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Conversation: 482-008

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Start Date: 19-Apr-1971 9:03 AM

End Date: 19-Apr-1971 9:52 AM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:29:24

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:10:20

482-008.mp3

NARA Description:

On April 19, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:03 am to 9:52 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 482-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 482-8

Date: April 19, 1971
Time: 9:03 am - 9:52 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman; the recording begins at an unknown time while
the meeting is in progress.

     Vietnam
          -Unknown man's article

     Polls
             -George H. Gallup
             -Approval of President
                  -18-21 year old
                  -Other age groups

     Edmund S. Muskie
         -Support

     Draft
             -William F. Buckley's views
             -Staff opinions
             -Unknown man's view

     Media
         -Lyndon B. Johnson
         -Middle America
         -Commentators
         -White House
         -Newsmen

[Transcript #1: A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under
court order from December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access 8, Ronald V. Dellums,
et al. v. James M. Powell, et al., No. 71-2271. The National Archives and Records
Administration produced this transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]

[End of transcript]

     Rowland Evans and Robert D. Novak column of April 19, 1971
         -William Morton [?]
                                          9

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. 9/08)



        -Victor Lasky
        -Ralph de Toledano
        -Trotskyites
             -Muskie
             -National Peace Action Coalition [NPAC]
             -Names
             -Compared with communists
             -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
             -People's Republic of China [PRC]
                   -Maoists
             -Leon Trotsky
             -Successes
             -Non-violent opposition to Vietnam
             -Compared with other radical groups
                   -Communist Party
             -Goals
                   -Revolution

Paul N. (“Pete”) McCloskey, Jr.
     -Evans' television appearance, April 18, 1971
           -Interview of McCloskey
     -Evaluated
     -John D. Ehrlichman
     -Donald W. Riegle, Jr.
     -William B. Saxbe
     -William P. Rogers
     -William H. Sullivan
           -Laos
           -G. McMurtrie Godley
           -Instructions for Sullivan
           -Rogers

Rally
        -McCloskey
        -Muskie
        -Democrats
        -Non-partisan
        -Allard K. Lowenstein
        -Muskie and Birch Bayh
        -Number of attendees
              -Marilyn Berger
              -Dan Rather
                                          10

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 9/08)



     -Rather
          -Fairness
          -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS] news report
                -Numbers
          -Governors Conference
                -Impounded funds

President’s schedule                                              Conv. No. 482-8 (cont.)
     -President's possible meeting with Graham B. Steenhoven
     -Table tennis team
     -Steenhoven
           -Trip to PRC
           -Chrysler Corporation
     -US table tennis team
           -Described
                 -Maoist member
     -President's possible meeting with Steenhoven
     -President's possible meeting with newsmen
     -Manager
     -Schedule

Joe Frazier's visit to White House, April 18, 1971
     -Picture in Washington Post
     -Tour
     -Frazier
     -Wife/children
     -Cassius Clay [Muhammad Ali]
           -US Supreme Court
     -Frazier
           -Statements to press
           -Physical appearance
                  -Clay

John N. Scali
     -Henry A. Kissinger
     -Meeting with President/Haldeman
     -Kissinger
     -Role
     -Haldeman's meeting with Kissinger

Robert J. Dole's speech to Republican governors, April 19, 1971
    -Washington Post coverage
                                          11

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



          -Gordon L. Allott
     -Release, April 18, 1971
     -Advance text
          -Content

President's radio talks
     -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
     -Number                                                   Conv. No. 482-8 (cont.)
     -Possible booklet
     -Timing
     -Releases

President's meeting with American Society of Newspaper Editors [ASNE], April 16, 1971
     -Scali's views regarding television coverage
     -Radio
     -Cameras
     -Advantages of television

Media
    -PRC
    -Frazier
         -Television
              -CBS

Response to McCloskey
    -Rogers and Sullivan
    -State Department
    -White House
    -Report to President
    -Rogers
    -Sullivan
    -McCloskey
    -Robert C. ("Bob") Wilson
          -Trip to Laos, Vietnam

McCloskey
    -Trip to Laos
          -Itinerary
          -Intentions
    -Wilson's forthcoming visit to Laos
          -Itinerary
          -Assignment
                                             12

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 9/08)



              -Publicity
         -Media attention
**********************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 21s ]
                                                                      Conv. No. 482-8 (cont.)

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

**********************************************************************


         -Gerald R. Ford

    Earth Day
         -President's proclamation
         -Congress
         -John V. Lindsay
         -Participants
         -Ehrlichman
         -Environmental issues
         -Participants
         -Publicity
         -Congress
         -President's role
         -Earth Week
         -President's schedule
         -Thelma C. (Ryan (“Pat”) Nixon's schedule

    President's meeting with ASNE
         -Live television coverage
                -Staff reaction
                -Richard A. Moore
                -Strategy
                -Timing
                      -President's speech on Vietnam, April 7, 1971
                -Applause
                -Compared to pres conference
         -Questions & answers [Q&A]
         -Questions
                                               13

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 9/08)



                 -Vietnam
                      -PRC
                      -Lt. William L. Calley, Jr.
                      -PRC
                      -J. Edgar Hoover
                      -National security

[Transcript #2: A transcript of the following portion of this conversation Conv.
                                                                           was prepared
                                                                                 No. 482-8
                                                                                        under
                                                                                           (cont.)
court order from December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access 8, Ronald V. Dellums,
et al. v. James M. Powell, et al., No. 71-2271. The National Archives and Records
Administration produced this transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]

[End of transcript]

     President's schedule
          -Television
                 -Timing
          -Press conference
          -White House press
                 -Frank Cormier
                 -Eugene V. Risher
          -Williamsburg [Republican Governors Conference]
                 -Helicopter passengers
                      -Ford
                            -Schedule

     President's PRC initiative
          -Michael (“Mike”) Mansfield
          -News summaries
          -Credit
          -Right wing
          -Criticism
          -Ping-pong team

     President's television appearances
          -Prime time
          -News time
                 -Meeting with ASNE
                 -Advantages
          -Rather
          -News time
                 -Audience
                                         14

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



     -Meeting with ASNE
     -Effect on people
     -Editors
           -Influence
     -President’s forthcoming remarks to Daughters of the American Revolution [DAR]

President's forthcoming speech to US Chamber of Commerce, April 26, 1971
     -William L. Safire                                            Conv. No. 482-8 (cont.)
     -Memorandum to Safire
     -Tone
            -Enthusiasm
     -Audience
     -Themes
            -President’s speech to National Association of Manufacturers [NAM],
                  December 4, 1971
                  -Faith in system
            -Supersonic Transport [SST]
            -US economic leadership in world
            -Peace
     -Length
     -Upbeat

President's meeting with Rio Grande [Texas] High School students, April 16, 1971
     -Mexican students
            -Hard work
            -Trip to Washington

President's meeting with Texas A&M University choir
     -[Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
     -Size of Texas A&M
            -Compared to Ivy League schools
     -Vietnam
     -Support for President

President's audience
     -Robert H. Finch and Donald H. Rumsfeld memorandum
     -Charles W. Colson
     -College students
     -President's visits to colleges and universities
            -Kansas State
            -Nebraska
            -South
                                           15

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. 9/08)



          -California
          -Polytechnical schools
          -Southern California
          -Whittier
          -Radicals
     -Opportunities
     -Professors
                                                           Conv. No. 482-8 (cont.)
President's schedule
     -Republican Governors' Conference
            -President's public appearance
            -John N. Mitchell's views
                  -Avoiding politics of private session

McCloskey
    -Moore
    -Demagoguery
    -Ronald L. Ziegler
    -Sullivan and Rogers
    -House
    -Governors
          -Ronald W. Reagan
    -White House role
    -Analogy to President's meeting with ASNE
          -Hoover
          -Patrick J. Buchanan
          -Press
          -Hoover

McCloskey
    -White House involvement
         -Ziegler

Muskie
    -Press
         -Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
         -George W. Romney

Hubert H. Humphrey

Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
    -Presidential ambitions
                                               16

                               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. 9/08)



           -Vietnam

     President's schedule
          -Scali
          -Kissinger
          -Scali
          -Haldeman’s forthcoming meeting with Kissinger
                                                                     Conv. No. 482-8 (cont.)
Haldeman left at an unknown time before 9:52 am.