780–1

Conversation No. 779-3/780-1

Date: September 15-16, 1972
Time: Unknown between 11:43 pm, September 15 and 1:01 am, September 16, 1972
Location: Oval Office

[An unknown portion of the conversation was not recorded while the tape was changed]

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger and Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

Vietnam peace negotiations
-Kissinger’s meeting with Le Duc Tho
-Release of US Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Perception of US thinking
-Reciprocation by US
-Peace group
-Hanoi
-Announcement
-Georges J.R. Pompidou
-Possible press reaction
-Saigon
-Peace proposals by North Vietnam
-Kissinger’s view
-Provisional government
-Nguyen Van Thieu’s position
-Various approaches
-Territorial control
-Future meetings
-September 29, 1972
-State Department interpreter
-W[illiam] Averell Harriman
-Possible settlement
-Timing
-1972 election
-Louis P. Harris poll
-Concessions
-October 15, 1972
-Scheduling with North Vietnamese
-Saigon
 2

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)

-The President
-Domestic opposition
-Reaction
-Prospects
-Kissinger’s view
-Le Duc Tho
-Kissinger’s view
-International Control Commission
-Political settlement
-Two-day meeting
-Possible motivations
-Effect on 1972 election
-Publicity
-The President’s possible re-election
-Kissinger’s view
-Bombing
-Effect on North Vietnamese
-Negotiation stance for November
-Tone
-Compared to 1971
-Chou En-Lai
-North Vietnamese
-Possible settlement
-Negotiating tactics
-Speed of negotiations
-Changes in demands
-Saigon’s position
-Attitude
-Kissinger’s meeting with Pompidou
-New US proposal
-Thieu
-Negotiating stance
-Cease fire
-North Vietnamese
-Negotiating stance
-Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Le Duc Tho
-Moscow
-Kiril Mazurov
-Kissinger’s meeting with Brezhnev
-Kremlin
 3

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)

-Politburo
-Cabinet room
-The President
-US visit
-Camp David
-Soviet naval base
-Key Biscayne, Florida
-Brezhnev’s gift to the President
-Hydrofoil
-Peace talks
-Soviet Union position
-Le Duc Tho statement
-Thieu
-Peace negotiations
-Pompidou
-Edward R.C. Heath
-Willy Brandt
-Kissinger’s forthcoming press conference
-Report on negotiations
-The President’s dealings with Brezhnev
-Complete peace package

US-Soviet relations
-Public announcements
-William P. Rogers
-Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty [SALT]
-Informing Soviets
-Possible leaks
-Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions [MBFR] and European Security
Conference
-State Department handling
-Rogers
-Date for talks
-SALT II
-Timing
-US-Soviet trade agreement
-Scheduling
-Guarantee of all agreements
-SALT
-Trade
-Maritime agreement
 4

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)

-Bunkering
-Trade agreement
-Progress
-Rogers
-Monetary figures
-Lend-lease
-Amounts
-Trade agreement
-James T. Lynn
-Peter G. Peterson
-The President’s view

Kissinger’s forthcoming press conference
-Announcement of agreements
-Actual peace agreement for Vietnam
-Kissinger’s handling of question
-European Security Conference
-Issues
-SALT
-Vietnam peace progress
-Press report
-Dan Rather
-Moscow
-Blockade’s effect on Hanoi
-Rather
-Administration sources
-State Department
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Blockade’s effectiveness
-Documents leaked
-Tonnage delivered to North Vietnam
-Delivery of material to South Vietnam
-Intercepts
-Paris negotiations
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]

Kissinger’s schedule
-State Department
-Rogers
-Meetings with Brezhnev
-Conversation
 5

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)


Kissinger and Haig left at an unknown time before 1:01 am, September 16, 1972.