Conversation: 279-002
Prev: 279-001 Next: 279-003Start Date: 22-Sep-1971 10:03 AM
End Date: 22-Sep-1971 10:52 AM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.; [Unknown person(s)];Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:14:20
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:00:20
NARA Description:
On September 22, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:03 am to 10:52 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 279-002 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 279-2
Date: September 22, 1971
Time: 10:03 am - 10:52 am
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.
The People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Internal politics
-Memorandum
-Summary
-Mao Tse-tung
-Reports of death
-Denials
-PRC embassy in Paris, France
-PRC embassy in Ottawa, Canada
-News Summary
-Chou En-lai
-Cancellation of event
-Announcement
-Visit of PRC Foreign Trade Minister
-Paris
-Chou En-lai
-Schedule
-Mao
-Last public Appearance
-Possibilities
-Mao’s health
3
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration: 40s ]
PRC
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
**********************************************************************
-President’s forthcoming statements
-Question and Answer Period
-September 23, 1971
-Detroit, Michigan
-PRC
-Long-range plans
An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 10:03 am.
The unknown person left at an unknown time before 10:52 am.
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
[National Security]
[Duration: 31s ]
PRC
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
**********************************************************************
4
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
-Events in the PRC
-Public articles against group
-Cultural revolution
-Leaders
-Politburo
-Ch'en Po-ta
-K'ang Shen
-Last public appearances
-Japanese News Service
-Hong Kong
-Preparations
-October 1 celebration
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10
[National Security]
[Duration: 35s ]
PRC
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10
**********************************************************************
Supreme Court
-Resignations
-Hugo L. Black
-John M. Harlan
-Presidential appointment to Supreme Court
-Number
-Potter N. Stewart
-William O. Douglas
-Health
PRC
5
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
-The President's forthcoming trip to the PRC
-Edwin O. Reischauer
-News summary
-Normalizing relations with the PRC
-Reischauer's wife
-Japanese
-US-PRC Summit
-Reischauer
-Ambassador to Japan
-Japanese
-China experts, left-wingers
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Announcement of Soviet summit
-Kremlinologists
-Charles E. (“Chip”) Bohlen
-Establishment
-Llewellyn E. Thompson, Jr.
-Soviets
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Announcement of Summit
-The President's call to Thompson, Bohlen
-Soviet Summit
-Calls
-United Nations [UN]
-Alexei N. Kosygin
-Soviets
-Public
-Meeting with Kosygin
-Lyndon B. Johnson's Glassboro Summit
-Planning
-Meeting with PRC
-Timing
-The President's conversation with Andrei A. Gromyko
-William P. Rogers
-Kissinger
-Gromyko
-Handling
-Rogers
-Soviet Summit
-Reaction to announcement
6
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
-Kissinger
-Rogers
-Sharing in Administration successes
Vietnam
-US press article
-US senators
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Elections
-South Vietnam elections
-Cable from Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Domestic situation in Vietnam
-The press
-Appraisal of situation in Vietnam
-The President's press conference
-Effect
-Haig
-Effect of air strikes
-Kissinger's conversation with Haig
-North Vietnam
-Press conference in Paris
-US action
-William J. Porter
-Viet Cong
-Prisoner of War [POW] issue
-US position
-Officials from South Vietnam
-POW issue
-Saigon
-Haig
-Bunker
-US embassy in Saigon
-Staff
-Situation in Vietnam
-Air strike
-North Vietnam
-Effect on morale
-Haig
-US morale
-Another air strike
7
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
-North Vietnam
-Press conference
Air strikes
-North Vietnam
-Demilitarized Zone [DMZ]
-Range
-Effect on morale
Nguyen Cao Ky
-Possible meeting with Haig
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
Kissinger's schedule
-Meeting with William Randolph Hearst
-Eugene S. McCarthy
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Meeting with John B. Connally, George P. Shultz, W. Paul McCracken
Vietnam
-Air strikes
-Need for time
-US troop withdrawal announcement
-Draftees announcement
-Military opinion
-Timing of announcement
-Announcement of new economic measures
-Pressure
-North Vietnam
-US troop withdrawal
-Announcement
-Combat troops
-Draftees
-Speculation
-Date
-Purpose of announcement
-Dates of future announcement
-Number of troops
-Congress
-Final announcement
-State of the Union Address
8
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
USSR
-Reaction
-Deadline
-Date
Polls
-Changes in figures
-US election
-The President's trips to the PRC, to the USSR
-Effect on the President's standing in polls
-Public
-Economy
Foreign economic policy
-Connally
-Meeting with Kissinger
-Shultz
-Trade agreements
-General statement
-William F. Rhatican
-Forthcoming meeting at Camp David
-Time
-Connally
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[National Security]
[Duration: 2m 43 ]
EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
**********************************************************************
9
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
-The President's remarks on international economic issues in Detroit, Michigan,
September 23, 1971
-Reiteration
-Strong US
-Economically
-International compared to Isolationist outlook
-Weak US
-Inflation
-Paul Hoffman
-Unified world
-Politically
-Economically
-East-West trade
-Economic interests
-Marshall Plan
-Effects on Europe
-Present-day situation in Europe
-Hoffman
-Trade between Great Britain and West Germany
-World War I
-World War II
-Proposal
-Connally
-Shultz
-International Monetary Fund [IMF]
-The President's remarks in Detroit
-IMF
-US position
-Kissinger's forthcoming meeting
-Connally
-Statements
-Arthur F. Burns
-Possible calls from the President and Connally
-The President's previous conversations with Burns
-Kissinger's conversation with Haldeman
-Cabinet meeting
-Meeting with Burns, Connally
-Date
-Kissinger's conversation with Peter G. Peterson
-Peterson's memorandum to the President
-Kissinger as co-signer
10
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
-Establishment of a new group
-Meetings
-Peterson
-International monetary issues
-US position
-Knowledge of bureaucracy
-Responsibilities to the President
Kissinger's schedule
-Meetings about US-Japanese trade relations
-The President's meeting with Burns [?]
Textile negotiations
-Rogers
-Takeo Fukuda
-View of American textile producers
-Timing
-Public announcement
-Date
-Successful negotiations
-Japanese emissary to negotiations
-Date
-Negotiations
-Japan
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[National Security]
[Duration: 29s ]
JAPAN
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
********************************************************************** -
-Reaction of the PRC to agreement
11
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
-Chou En-lai
-Opposition
-State Department
-Involvement
-PRC initiative
-Kissinger's conversation with Rogers
-Japanese press
-Relations with the US
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 11
[National Security]
[Duration: 15s ]
TAIWAN
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 11
**********************************************************************
-Rogers
-State Department
-Staff
-Views
-Frustration
-State Department
-Loyalty to the President
-Statement drafted for the President
-Appearance in Detroit, Michigan, September 23
Vietnam
-Congress
-Senate
-South Vietnam election
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Final report
-Elections
12
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
-Thieu
-Negotiations
-Haig
-Ky
-Thieu
-Political plans
-Thieu
-Relations with the US
-Ky
-Ky
-Possible defeat of Thieu
-Cambodia
-South Vietnamese
-Negotiations
-Laos
-Winter campaign
-Military success
-Plain of jars
-Cambodia
-Military success
-Supplies
-Transportation
-Daily reports
-Guns, mortars, rice captured
-US domestic situation
-Media
-Press
-Backgrounders
-Report
-Gen. John W. Vogt, Jr.
-Public relations campaign about Vietnam
-Announcement of Vietnamization process
Announcement (USSR Summit)
-Time and date
-The President's schedule
-Press conference
-Telephone
-Kissinger's backgrounder
-State Department
-PRC
13
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
-US
-USSR
-Gromyko
Meeting
-Location
-Historic significance
-Rogers
-Dobrynin
-Dobrynin’s meeting with Kissinger
-Kissinger
-Rogers
-Gromyko's meeting with the President
-Location of previous meeting between the President and Gromyko
-Subject of meeting
-Rogers
-PRC
State Department
-Staff
-Rogers
-The President's administration
-Relations with State Department
-Liberals
-Credit
-Press stories
-Hugh S. Sidey
-Trip to Asia
-Reaction
-Relations with Japan
-PRC trip
Fidel Castro
-Private interview with Canadian reporter
-PRC initiative
-Significance
State Department
-Reischauer
-Objections to the President's administration
-Substance
14
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
-Power
-Comparison with Nixon's demeanor while out of office
-John F. Kennedy
-PRC
-Hong Kong
-Press
Textile negotiations
-Public opinion
-Japanese
-Pearl Harbor
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
[National Security]
[Duration: 18s ]
JAPAN
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
**********************************************************************
-Japanese emissary
-The President's conversation with Fukuda
-Date of agreement
-Importance
-Kissinger's meeting with Nobusuke Kishi
-Relations between Japan and the US
-Negotiations
Connally
-Working relationship
-Compared with other Cabinet members
-Democrats
-Loyalty to the administration
15
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 279-2 (cont.)
-The President
-The US
-Domestic situation
-Need for authority
-Dissension within the administration
-Harmful public image
-Opinion about the President's administration
-The press
-Credit due to the President
Kissinger left at 10:52 am.