880–14

Conversation No. 880-14

Date: March 15, 1973
Time: Unknown between 2:55 pm and 3:55 pm
Location: Oval Office
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
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Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

Arrangements for Prisoners of war [POWs] reception

Lucy Ferguson, John Ferguson, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Williams, Jeannette Williams, Mark
Williams, Jonathan Williams, Diane Jordan, Shelby Jordan and Kim Jordan entered at 2:59 pm.
The White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

Introductions
-Size of family

Lucy Ferguson's work with White House
-Retirement
-Thanks
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

Photographs
-Arrangements
-Children
-Dress
-Copies
-Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins

Lucy Ferguson's work
-Thanks

Salutations

Lucy Ferguson, et al., left at 3:03 pm. Woods remained.

Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Recognition
-Medal
-Certificate
-Commendation
-Gifts
-Presidential cufflinks
-Pins
-J. Willard (“Bill”) Marriott, Jr. [?]
-Recognition
-Commendation
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Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


-Pins
-Bracelets
-Medals
-Design
-Eagle
-Marriott [?]
-Production
-Commendations
-Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft
-Inscription
-Presidential ashtrays

Max M. Fisher and Leonard Garment entered at 3:06 pm. The White House photographer was
present at the beginning of the meeting.

Greetings

President's press conference

Woods left at 3:06 pm.

Photograph
-Seating arrangements

Fisher's activities
-Fisher's work with Jewish community
-Foreign policy issues
-Middle East
-Soviet Jews
-Most Favored Nation [MFN] status
-Opposition of Jewish community
-Non-Jews
-Fisher's help for president
-Work with William P. Rogers
-Joseph J. Sisco
-Henry A. Kissinger [?]
-George P. Shultz
-Strategy

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-President's meeting with Golda Meir
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Tape Subject Log
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Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


-President's approach on Soviet Jews
-Unnamed congressman
-President's trip to People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Release of John T. Downey

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 3:06 pm.

Refreshment

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 3:55 pm.

USSR
-PRC trip by president
-Lack of conditions
-Relationship
-Results of trip
-Release of Downey
-Soviet Jewish emigration
-MFN
-US-USSR relations
-Agitation
-Dangers
-Summit
-Peace
-American Jews
-Congress
-Pandering
-Rate of emigration
-Reasons
-Relationship to MFN
-Economic initiatives
-American Jewish community
-Agitation
-Dangers to Soviet Jews
-President's approach
-US relations with USSR
-Goals
-Peace
-Relationship between superpowers
-Handling of Soviet Jewish emigration
-Arms limitations
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
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Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


-Communists
-Blame
-Press conference
-Soviet Jewish emigration
-Domestic issue
-Speech
-New York
-Herschel Schacter
-Heroics
-Leonid I. Brezhnev
-President’s approach
-Humanitarianism
-Germany
-Rider on MFN
-Economic progress
-Vietnam
-Arms limitations
-USSR’s leadership
-Paranoia, jingoistic pride
-Congressional action on MFN
-American Jewish community
-Responsibility
-Meir's and Yitzhak Rabin's attitude
-Peace prospects
-PRC
-Release of Downey
-Conditions
-Soviet Jewish emigration
-USSR’s goal
-Respectability
-President’s approach
-Public relations program
-Conditions on trade
-Treatment of Soviet Jews
-Insane asylums
-NAZIs
-Killing, torture
-Cruelty
-Handling of Soviet Jewish emigration
-US influence
-Rider on MFN
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
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Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


-American Jewish community
-Fisher’s role
-Rogers
-Leadership meeting
-Speech
-Congress
-Demagoguery
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Rider on MFN
-Battle against Jews
-Votes
-US relations with USSR
-Arms limitations
-Vietnam
-North Vietnam’s restraint
-Influence with USSR
-Communism
-Alger Hiss case
-Popularity of anticommunism
-American Jewish community
-Fisher's work
-Congress
-Votes
-Kissinger
-Leadership
-Strategy
-Interests
-Peace
-Soviet Jews
-Soviet Jewish emigration
-USSR’s reaction
-France, Great Britain
-Brezhnev
-Discussions with President
-Possible announcement
-Congress
-Internal matter
-Natural gas trade
-Conditions in USSR
-US reception
-Israel
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
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Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


-Immigrants to US
-Parole waiver
-Working class
-Intellectuals
-Nationalities
-President’s influence
-Dangers of rider on MFN
-Importance
-Comparison with arms for Israel
-Meir
-Airplanes
-Humanitarian problem
-Foreign policy problem
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
-Political ambition

American Jewish community
-Goodwill toward President
-Confidence in president
-Speech
-Herschel Schacter
-Leaders
-Meetings
-House of representatives
-Foreign policy issues
-Approach
-Communicating President’s sympathy
-Confidence in Rogers
-Middle East
-Attitude toward Kissinger
-“Peace at home”
-Administration’s efforts
-Garment’s role
-Fisher's approach
-President’s suggestions

Vietnam
-Status of cease-fire
-Infiltration
-Handling of North Vietnamese
-Compared to handling of American Jewish community
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
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Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)



USSR
-Brezhnev's visit
-Dinner
-Republicans from Jewish community
-Representation
-Fisher's work with Jewish community
-New York
-Strategy
-Garment’s role
-Rogers's appearance on \"face the nation\"
-Disclosure of strategy
-Secrecy
-President’s sympathy
-Brezhnev
-Work with Congress,
-Jacob K. Javits and Abraham A. Ribicoff
-Political overtones
-Partisanship
-Strategy
-Approaches
-Georgi Arbatov
-Speech
-Institute on American Relations with the Soviet Union
-Fall-out
-American Jewish community
-PRC
-Kissinger
-Fisher’s work with American Jewish community
-President’s suggestions

Energy
-John D. Ehrlichman, Charles J. DiBona
-Fisher's advice
-Knowledge of oil and Middle East
-Advisory group
-Fisher’s inclusion
-John B. Connally
-Oil companies
-Fisher’s patriotism
-Ken Jameson’s exclusion
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-10)
Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


-Standard Oil of New Jersey
-Standard Oil of California
-President’s friend
-Standard Oil of Texas
-Connally
-Charles J. DiBona
-Intelligence
-Knowledge of oil
-System analysis
-Meeting with Fisher
-Fisher’s association with oil company
-Discontinuation
-Ehrlichman
-President’s trust
-Connally
-Natural gas investments
-Natural gas
-Price
-Need for action
-Kerr-Mills Bill
- Dwight D. Eisenhower's veto
-Motivation
-Francis case [?]
-Campaign contribution scandal
-California
-Results
-Garment’s knowledge
-Contributions
-Natural gas company
-Ruthlessness
-Decontrol
-Ehrlichman
-Extent
-Political fall-out
-Ehrlichman
-El Paso Gas Company
-Antitrust case
-Fisher's work
-Support for President
-Priorities
-Trip overseas
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
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Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


-Prestige

[First name unknown] Tyson [?]
-US Steel
-Geneva [?]
-Trade negotiations

Fisher’s work for administration
-European Economic Community
-Negotiations
-George P. Shultz, Peter M. Flanigan
-Business Council
-Quality of advice
-Selfishness
-James M. Roche[?]
-Donald McI. Kendall
-Informal business group
-Business Council
-Connally
-Paul W. McCrackan

Food
-Prices
-Fisher's advice
-Production levels
-Consumption levels
-POWs
-Physical condition
-Diet
-Capt. Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr., Col. Robinson Risner
-Solitary confinement
-Character
-Diet
-Physical condition
-Dental problems
-Surgery
-Civil War
-Denton
-Condition of teeth
-Reasons
-Diet
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-10)
Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


-Diets
-Concentration camp survivors
-NAZIs
-Condition of teeth
-Reasons
-Dentures
-Compared to American diet
-Smoking

POWs
-Captivity
-Communication in prison
-Morse code
-Sweeping
-Writing paper
-Reading matter
-Propaganda
-Solitary confinement
-Survivors
-Quiet voices
-Improvement in treatment
-American elite
-Prison camps
-World War II
-Movie, The Great Escape
-Survival
-Treatment of POWs
-Brutality
-Adolph Hitler
-Retention of American values
-Denton's letter to President

Fisher's wife
-Parties
-Appointment to position
-Kennedy Center
-National Commission on the Arts
-New elite of the President's supporters
-Sammy Davis, Jr.

Joseph J. Sisco
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
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Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


-Trustworthiness
-Jewish community’s support
-Middle East
-US ambassador to Israel
-Kissinger
-Replacement
-Consequences
-Work with Kissinger
-Quality of work
-Assistant Secretary of State

Israel
-US ambassador
-Appointment
-Paul N. (“Pete”) McCloskey, Jr.
-Jewish community
-Kenneth B. Keating
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Support for Israel
-Assistant Secretary of State
-Prestige
-Work with Kissinger
-Sisco
-Germany
-Tom [last name unknown]
-Qualifications
-American Jewish community
-Support for Sisco
-Garment’s role
-Reaction to Rogers's plan
-Kissinger

Campaign contribution

Fisher and Garment left at 3:55 pm.
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-10)
Conversation No. 880-15 (cont’d)