864–7

Conversation No. 864-7

Date: February 27, 1973
Time: 4:37 pm-5:19 pm
Location: Oval Office
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


The President met with Richard M. Helms.

Departure for Iran

Rose Mary Woods

Paper on Israel
-Helms’s view
-US position
-Leverage

Israel’s weapon requests
-Planes
-Golda Meir
-Necessity
-Air power capacities
-Compared to 1967 war


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National security]
[Duration 19s]
WEAPONS

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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Golda Meir

Prime Minister of Iran [Premier] Amir Abbas Hoveida
-News summary
-Jack Anderson story
-Helms

Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi
-Helm’s appointment as Ambassador to Iran
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


-Reaction


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[National security]
[Duration: 12s]

US-IRAN RELATIONS

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
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Shah of Iran
-Helms
-Complimentary appointment
-Visit to US
-Scheduling
-December
-May, June
-Empress Farah Diba
-Public relations [PR]
-Camp David
-Demonstrations
-Scheduling
-Oil
-Meeting with Helms
-Relationship with US
-Specialness
-Relationship with Helms
-Visit to US
-Diba
-Dinner in San Clemente
-Camp David
-State dinner
-Camp David
-Facilities
 -11-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


-Visit to New York
-Oil talks [?]
-Progress

Henry A. Kissinger entered at 4:45 pm.

John B. Connally
-Visit to Iran
-Talk with Helms
-President’s request

Shah of Iran
-Visit to US
-Scheduling
-Africans
-Kissinger

Sese Seko Mobutu
-Patrol boats
-Congo region
-Communists
-Trade for fire boats


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[National security]
[Duration: 20s]

CONTACTS

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO.3
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Aden, Yemen
-Cubans
-Pilots, technicians
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)



Pakistan
-Role of Iran
-US aid
-Iran
-Spare parts
-Morale
-Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
-Mrs. Bhutto
-Hong Kong newspaper
-Cable
-Beauty

Gulf states

Iran
-Diplomatic post
-Excitement
-Compared with Europe
-Berlin, Bonn
-East Europe

Middle East
-Persian Gulf
-Kissinger’s talk with Hussein ibn Talal [Hussein, King of Jordan]
-Oman
-Difficulties
-Helms’s viewpoint
-State Department telegrams
-Use of back channels

Oman
-Army
-Dhofar region
-Iran’s role
-Sale of helicopters
-Saudi Arabia’s role
-Sale of helicopters
 -13-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


-Financing
-State Department
-Foreign Military Sales Act compared with grant aid
-Congress

Iraq
-Relations with French and Dutch
-Impact on Iran and Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia
-Ambassador
-Nicholas G. Thacher
-Career service
-Oil reserves
-Compared with Iran
-American consortium
-Share of market
-Compared with Iran
-Importance to US
-Competition with Britain, France, and Japan
-Solution
-Ambassador

Prisoners of war [POWs]
-North Vietnamese Statements
-Compliance with cease-fire agreement
-Messages
-Cease-fire violations
-South Vietnam

Cease-fire violations
-Nguyen van Thieu
-North Vietnam
-Infiltrations
-US reactions

Oil problem
-Need to have oil advisor in White House
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


-Helm’s recommendation


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[National security]
[Duration: 3s]

OIL

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
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Oil problem
-Oil advisor
-Thomas C. Barger
-Arabian-American Oil Company [ARAMCO]
-Recommendations
-Otto Miller
-Caltex
-John A. McCone
-Qualifications
-Retired to South Carolina; La Jolla, California
-Experience
-Alternative energy sources
-Oil sheiks
-Edward Teller
-Advice
-Ideas
-Nuclear, shale
-Charles J. DiBona
-Teller
-Problems

Iran
-State visit
-Helms
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


-Return to US
-Report
-John A.Volpe [?]

Iran
-Visit by President
-Embassy
-Accommodations
-Compared with US embassy in Japan
-Visit by President when out of office in 1967
-Women

Helms left at 4:59 pm.

Vietnam settlement
-Cease-fire agreement

Press conference
-President’s attendance
-Kissinger’s advice
-Rhetoric
-Cessation of bombing

North Vietnamese complaints
-Validity
-Cease-fire violations
-Government of Vietnam [GVN] [South Vietnam]
-Joint Military Commission
-Kissinger’s telegram to Thieu
-Dissolution
-Accommodations
-Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Message to North Vietnam
-Talks with South Vietnam
-Bunker
-US response
-Mining
-POWs
 -16-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


-Public relations
-Resolution of problem

Press conference
-President’s appearance
-President’s view
-Questions
-Aid to Vietnam
-Thieu

North Vietnam’s statements
-POWs
-Delay of release
-Economic Commission
-US delay
-Reply to Kissinger’s message on mining
-Toughness
-Economic Commission
-Kissinger’s reply
-Economic Commission
-Two-track method
-South Vietnam

Vietnam settlement
-Kissinger’s view
-POWs
-Movement
-Kissinger’s talk with William H. Sullivan
-William P. Rogers
-Conference
-Kissinger’s talk with George R. S. Baring [Earl of Cromer]
-House of Commons
-Sir Alexander F. (“Alec”) Douglas-Home
-Attendance at international conference on Vietnam
-Rogers
-Public relations
-International conference on Vietnam
-Credit
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


-Douglas-Home, Nguyen Duy Trinh
-People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Message
-POWs
-US response
-Reaction to delays
-Aid to Vietnam
-Stories
-Effect
-Public statements
-Kissinger’s message
-December 1972 bombing
-Effect
-Compared with private talks
-Ultimatum

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Summit
-Handling
-State Department
-Rogers
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin

International conference on Vietnam
-President’s public pronouncements
-List of POWs
-Scheduled release dates

Vietnam settlement
-Cease-fire violations
-Thieu
-Laos
-Infiltration
-North and South Vietnam
-Thieu’s actions
-POWs
-US aid to South Vietnam
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


The Earl of Cromer
-Story about Vietnam
-Departure from post
-Lady Cromer
-Common market post

Vietnam settlement
-Length
-US goal
-Stability
-Timing

Vietnam
-Public awareness
-Waning interest
-POWs
-Troops

South Vietnam
-Number of US advisors
-Civilian, economic, military
-Survival
-Settlement agreement
-Number of US advisors
-Reduction
-News summary

Helms
-Job as ambassador

Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-James R. Schlesinger
-Shake up


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[National security]
 -19-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


[Duration: 1m 22s]

CIA

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
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CIA
-Office of Strategic Services [OSS]
-Age

International conference on Vietnam
-USSR, PRC reactions
-France
-Georges J. R. Pompidou
-North Vietnam
-Canada
-Pierre E. Trudeau
-Relations with US
-North Vietnam
-National recognition
-Peace settlement
-Kissinger’s message
-Joint Economic Commission
-Thieu
-Paris
-Delivery
-Timing
-Tone
-POWs
-Return
-North Vietnam’s response
-Contents
-Col. Bui Tin’s statement
-Four-power military commission
-Unofficial
-Testing US
 -20-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-09)
Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


-Military operations
-Laos
-Response to Saigon’s initiatives
-Civilian prisoners

Civilian prisoners
-Number released
-Convicts
-Amnesty
-Cadres
-Number released
-Disappearances
-Numbers
-Thieu
-Responsibility
-Effects on US
-Nguyen Thi Binh
-Foreign Minister of Provisional Revolutionary Government of South
Vietnam
-Capital
-GVN
-Territory
-Civilian prisoners
-Hanoi’s embarrassment

Kissinger left at 5:19 pm.