855–11

Conversation No. 855-11

Date: February 14, 1973
Time: 10:51 am - 11:16 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

President's meeting with Richard M. Helms

Press relations
-Ziegler's press briefing
-Joint communique with Hanoi
-Nicholas P. Thimmesch's column
-California
-Compared with Joseph W. Alsop's column
-Criticism of President
-Editors
-Foreign policy
-Public support for President
-Bombings
-Desire for isolation
 -13-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-10)
Conversation No. 855-11 (cont’d)


-Frustration of critics
-Reasons

Rose Mary Woods entered at an unknown time after 10:51 am.

President's speech
-Press

Woods left at an unknown time before 11:16 am.

Press relations
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Vietnam War
-Moral issue
-Criticism of President
-Looking for issue

President's dinner at Trader Vic's
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-Washington, DC
-Outside visits
-F Street Club
-Columbia Country Club

Tax proposals
-Questions for President
-George P. Shultz
-Domestic Council
-Russell B. Long
-Criticism by press

Press relations
-Hostility to President
-Issues to use against President
-National healing
-Saturday Review of Literature
 -14-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-10)
Conversation No. 855-11 (cont’d)


Public relations
-Amnesty
-Antiwar people
-Environment
-Blacks
-Right wing
-Anger
-Divisiveness of issue

John Ford
-Telephone call with President
-Medal of Freedom
-California
-Illness
-Amnesty
-Opposition

Amnesty
-Opposition
-Majority
-Right wing
-Veterans, Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Divisiveness
-Abraham Lincoln
-Draft dodgers
-Civil War
-Opposition by Northerners
-Execution
-National unity
-Supporters
-Minority
-Leniency
-Law enforcement
-Individual cases
-Health examples
-Public opposition
-Supporters
 -15-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-10)
Conversation No. 855-11 (cont’d)


-Morality of war
-Real issue

Robert H. (“Bob”) Taylor
-News reports
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Providence, Rhode Island
-Conflicts
-William L. Duncan
-New York Times story
-Reasons for transfer
-News stories
-Duncan's career
-Desire for transfer
-James J. Rowley
-Secret Service leadership
-Taylor's career
-Emotional stability
-Court Administrator school
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Private business
-Duncan
-Dedication
-News sources
-Attacks on Haldeman
-Secret Service
-Helen A. Thomas
-Telephone calls
-Mrs. Robert Taylor
-John W. (“Jack”) Warner, Jr.
-News story
-Ziegler’s press briefing
-Duncan
-Providence, Rhode Island incident
-Advance men
-Secret Service stories
-Changes in posts and agents
 -16-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-10)
Conversation No. 855-11 (cont’d)


-John F. Kennedy
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Lyndon B. Johnson

San Clemente stories
-United Press International [UPI]
-News stories
-Costs
-Plane
-Handling in briefing
-Air Force appropriation
-Air Force responsibility for transportation
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Army
-Air Force decision
-Congressional appropriation
-Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower's plane trips
-Costs
-Secret Service
-Responsibility for costs

Air Force One
-Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
-Swearing-in travel
-Costs
-Helen Thomas

UPI
-Grant Dilmann
-Politicization
-Marion (Merriman) Smith
-Hostility to administration
-Frank Cormier
-“Dove”
-Walter P. Reuther
-Objectivity
-Frank Lowen
 -17-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-10)
Conversation No. 855-11 (cont’d)


-Jew
-Fairness
-George W. Cornell (?)
-Thomas
-Attacks on administration
-Norm Kisner
-Sacramento
-Work with Ziegler
-Liberal bias
-Appearance
-Intelligence
-Gene Richler
-Richler's father
-Background
-Competition from Associated Press [AP]
-Income source
-Amount of copy used
-Sensationalism
-Compared to Time, Look
-Lecturing about bias
-Thomas
-Hostility to administration
-Administration’s handling
-UPI reporters
-Norman Kempster

POW stories
-Support for President
-San Diego
-Robert D. Woods [?]
-Radio story from North Vietnam
-Raising flag for POWs return
-Symbolic gesture
-Publicity
-Washington Post
-Networks
-Radio
 -18-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-10)
Conversation No. 855-11 (cont’d)


-WTOP
-Johnson family [?]

Press relations
-US-Cuba hijacking agreement
-President’s remarks
-William P. Rogers
-Photograph session
-Talking with President
-Telephone calls
-Compared to State Department press statement
-Florida
-Melvin R. Laird
-Story on draft
-Release
-White House
-Authorize stories from departments
-Kenneth W. Clawson
-Public Information Officer [PIO] meetings

Photograph session
-Helms
-Location

Ziegler left at 11:16 am.