725–10

Conversation No. 725-10

Date: May 16, 1972
Time: 8:14 am- 8:43 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

George C. Wallace
-Assassination attempt
-Parallel to Vietnam War
-Arthur H. Bremer
-Political affiliation
-Young Democrats
-Wisconsin
-The President’s view

Vietnam
-Opposition
-Eugene J. McCarthy's comments
-Wallace
-Hubert H. Humphrey's comments
-George S. McGovern's comments
-Comments about Lyndon B. Johnson's comments
-Vietnamese casualties
-Paul N. (“Pete”) McCloskey, Jr.
-Military action
-Hue
-Press coverage
-Washington Post
-New York Times
-Bastogne area
-Captured ammunition dump
-North Vietnamese casualties
-Fire support base Nancy
-Air cavalry team
-Location
-Damage
-Military Region II
-Damage
-Statistics
-Tube-loaded, optically-tracked, wire-guided weapons [TOWs]
 7

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan-02)


-Effect on tanks
-Haig’s previous experience with tanks
-An Loc
-Troop movements
-Damage
-Air strikes
-Level
-Hanoi
-Railroads


The President talked with Dr. William M. Lukash between 8:19 and 8:25 am.

[Conversation No. 725-10A]


[See Conversation No. 24-140]

[End of telephone conversation]

Vietnam
-President's previous speech on the blockade
-Psychological effect
-South Vietnamese
-North Vietnamese
-Soviets
-Effect on Soviet summit
-US leadership
-Effect on People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Boeing trip
-Reception
-Effect on North Vietnamese military actions
-Press coverage
-Characterization of President
-Soviet actions
-Czechoslovakia
-Hungary
-Timing
-Public opinion
-Washington, DC
-Blacks
-Louis P. Harris Poll
-Results
-Possible change
 8

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan-02)


-Press coverage
-Prisoners of War [POW] wives
-Saratoga
-Squadrons from Thailand
-New carrier
-Anti-submarine warfare [ASW]
-Squadrons
-Delay
-Air strikes in North Vietnam
-Hanoi
-Vankari[sp?] Pass
-Damage
-Petroleum, oil and lubricants [POL]
-Trucks
-Missile sites
-Predicted effect
-Peace negotiations
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Note from Aanatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Activity in Paris
-Plenary session
-US actions
-Effect on Soviets
-Soviet summit
-Previous North Vietnam position
-Military action
-Intensity
-Effect
-Targets
-Power plants
-President's interest
-Anthony Lewis
-Kissinger's statements to President
-The President’s view
-Duong Ha
-Location of main Hanoi plant
-Location of previous targets
-Haiphong
-Anti-aircraft control center
-Effect
-Compared to Colorado Springs
-Peace negotiations
-Timing
-Moscow trip
 9

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan-02)


-William J. Porter
-Schedule
-Haig’s view
-Instructions
-US proposal
-Finality
-POWs
-Cease-fire
-Timing
-President's previous speech on the blockade
-Richard M. Helms's position
-National Security Council [NSC] meeting
-Laird's position
-William P. Rogers's position
-Necessity
-Press coverage
-Time
-Life
-Newsweek
-Senate action
-South Vietnam morale
-Haig's opinion
-Compared with 1968 situation
-Nature of warfare
-Cambodia
-Sealanes
-Railroad and POL targets
-Haig's opinion
-Use of B-52s
-Kissinger's opinion
-Locations
-South
-Kontum area
-North
-Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-Previous US military actions
-Cambodia
-Laos
-Effect
-Current US military actions
-Effect
-Soviet Union
-PRC
-North Vietnam
 10

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Jan-02)


-South Vietnam
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Commanders
-Cambodia
-Lon Nol
-North Vietnamese withdrawal
-Political situation
-Laos
-Enemy positions
-Peace settlement
-Compared to World War II
-Effect of US-Soviet Union and US-PRC relations
-South Vietnam
-Cambodia
-Laos
-Morale
-Tanks
-Locations
-Central Highlands
-III corps
-World War I analogy
-Battle of Cambrai
-Unknown book
-Abrams
-Location
-Numbers
-Instructions to Abrams
-Winston S. Churchill
-Volume II of memoirs
-Appendix: Tanks
-Location
-Number
-The President’s view
-Promotion
-Laird

Haig left at 8:43 am