Conversation No. 475-16

Date: April 8, 1971
Time: 9:18 am - 10:07 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger

     President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
          -Reaction to staff
                -Donald H. Rumsfeld

[The President talked with Rose Mary Woods at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:37
am]

[Conversation No. 475-16A]


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 32s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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[End of telephone conversation]

     Staff meeting

     Kissinger’s schedule
          -Briefing of columnists

     Kissinger’s possible call to Shirley Taylor
          -Public comments
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[Admiral [Thomas H. Moorer] talked with the President at an unknown time between 9:18 am
and 9:37 am]

[Conversation No. 475-16B]

     President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
          -Reaction
          -Senate and House “doves”                                      Conv. No. 475-16 (cont.)
          -Military
          -Marvin L. Kalb
          -Left wingers
          -Atrocity stories

[End of telephone conversation]

          -Moorer’s call to Kissinger, April 7, 1971
               -Woods
               -Praise for the President
          -Kissinger’s New York friends
          -Nelson A. Rockefeller
               -Comments
          -Rockefeller family
               -Kissinger’s meeting with David Rockefeller
               -Kissinger’s conversation with John D. Rockefeller, III
               -Wealth
               -N. A. Rockefeller’s support for President

     Congress
         -Support for President in House and Senate
         -Gerald R. Ford
         -Carl B. Albert
         -Robert C. Byrd
               -Prisoners of War [POW] issue
                     -Democratic Caucus report
                     -Troop levels
                     -POW “trade”

     People’s Republic of China [PRC] invitation to US Ping-pong team
          -Significance
                                         14

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H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
     -Location
     -Schedule

Staff and Cabinet
      -Kissinger and Haldeman
      -John D. Ehrlichman
            -Pressures                                        Conv. No. 475-16 (cont.)
            -Family
      -Ehrlichman and Haldeman
      -Robert H. Finch
      -Kissinger’s conversation with Taft Schreiber
            -Finch
      -Finch
            -Response to speech

President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
     -Length
     -Conclusion
     -Reaction
           -General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and Kissinger
     -President’s bearing
     -Unknown woman friend of Kissinger
     -Reaction
     -President’s bearing
           -Foreign policy researcher for N. A. Rockefeller
     -Creative aspects of speech
           -President’s own idiom
     -Kissinger’s evaluation
     -Kissinger’s conversation with unknown Harvard University professor
           -Reaction
     -Kissinger at Harvard University
     -Cabinet and staff
     -Unknown Harvard University professor
           -Reaction
     -Responsibility
           -President as commander-in-chief
           -Congress
     -Withdrawal from Vietnam
           -Consequence of early departure
                                          15

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     -Doves
          -Residual force in South Vietnam
                -Figures
          -US policy
     -Draftees in Vietnam
          -James L. Buckley
          -US Army
                                                           Conv. No. 475-16 (cont.)
Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr.
     -Birch E. Bayh, Jr.’s criticism of President
     -Doves reaction
     -Country’s reaction
     -President’s role in case
           -Review

President’s speech on Southeast Asia
     -Unknown Georgia Republican’s call to Kissinger
           -Calley
           -Response to President’s speech

Vietnam
     -American people’s desire for victory
           -”Right wing” point of view
     -Definition of a US victory
           -Save South Vietnam
     -President’s speech on Southeast Asia
           -Impact on negotiations

Press questions to Kissinger
      -Television commentators and commentary
      -Laos
      -Cabinet statements on combat in Vietnam
            -Melvin R. Laird and William P. Rogers
            -Inconsistency with White House statements
      -Number of combat troops
            -Reduction
      -Combat mission changing
            -Defensive
      -Withdrawal date
      -Air sortie figures
            -Press reaction
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                                     Tape Subject Log
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               -Reporting
                     -Washington Post
               -Instructions to Kissinger
                     -Kissinger’s comments to Albert
                     -[Distribution to members of Congress]
          -Questions
               -Air sorties
               -Killing of civilians                              Conv. No. 475-16 (cont.)
               -Substitution of Asians for Americans
          -Reporters
               -[Forename unknown] MacGavern [sp?] of Chicago Sun-Times
                     -Criticism of speech
          -Ronald L. Ziegler
               -Press bias
          -MacGavern [sp?]
          -Kissinger’s reply to press
               -Accomplishments by President in withdrawal program and in military situation
                     in Vietnam since July 1, 1969

[The President talked with Stephen B. Bull at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:37 am]

[Conversation No. 475-16C]

     President’s call to Haldeman

[End of telephone conversation]

     President’s speech on Southeast Asia
          -Writing press
          -Commentaries
                -Kalb and Dan Rather
                -Unknown Pentagon correspondent
                -John W. Chancellor
          -Television briefing

Haldeman entered at 9:37 am

     White House staff and Cabinet
          -President’s frustration
          -Haldeman and Kissinger
          -Ehrlichman
          -John B. Connally
                                             17

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 9/08)



           -Support for administration’s Vietnam policy
           -Support in future campaign
           -Butterfield and Bull
           -Opposition
                 -[Establishment, Washington Post, news magazines, television, Congress]
                       -Need to get tough
           -Charles W. Colson
           -President’s speech on Southeast Asia                      Conv. No. 475-16 (cont.)
           -Praise for Kissinger and Haldeman’s support

     Charts on casualties
          -Use in briefings
          -President’s possible uses
          -Talking points

Kissinger left at 9:41 am

     Kissinger’s forthcoming memorandum
          -Circulation to spokesmen, Congressmen, Senators, editors

     President’s speech on Southeast Asia
          -Chart used in speech
                -President’s evaluation
                -Line
                -Lettering
                -Mark I. Goode
                -William H. Carruthers
                      -Schedule
                -President’s conversation with Goode
                      -Importance of chart
                -Television crew
                -Dwight L. Chapin
                -Goode
                -Understanding problem
                -Connally
                      -Evaluation
          -President’s movements
                -Chart
          -Connally
          -Chart
                -Impact
                                       18

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                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



     -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
          -Rather
          -Troop withdrawals
                -Timing
                -Figures
          -Use of television images
                -Illustration of soldier
                -Troop withdrawals                        Conv. No. 475-16 (cont.)
     -Chart
          -Picture/chart contrasted
          -Rogers’ use
          -Goode, Haldeman, and Butterfield
          -Rogers’ chart
                -Picture of a soldier
     -Camera work
          -Evaluation
                -Praise
          -Difficulty
          -White House coordination with producers
                -Goode
          -Producers’ view
          -Haldeman’s view
          -Goode

Dinner for W. Clement Stone, April 8, 1971
     -Receiving line versus mingling
     -Attendees
           -Number
     -Announcements
     -Table
     -President’s remarks
           -Location
     -Press coverage

President’s speech on Southeast Asia
     -Poll
     -Telephone calls
           -Priority calls

Meeting with Peter G. Peterson
     -Opening remarks for briefing
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Bull entered at an unknown time after 9:41 am
           -Arrangements for forthcoming briefing [domestic briefing for Administration wives,
                 April 8, 1971]

     President’s schedule
          -President’s instructions to Bull
          -Instructions for Peterson [for forthcoming meeting of Council on International
                Economic Policy, April 8, 1971]                       Conv. No. 475-16 (cont.)

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:07 am

     Moral support for President by staff
         -Reflection of country
         -Lack of use for weak men
         -Haldeman and Kissinger
         -Ehrlichman
         -White House staff
               -Rumsfeld
               -Clark MacGregor
                     -Kissinger’s attitude
                     -Congress
                           -Ford
                     -Administration’s spokesman
                     -Effectiveness

     Haldeman’s staff meeting
          -Kissinger
          -Response of staff
          -Evaluation
          -Backup
          -Bombing and casualty reductions
          -Charts
          -Dwight D. Eisenhower
          -Graphs
               -Use in revenue sharing speeches

     George P. Shultz
                                            20

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                                    Tape Subject Log
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Congress
    -House
         -Education bill
         -Ford

Polls
        -President’s performance
              -Approval rating                               Conv. No. 475-16 (cont.)
                    -Figures
        -President’s speech on Southeast Asia
              -Audience
                    -Figures
              -Favorable/unfavorable reaction
                    -Figures
        -President’s Vietnam policy
              -Approval/disapproval ratios
              -Political make-up of respondents
              -Gender of respondents
              -Approve/disapprove
        -Calley
              -Bayh
        -Opinion Research Corporation [ORC] poll
        -Calley
              -Instructions to Haldeman to publicize poll
        -George H. Gallup poll
        -Current standing
              -Figures
        -Calley poll
              -Publicity
              -Circulation to Congress
              -Ehrlichman and Robert A. Taft, Jr.

Taft
        -MacGregor
        -Colson

Polls
        -ORC poll
              -Figures
        -Gallup poll
              -Circulation
        -President’s speech on Southeast Asia
                                         21

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 9/08)



Haldeman’s conversation with Colson

Calley issue
     -Taft
     -President’s conversation with Ehrlichman
           -Captain Aubrey M. Daniel
     -Possible strategy
     -Letter to President                                 Conv. No. 475-16 (cont.)
     -Stanley R. Resor
           -Possible letter to Daniel
     -President’s possible conversation with Laird
     -White House handling

President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
     -Connally’s reaction
     -Press reaction
           -Ending
           -CBS analysis
           -American Broadcasting Company [ABC]/National Broadcasting Company
                 [NBC]
     -Telephone responses
     -Telegrams
     -Compared with November 3, 1969 speech
           -Silent majority
           -Telegrams
           -Emotional appeal
     -Possible demonstrations
     -Peace groups
           -John W. Gardner
     -Reassurance to followers
           -Finch and Rumsfeld
           -Opponents
     -Delivery, presentation
     -Charts
           -Rogers’ chart
           -Kissinger
                 -Department of Defense
           -Rogers
           -Effects
     -Telephone calls
     -Editorial reactions
     -”Hawks”
                                              22

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                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)



          -President’s supporters
          -Laos
          -Vietnam
          -Casualties
                -Compared with 1970
                -Decline since 1969

     Kissinger’s conversation with Shirley Taylor                    Conv. No. 475-16 (cont.)

     Taylor family
          -Response to speech
          -Kevin Taylor
          -Karl (“Skipper”) Taylor, Jr., and daughter
          -Family watching speech on television
          -S. Taylor’s comments
                -Sergeant Karl Taylor
                      -Comments about Vietnam War
                -Visit to White House
          -Kevin Taylor
          -Story in newspaper
                -Kevin Taylor
          -Press play
          -Kevin Taylor’s salute
          -S. Taylor

Haldeman left at 10:07 am