording
-The president's critics
-Views
-Hegemony
-Balance of power
-Relationship with alliances
-Nineteenth century
-Intellectual establishment
-Council on Foreign Relations
-Failure of ideas, ideals and heroes
-John F. Kennedy
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Hanoi press
-US success
-Compared with Laos operation
-Level of commitment
-Miscalculations
-Strength of South Vietnam
-US unresponsiveness
-Weather
-B-52 strikes
-DMZ
-Risks
-Surface-to-air missile [SAM] concentrations
-Hanoi

Kissinger’s schedule
-WSAG meeting
-Report

Vietnam
-The President's speech
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 706-1 (cont.)


-Scheduling
-Value compared to risks
-Domestic and foreign policy

Canadian speech
-Draft
-Delivery to the President
-Time

Kissinger left at 10:09 am.