Conversation No. 394-3

Date: January 5, 1973
Time: Unknown between 12:02 pm and 12:36 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Charles W. Colson.

       Vietnam negotiations
            -Press relations
                  -Television [TV] news coverage
                         -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
                                -Congress
                                      -“End-the-war fulminations”
                                -Balance
                                      -John G. Tower
                                      -Robert J. Dole
            -US bombing North of 20th Parallel
                  -Hospital
                         -W. Ramsey Clark
            -John F. Kennedy
                  -Bay of Pigs
                         -Colson’s office
            -Press relations
                  -Congressional relations
                         -Colson’s recent conversation with John A. Scali
                                -Scali’s conversations
                         -[North Vietnam]
                         -James Roosevelt
                                -Democrats
                                -Samuel Rayburn
                                      -Dwight D. Eisenhower
                                            -Foreign policy
                         -Scali
                         -The President’s recent bipartisan leadership meeting
                         -Colson’s possible role
                         -The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
                                -Foreign policy
                         -Ronald L. Ziegler
                  -Rowland Evans and Robert D. Novak
                                 -4-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                         Tape Subject Log
                          (rev. Sept.-08)

                                                  Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)

           -Public opinion
                  -US bombing north of the 20th Parallel
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
     -The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
     -Purpose
           -Statements by the President and Kissinger
           -Time
-Congressional relations
     -The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
           -The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
           -October 8, 1972 agreement
           -Cessation of US bombing north of 20th Parallel
           -November 1972
                  -North Vietnam’s military tactics
           -Resumption of talks
                  -Tone
                        -Cessation of US bombing north of 20th Parallel
                             -Haiphong, Hanoi
                             -Duration
           -Prisoners of War [POWS]
           -US withdrawal
           -Cease-fire
           -Public opinion
     -William E. Timmons
           -Personality
     -Clark MacGregor
     -Colson’s conversation with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
           -Attack line
                  -Barry M. Goldwater
                        -Charge [against Democrats]
-US withdrawal
-POWs
-The President’s objectives
     -Peace
     -Cease-fire
     -Cambodia, Laos, Indochina
     -Compared to opponents’ objective
           -US
           -Southeast Asia, world
           -Idealism
                                       -5-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                               Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. Sept.-08)

                                                       Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)

                 -Cease-fire
                 -Morality

White House staff
     -Congressional relations
          -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew’s view
                 -Timmons
                 -The President’s role
                 -The President’s conversation with Haldeman
     -Need for meeting
          -1972 election
     -Workload
     -Second term reorganization
          -Colson’s work with John D. Ehrlichman
          -New Majority

Second term reorganization
     -The President’s schedule
           -Roy L. Ash
           -Dr. Edward E. David, Jr.
     -Colson’s schedule
           -1972 election
           -Meeting with Roosevelt

Watergate
     -E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
           -Possible plea
           -Colson’s meeting with Ehrlichman
           -Colson’s role
           -Conversations with the US Attorney
           -Colson’s role
                 -Contacts with [William O. Bittman]
                 -US Attorney
                       -Hunt’s cooperation
                 -Hunt’s loss of [Dorothy Hunt]
     -Jeb Stuart Magruder
           -Haldeman
     -Howard Hunt
           -Family
                 -Dorothy Hunt
                                 -6-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                         Tape Subject Log
                          (rev. Sept.-08)

                                                  Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)

            -Children
      -Possible clemency
            -Jail sentence
                   -Duration
            -Justification
                   -Howard Hunt’s family
                         -Dorothy Hunt
                         -Children
            -Timing
                   -Christmas
            -Justification
                   -Howard Hunt’s family
            -Colson’s involvement
                   -Deniability
-Roles
      -John N. Mitchell
      -Magruder
-Haldeman
-John W. Dean, III
      -Knowledge
-The President's knowledge
-Motives
      -Plan to disrupt Republican National Convention
-Howard Hunt
      -Possible clemency
            -Justification
            -Timing
                   -Burglars
                         -Cubans
                               -Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
            -Colson’s involvement
                   -Deniability
            -Justification
                   -Howard Hunt’s family
                         -Colson’s conversation [with William O. Bittman]
                         -The President’s awareness
            -Timing
                   -Christmas
            -Howard Hunt’s finances
                   -Taxes
                                       -7-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                               Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. Sept.-08)

                                                        Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)

                      -Bittman
                 -Colson’s efforts

Congressional relations
     -Attitudes
           -The President’s conversation with Colson
     -Democrats
           -Division
                 -1972 election
     -Republicans
           -Attitude
           -Leadership
                 -Hugh Scott
                 -The President’s meeting with Haldeman
           -Senators
                 -Leadership
                        -Scott
                 -Charles H. Percy
                        -The President’s meeting with Henry A. Kissinger
                        -Recent trip
                               -Report
                                     -Meeting with Kissinger
                                           -Timing
                                                 -Christmas 1972
                                           -Effect
                                                 -“Hawks”
                                           -Colson’s conversation with Kissinger
                                                 -Tone
                        -Conversation with Kissinger
                               -Vietnam negotiations
                                     -Success
                                     -Anti-Ballistic Missiles
                                     -Judges
     -Vietnam negotiations
           -Future
                 -The President’s view
                        -The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting

Vietnam negotiations
     -Kissinger’s “peace is at hand” comment, October 26, 1972
                                              -8-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Sept.-08)

                                                               Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)

                  -Effect
                        -1972 election
                        -Public relations [PR]
                  -Success or failure
                        -The President’s responsibility
                              -Congressional relations
                                     -The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
                                           -John A. Scali
             -North Vietnam infiltration
                  -Timing
                        -Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] reports
                              -Scali
                  -Buildup
                        -Lyndon B. Johnson [?]
                        -Colson’s conversation with an unknown person
                        -Kissinger
                        -Publicity
                              -Leaks
                        -US bombing north of 20th Parallel
                              -Justification
                                     -Possible North Vietnam offensive

       The President’s schedule
            -Bipartisan leadership meeting
                  -Remarks

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 12:02 pm.

       -Refreshment
             -Consumme

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:36 pm.

Colson talked with Holly Holm at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:36 pm.

[Conversation No. 394-3A]

[See Conversation No. 35-91]

[End of telephone conversation]
                                             -9-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Sept.-08)

                                                            Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)


       Watergate
            -U.S. Attorney [Harold H. Titus, Jr.]
                  -[Earl J. Silbert]
                        -Background
                               -Justice Department
                                      -1964
                                      -1970
                        -Career
                               -Success, failure
                        -Titus
                               -Reappointment
            -Burglars
                  -Plea
                        -Congressional relations
                               -Immunization
                               -Lying
            -The President’s current meeting with Colson
                  -Colson’s relationship with Haldeman and Ehrlichman
                  -Colson’s conversation with DeVan L. Shumway
            -Ehrlichman
            -Mitchell
            -Perjury
            -Congressional relations

       Congressional relations
            -Timmons
                  -Telephone call from Colson

Colson left at an unknown time before 12:36 pm.