Conversation: 382-003
Prev: 382-002 Next: 382-004Start Date: 16-Dec-1972 12:45 PM
End Date: 16-Dec-1972 1:25 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.; Kissinger, Henry A.; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; [Unknown person(s)];Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building
NARA Description:
On December 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Henry A. Kissinger, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:45 pm to 1:25 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 382-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 382-3
Date: December 16, 1972
Time: 12:45 pm - 1:25 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler, Henry A. Kissinger and Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
Vietnam War
-Henry A. Kissinger’s press conference
-Ziegler’s view
-16-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-08)
Conversation No. 382-3 (cont’d)
-Tone
-Settlement agreement
-Conditions
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-No coalition government
-Cease-fire
-US withdrawal
-October 1972
-South Vietnam’s position
-The President’s position
-Signing
-North Vietnam’s position
-Decision
-Press relations
-Negotiations
-Linguistic changes
-Settlement agreement
-Conditions
-Question and answer [Q & A] session
-Wires
-Cease-fire
-Tone
-Kissinger’s “peace is at hand” comment, October 26, 1972
-Negotiations
-Status
-Progress
-Settlement agreement
-North Vietnam’s duplicity
-US military action
-US bombing of North Vietnam
-News reports [media and press relations]
-B-52s
-Reseeding mines
-Public Information Officers [PIOs]
-South Vietnam
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-Prevention of enemy buildup and offensive
-Gen. Frederick C. Weyand
-Reseeding mines
-Press relations
-17-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-08)
Conversation No. 382-3 (cont’d)
-Settlement agreement
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-October 23, 1972
-B-52s
-Hanoi
-Haiphong
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-Negotiations
-Defense Department
-State Department
-South Vietnam
-Kissinger’s press conference
-Press relations
-Telephone calls
-National Security Council [NSC]
-Follow-up stories
Ziegler left at 12:55 pm.
Vietnam negotiations
-The President’s letters
-Haig’s trip to Saigon
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Notification
-The President’s letter
-Draft
An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 12:55 pm.
Refreshment
The unknown man left at an unknown time before 1:25 pm.
Vietnam negotiations
-Thieu
-The President’s letter
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew’s trip
-Purpose
-Settlement agreement
-18-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-08)
Conversation No. 382-3 (cont’d)
-October and week of November 20, 1972
-Saigon radio
-North Vietnam
-Concessions
-Demands
-Kissinger’s press conference
-Press relations
-Comparison to US action in Cambodia and Laos
-Misleading US people
-“Peace is at hand”
-Thieu
-Agnew
-Settlement agreement
-The President’s intentions
-Guarantees
-Cease-fire
-Free elections
-Helen Thomas
-Peter Lisagor
-Timing
-Options
-Kissinger’s press conference
-Scale
-US public opinion
-Number of sorties
-Effect on North Vietnam
-North Vietnam’s delays
-Agnew
-William P. Rogers
-Melvin R. Laird
-Settlement agreement
-Duration
-B-52s
-Number
-Effect on North Vietnam
-Kissinger’s view
-Vietnamese intransigence
-Christmas pause
-Breakdown
-North Vietnam
-19-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-08)
Conversation No. 382-3 (cont’d)
-North Vietnam’s strategy
-Settlement agreement
-Timing
-1973 Inauguration
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-Duration
-Effect
-Christmas
-Possible North Vietnam message
-Settlement agreement
-Signing
-Targets
-Settlement agreement
-North Vietnam’s delays
-Number of sorties
-North Vietnam’s air defense
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Surface to air missiles [SAMs]
-Transport
-Messages
-Ellsworth F. Bunker
-US domestic reaction
-Sophisticates
-Press relations
-Resumption of bombing
-PIOs
-North Vietnam
-Propaganda
-Kissinger’s message to North Vietnam
-US bombing
-Thanksgiving [November] understandings
-“Administrative structure”
-Demilitarized Zone [DMZ]
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-Moonshot analogy
-Public relations [PR]
-Cambodia invasion, the President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-Congressional relations
-Michael J. Mansfield, Charles H. Percy, Charles McC. Mathias
-Thieu
-20-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-08)
Conversation No. 382-3 (cont’d)
-Meeting with Haig
-Agnew’s trip
-Advisability
-The President’s meeting with Agnew
-Relations with US
-The President’s letters
-Ambassador briefings
-Saigon Radio
-Laird
-Options
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-Nuclear weapons
-Soviet Union
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-North Vietnam
-US bombing, mining
-North Vietnam’s offensives
-Vietnamization
-US withdrawal
-POWs
-George S. McGovernites
-Mansfield Amendment
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-Bilateral deal
-US interests
-US aid to South Vietnam
-Laos, Cambodia
-Settlement agreement
-Thieu’s survival
-South Vietnam
-Ambassador briefings in Paris
-Leaks to North Vietnam
-Congressional relations
-US military involvement
-Nguyen Phu Duc
-Bunker
-US withdrawal
-POWs
-US domestic reaction
-South Vietnam
-21-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-08)
Conversation No. 382-3 (cont’d)
-North Vietnamese troops in Cambodia, Laos
-PRC
-October 1972 agreement
-Effect
-Clauses
-DMZ
-Thieu
-Surprise
-Settlement agreement
-North Vietnam
-Delays
-Kissinger’s possible trip
-Effect
-US bombing
-Incentive
-Kissinger’s previous trips
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-Status
-Soviet Union, PRC
-Kissinger’s message to the PRC
-Reply
-Forthcoming briefing
-Timing
-Florida
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Transcript of December 13, 1972 talks
-Tone
-Conversation with Kissinger
-The President’ possible action
-Timing
-Christmas
-Haig’s conversation with an unknown Chinese
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-“Doves”
-McGovern
-1972 election
-Congressional relations
-Thieu
-November 1972
-Kissinger’s press conference
-22-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-08)
Conversation No. 382-3 (cont’d)
-Press relations
-Tone
Haig and Kissinger left at 1:25 pm.