909–25

Conversation No. 909-25

Date: May 2, 1973
Time: 11:04 am - 12:10 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Willy Brandt.

Greetings

-Head of State dinner, May 1


Brandt’s schedule

-National Press Club speech

-Meeting with President

-Composition
-Foreign ministers
-Photo opportunity
-Walter Scheel, William P. Rogers, Henry A. Kissinger, and Egon Bahr

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 11:04 am.

Scheel, Rogers, Kissinger, and Bahr

-Meeting with President and Brandt

-Composition


The unknown man left at an unknown time before 11:06 am.

The Carpenters

-President’s viewpoint

-Brandt’s opinion


East-West relations

-Detente

-Kissinger’s forthcoming trip to Moscow

-Soviet summit

Henry A. Kissinger entered at 11:06 am.
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)


Greetings


Agenda for meeting

-Energy

-Middle East


Brandt’s schedule

-Forthcoming National Press Club speech


Weather


Kissinger’s schedule

-Moscow and Copenhagen

Rogers, Scheel, and Bahr entered at 11:07 am.

Seating arrangements
-Press photographs

Brandt’s schedule
-National Press Club speech
-Weather

Members of the press and the White House photographer entered at 11:08 am.

Humor
-Translation


Press photographs


Head of State dinner

-Entertainment

-Youth

-California


Scheel [?]

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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

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Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)


Young American [?]

Press photographs

-Fishing analogy


Violin [?]

Stock [?]

The press and the White House photographer left at 11:13 am.

Air travel

-Scandinavian Airlines

-Lufthansa

-Problem
-Delay
-Compared to government plans
-Brandt
-Helmut H. W. Schmidt

Agenda of meeting

-Middle East

-Foreign ministers’ recommendation

-Energy

-Common interests

President’s schedule
-Europe
-“Big Four,” North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]

Middle East

East-West relations

-Berlin

-Bahr’s analysis

-Soviet bloc countries

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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)

-German Democratic Republic [GDR]
-Four Power Agreement
-Soviet Union adherence
-Diplomatic and ceremonial recognition of West Germany,
West Berlin
-Soviet Union industrial exhibition
-Trade agreement
-US response
-Agreement with Soviet Union

-Trade

-Scheel’s letter to Leonid I. Brezhnev, May 1

-Cooperation Council

-Trade

-US role

-Common interests with West Germany
-Four Power Agreement framework
-Technical, cultural exchange
-“Berlin clause”
-Soviet Union adherence
-Compared with People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-European borders
-Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe [CSCE] in Helsinki
-Compared to Moscow treaty [West Germany-Soviet Union treaty]
-Frontier question and non-use of force
-Roles of US, Great Britain, France
-West Germany-Soviet Union treaty
-Compared to US-Soviet Union Joint Communique
-Changes in territorial boundaries
-Soviet Union view
-Immutability
-Compared with West Germany, US view
-Non-use of force
-CSCE

-US support for West Germany

-Soviet Union objectives

-Unification

-Europe, Germany

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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)

-Negotiations

-“Letter of the German question”

-Soviet Union adherence to agreements

-US-Europe relations

-West Berlin

-International air traffic

-Compared to East Berlin, GDR

-Agreements

-Consultations with US, Great Britain, France
-Impacts on visitors, West Berliners
-Questions on law, self-interest, security
-Passport control
-Roads
-Vehicular traffic
-Berlin agreements

-Soviet exhibit

-Brezhnev’s reaction, knowledge


United Nations [UN] membership
-West Germany and GDR
-Consequence of Berlin Agreement
-West Berlin
-Representation by West Germany
-Constitutional authority
-Procedures
-US, France, Great Britain

-Letter to Berlin Senat

-Notification of Soviet Union

-Bundestag

-Scheel’s letter to party leaders

-Scheel’s forthcoming speech

-Reading of treaties, application for UN membership
-Introduction of bill
-Ratification debate
-West Germany’s formal application to UN Security Council
-Timing
-General session compared to special session of General
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)

Assembly

-Scheel’s conversation with Adam Malik

-Colleague on UN Security Council

-Stanislaw Trepczynski

-UN General Assembly presidency

-Implications of membership

-Positions on Israel, Vietnam

-Speeches

-Role of ambassador

-Selection
-Attendance at sessions
-Compared with role of foreign minister

CSCE
-Soviet Union objective
-Establishment of multinational organization

-US, West German views

-Great Britain

-Michael M. Stewart’s idea
-Standing committee
-Council of Europe
-Domestic political impact
-Three-phase structure

-Maurice Schumann’s idea

-Stewart

-Foreign ministers meeting

-Monaco’s representation
-Speeches
-Duration
-Monaco’s representation
-Foreign minister
-Grace Patricia Kelly [Grace, Priness of Monaco]
-Commission

-Multilateral preparation

-Subcommittee discussion
-Phase IV
-Duration
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)

-Foreign ministers or Heads of State summit

-Dependence on second phase

-Commission progress

-Establishment of multinational organization

-Desirability

-US view

-Compared to UN

-West Germany’s membership

-Issues
-Rhodesia
-Armenia
-Burundi
-Soviet Union objective

-West Germany’s view

-UN
-Charter
-Existing regional organizations
-Economic Commission of Europe [ECE]
-Diplomatic correspondence
-Cables compared to letters
-Anecdote
-Otto von Bismarck
-Ambassador in Bangkok
-Communique
-Thailand, Khmer
tribes

Cuban cigars
-Customs official anecdote
-Disposal

Energy
-Kissinger’s viewpoint
-Cooperation
-Necessity
-West Germany
-Dependence on foreign oil
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)

-Contrasted with US
-Imports

-International companies

-US companies

-Energy sources

-Oil compared to coal and hydroelectric

-German Oil Group

-Market share

-Relations with oil-producing countries

-Iran

-Increasing energy needs

-Oil policies

-Coordination with US
-Coordination with European Economic Community [EEC]
-Foreign ministers meeting
-Timing
-Coordination with US, Japan
-Consumer competition
-US policy
-Oil production cooperatives [?]
-Investment in US
-Soviet Union
-Natural gas

-Liquefied natural gas [LNG]

-Transportation

-Cooperation with West Germany, EEC

-Existing commitments

-Possible consultations

-Natural gas
-US investment in Soviet Union

-Natural gas resources

-Investment capital

-Cost

-US companies

-Regulation
-Cost
-Comparison with US domestic price
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)

-Price supports
-Compared to West Germany
-US government subsidies
-Private investment
-Security concerns
-Development
-Embargo
-Supply estimate
-US supply from Algeria
-Private contract
-El Paso Gas Company
-Nigeria
-Oil companies

-US and Europe

-Antitrust laws

-Contracts with producers

-Exchange rates
-Bargaining
-Mohammed Reza Pahlavi [Shah of Iran]
-Malik Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Saud [King of Saudi Arabia]
-Mammer Qaddafi
-Unpredictability
-Venezuela
-Contract with Iran
-Pahlavi [Shah of Iran]


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

[National security]

[Duration: 55 s ]



BRANDT’S MEETING WITH PAHLAVI [SHAH OF IRAN]
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Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

*****************************************************************


Energy
-Soviet Union supply compared to Iranian oil production
-Compared to caviar, basalt

Meeting agenda

-Break


Middle East

-Prospects for peace

-Possible effect on oil supply
-Brandt’s visit to Israel
-Scheel’s schedule
-Europe
-Brezhnev
-Near East
-Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon
-Michel Jobert [?]
-Morocco [?], Iran

-Brandt’s meeting with Golda Meir

-Peace negotiations

-Difficulties

-US role

-Significance

-Israel

-Bargaining position
-Meir’s viewpoint
-US support
-Soviet Union
-Soviet Union
-Soviet Union
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Soviet Jews [?]
 -40-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)


An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 11:13 am.

Middle East

-Soviet Union

-Avoidance of confrontation


Brandt’s schedule

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 12:10 pm.

Middle East
-Peace negotiations
-Settlement
-Historical context
-Likelihood of success
-Timing
-Israel’s elections, October 1973
-Israel
-Strength
-President’s respect
-Rationality
-Possible conflict
-Urgency
-US position
-Need for rationality, compromise
-Israel
-US talks
-West Germany’s role
-Rogers’s talks with Bahr and Scheel
-Arabs
-Egypt and Israel talks
-Hussein ibn Talal [Hussein, King of Jordan]’s role
 -41-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)

*****************************************************************


BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

[National security]

[Duration: 5 s ]



JORDAN


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

*****************************************************************


Middle East

-Peace negotiations

-Egypt
-Possible peace talks
-UN’s role
-Israel
-US role
-Relations with Israel
-Relations with Arab countries
-Moderator
-Arab acceptance
-Soviet Union’s support
-West Germany’s intervention
-Brezhnev’s viewpoint
-Egypt
-Interim agreement
-US viewpoint
-Anwar Sadat
-Israel
-Flexibility
-Compared with previous year
-Talks
 -42-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-25 (cont’d)

-Terms
-Sadat
-Territory
-Israeli withdrawal
-Israel
-Sadat
-Linkage
-Egypt, Arabs
-Israel
-UN Security Council Resolution 242
-Egypt
-US role
-Israel
-Imposed solution
-Compared to West Germany
-Scheel’s previous remarks, May 1
-Soviet Union’s role
-Israel
-Imposed settlement
-Egypt
-US role
-Stalemate
-Imposed settlement
-Israel
-Forthcoming elections
-Impact on negotiations

Brandt’s schedule

-National Press Club


The President et al. left at 12:10 pm.
 -43-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 909-26 (cont’d)