Conversation: 476-007
Prev:  476-006 Next: 476-008Start Date: 9-Apr-1971 8:52 AM
End Date: 9-Apr-1971 9:58 AM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Ziegler, Ronald L.; Recording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:07:19
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:19:42
NARA Description:
On April 9, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:52 am to 9:58 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 476-007 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 476-7 Date: April 9, 1971 Time: 8:52 am - 9:58 am Location: Oval Office The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971 4 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Haldeman’s schedule -Williamsburg -Media coverage -American Broadcasting Company [ABC], Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS] -Shirley Taylor -Mamie G. D. Eisenhower -Reaction -Congress -Carl B. Albert -Withdrawal -Pace -Edmund S. Muskie -Support for April 24, 1971 demonstrations -Washington Post -Hugh Scott -Scott -Withdrawal from Vietnam issue -Impression about President’s plan -Secrecy of plan -Robert C. Byrd -Robert P. Griffin -Withdrawal from Vietnam -Timing -Griffin’s view -Timing -Accountability -Ronald L. Ziegler’s statement -Clark MacGregor -Support for President Economy -George P. Shultz -Retail sales indicators -Los Angeles Times -Stock market -Retail sales -Apparel -Home furnishings -Automobiles -Clothing -Sears, Roebuck & Company -Shultz 5 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Compared with Vietnam -Possible role of Administration -Credit -Administration’s legislative program -Administration’s possible response -Congress Legislative program Conv. No. 476-7 (cont.) -Revenue sharing -John D. Ehrlichman and Shultz -Haldeman’s conversation with Ehrlichman -Edward L. Morgan -”Selling” job -Ehrlichman -”Production” job -Packaging problem President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971 -William L. Safire -Length of speech -Importance of brevity Peter G. Peterson -Briefing on Council on International Economic Policy, April 8, 1971 -[Name unintelligible] -Comments -Shultz Revenue sharing -Ehrlichman -Response to questions -President’s strategy -Patrick J. Buchanan -Production problem -Need for summarization -Chicago Sun-Times -Unknown journalist -Definition Ziegler entered at 9:00 am President’s schedule 6 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) Preparation for Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing -Vietnam withdrawal -Deadline -Ziegler’s conversation with Henry A. Kissinger -Scott -Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr. -Ehrlichman Conv. No. 476-7 (cont.) -Vietnam withdrawal -Press understanding -Questions and answers -Need for simple explanations -Press conferences -President’s instructions for Kissinger, Ehrlichman, and Shultz -Need for staff discipline -Ziegler’s situation -Possible meeting with senior staff members -Methods of answering -Robert B. Semple, Jr. -Herbert G. Klein -Klein’s methodology -Repetition of few points -Importance of brevity -Termination of questions -Ehrlichman’s briefing -Calley case -President’s possible role -Lack of intervening in case -Judicial process -Review -Ziegler’s conversation with Scott -Vietnam negotiations -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield -Gerald R. Ford -Timing -Scott -President’s conversation with Mansfield -Scott -Mansfield -Melvin R. Laird -William P. Rogers -Mansfield 7 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Ehrlichman -President’s plan for American withdrawal -Final date -President’s unwillingness to discuss -Jeopardizing plan -Conditions -Prisoners of War [POWs] -North Vietnamese military activity Conv. No. 476-7 (cont.) -Negotiations -Vietnamization -US options -Confidentiality -Byrd -Total withdrawal -News story -Scott and Byrd -Inconsistency with April 7, 1971 speech -Fixed date for withdrawal -Effect on negotiations -POWs -Public pressure -Max Frankel’s column, April 9, 1971 -Scott and Byrd remarks -Fixed date for withdrawal -Ziegler’s possible answer to queries -Dependent on circumstances -Scott -Interpretations by senators -President’s plan for withdrawal -Discussion of fixed date -Certainty of total withdrawal -Fixed date -President’s thesis of presentation -Effect on negotiations -Scott -Fixed date -President’s plan for total withdrawal -Timing -President’s conversation with Scott -Fixed date -Need for US flexibility -Possible dates 8 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Future election -President’s accountability -Reduction of US forces -US goals -Total American withdrawal -North Vietnamese actions -American forces -Date question Conv. No. 476-7 (cont.) -Vietnamization -Fixed date -Negotiations -President’s future announcements -Factors influencing date -Negotiations -POWs -Residual force -POW issue -President’s public announcements -Address on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971 -Fixed date -President’s conversations with senators -Need for constant revaluation -Fixed date constraint -Future announcements -Ziegler’s responses -Scott -Washington Post -Dan Rather -CBS -Possible US moves -”Doves” -Frankel -Joseph W. Alsop -Story on White House Staff -Kissinger and Haldeman -Laos -President’s Vietnamization policy -Washington Post editorial -Vietnamization -General William C. Westmoreland -1967 speech -President’s policies 9 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Reluctant credit to President -Withdrawal -Casualties -Plan for total withdrawal -Discussion of fixed date -US goals -Negotiations to end war -POWs Conv. No. 476-7 (cont.) -North Vietnam -Possible fixed date -President’s plan -Factors influencing date -President’s plan -Ziegler’s possible answers -Period of time versus fixed date -Laird -Rowland Evans and Robert D. Novak column -Ford -Calley case -Calley case -Ziegler’s conversation with Ford -President’s decision -President’s conversation with Ford -Ford’s reaction -Democratic caucus vote -Draft extension -Democratic caucus -Draft extension -Vote -Ford -Calley case -Ford -Congressional reaction -Evans and Novak -Ford and Laird -Michigan Congressional caucus -Ford -President’s decision -Rogers -Laird -Ford 10 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Ziegler’s call to Dan Akin [sp?] -Pentagon -Laird -President’s conversation with Ford -Ziegler’s possible responses -Democratic caucus -Draft extension -Vote Conv. No. 476-7 (cont.) -Compared with World War I, World War II -Calley case -President’s conversation with Ford -Donald W. Riegle, Jr. -Griffin -Byrd -Instructions to Ziegler -Albert -Mansfield -Ford -Byrd and Griffin -Griffin -Vietnam -Scott -Fixed date for withdrawal -President’s plans -Factors influencing date -Criteria -Vietnamization -US withdrawal -US objectives -Factors influencing date -South Vietnam -POWs -US objectives -Haldeman -Reaction -Democrats -President’s critics -President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971 -Reaction of press -Scott 11 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Questions to Ziegler -Robert Pierpoint -Scott -Withdrawal -Responsibility -Reaction -Muskie -Endorsement of moratorium Conv. No. 476-7 (cont.) -Staff -Tricia Nixon -Edward R. F. Cox -[Harvard Law School] reaction to President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971 -Reactions -Kevin Taylor -Salute -Karl (“Skipper”) Taylor, Jr. -S. Taylor -Support for President -Hopes for children -Sincerity -Withdrawal date -S. Taylor -Reaction on television -President’s meeting with senators -Withdrawal date issue -Withdrawal of forces -Summary of President’s plans -Fixed date -Factors influencing date -Congress -Chicago group reaction -Businessmen -New York businessmen -President’s speech on Southeast Asia -Reactions -Unknown football player -Tone -Personalizing the war -Casualty chart -Kevin Taylor -War in human terms 12 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Public reaction -Appearance -Salute -Television -Taylor family -Scholarships -Colin Kelly -Franklin D. Roosevelt Conv. No. 476-7 (cont.) -West Point -Father -Pearl Harbor, Hawaii -Roosevelt -Compared with Kevin Taylor -Scholarships -Ziegler’s forthcoming call to Scott -Kelly -Opportunity for Kevin Taylor -Annapolis [US Naval Academy] -Richard S. Schweiker -Ceremony -S. Taylor -Public reaction -Kelly -Colonel [Forename unknown] Hocking [?] -Schweiker Ziegler left at 9:48 am -Robert A. Taft, Jr. -Scott -John Sherman Cooper -Ziegler -Klein Staffing -Peter M. Flanigan -Establishment -Thomas S. Gates, Jr. -Draft -Lists for appointments -William J. Casey -Instructions for Flanigan 13 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -Eastern establishment -Chicago group -Education -Northwestern University -University of Chicago -John J. McCloy and Gates -Leonard H. Lavin -Fundraising Conv. No. 476-7 (cont.) -Norman Stein -Instructions for Flanigan -John A. (“Jack”) Mulcahy -Elmer H. Bobst -Henry E. Ford, II -Gates -David Rockefeller -William S. Paley -Attitude toward the President Media -Television -Julie Nixon Eisenhower -Ziegler -Tricia Nixon ****************************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3 [National Security] [Duration: 17s ] GREAT BRITAIN END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3 ****************************************************************************** Ziegler’s press briefing -Public reaction to President’s April 7, 1971 speech -Telephone calls, telegrams 14 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) President’s television appearances -Ehrlichman -Reaction -Written text -Order -Effort involved -Need for re-evaluation of methods -Reading Conv. No. 476-7 (cont.) -Haldeman’s, Rogers’ opinion -Text/spontaneity -Pattern -Dwight D. Eisenhower -Peroration -Structure -Delivery of text -President’s April 7, 1971 speech -Teleprompter -L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III -Memorization -Frequency -Future appearances -Future press conferences -Audience -Buchanan -Cambodian speech of April 30, 1970 -Meeting with editors -Speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971 -State of the Union address, January 22, 1971 -Press conferences -Meeting with editors -Television -Radio -Risks -Frequency -Schedule -Jo Anne (Horton) Haldeman -Interview with Howard K. Smith, March 22, 1971 -President’s exposure -Frequency -Interview with representatives of television networks, January 4, 1971 -State of the Union address 15 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. 9/08) -J. A. Haldeman’s views -Effect -Planning -Press conferences -Television -Editors Haldeman left at 9:58 am Conv. No. 476-7 (cont.)