Conversation: 488-015
Prev: 488-014 Next: 488-016Start Date: 27-Apr-1971 10:19 AM
End Date: 27-Apr-1971 11:43 AM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.; Sanchez, Manolo; Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Ziegler, Ronald L.; Ehrlichman, John D.; Bull, Stephen B.; [Unknown person(s)]; Ford, Henry, II; Iacocca, Lide A.;Recording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 01:01:10
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 02:23:32
NARA Description:
On April 27, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Manolo Sanchez, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler, John D. Ehrlichman, Stephen B. Bull, unknown person(s), Henry Ford, II, and Lide A. Iacocca met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:19 am to 11:43 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 488-015 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 488-15
Conv. No. 488-12 (cont.)
Date: April 27, 1971
Time: 10:19 am - 11:43 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.
Weather
Vietnam
-North Vietnamese military activities
-Attacks on US bases
-US casualties
-Figures
-US casualties
-Projections
-Laos operation (Lam Son)
-Drop
President's People's Republic of China [PRC] initiative
-General Vernon A. Walters
-Jean Sainteny
-Edgar P. Snow’s reports
-Mao Tse-tung
-President's possible visit
-Press report
-H.R. Haldeman's reaction
-Support for President
-Stories
-Hugh S. Sidey
-John F. Osborne
-John (unintelligible surname)
-Snow’s report
-Snow's activities and reports
-US messages
14
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-US proposals
-Press reports
-Possible US response
-Press conference
Vietnam
-Negotiations
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-US stance
-Networks
-Laos operation (Lam Son)
-Coverage
-Administration's position
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 10:19 am.
Refreshment
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 10:50 am.
Vietnam
-Press
-1970 campaign
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Stewart J.O. Alsop's forthcoming article
-Democrats
-1972 elections
-Policy towards Vietnam
-Kissinger's activities
-Woodstock
-Europeans
-Americans
-Donald W. Riegle, Jr.
-Support for the President
-David Rockefeller
-Arthur H. Dean
-Robert B. Anderson
-Public relations
-Possible administration counterattacks
-Administration opponents
-US bombing targets
-Laos
15
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-Opponents
-Alsop's view
-Democrats position
-Effect on US foreign policy
[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 andConv.
Records
No. 488-15 (cont.)
Administration produced this transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]
[End of transcript]
Public relations efforts
-Cabinet
-John B. Connally
-Agnew
Agnew
-Activities
-Remarks regarding PRC
-Schedule
-Jamaica
-Timing
[Transcript #2: 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]
President's schedule
-Previous meeting with Melvin R. Laird
-Laird's health
-David Packard
-Family
-Vietnam
-Lucile Packard
-Stanford University
-Friends
-Establishment
-Government
16
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-President’s view of Packard’s service
Government service
-Difficulty
-Friends
***********************************************************************
Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Privacy]
[Duration: 20s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
**********************************************************************
-Previous Cabinet meeting
-Elliot L. Richardson
-White House youth conference
-Stephen Hess
Youth
-Richardson's views
-Need for communication
-President’s position
-Activists
-Kissinger's schedule
-Meetings with student groups
-Emotions
-Romanticism
-Previous generation
-Joseph P. Kennedy
-Kissinger’s view
-Eighteen-year-olds
-Twenty-one-year-olds
-US government
-Founding fathers
-Constitution
-Age requirement
-President
17
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-Senators
-Congressmen
-Age of majority
-Robert H. Finch
-William G. Milliken
-Proposal
-Eighteen-year-olds
-Vote Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
-Liquor
-Marijuana
-Congress
-President's youth
-President's schedule
-Previous Cabinet meeting
-Leadership
Youth conference
-Richardson's report
-Adults
-Teachers, professors
Youth
-Colleges
-High schools
-Colleges
-Faculty
-Kissinger's youth
[Transcript #3: 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]
Youth
-President's schedule
-Previous Cabinet meeting
-Meeting with Texas A&M choir
-Previous meeting with Ohio State group
-Polls
-Opposition to administration
18
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-Teachers
-Vote
-Universities
-Views regarding administration
-Non-college educated
-Figures
-Alienation
-Adolescence Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
-Sense of identity
-Alienation
[Transcript #4: 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]
Vietnam
-President's press conferences
-Possible questions
-Bombing
-US proposal
-Cease-fire
-North Vietnamese Army
-Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam
-Troop numbers
-Civilian dead
-Figures
-North Vietnamese Army
-Refugees
-Laos
-Partition
-North Vietnamese refugees
-Figures
-North Vietnamese dead
-Figures
Personnel officers
-Companies
-Veterans
-Views of veterans
19
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-My Lai
-President’s view
-Businessmen
-Sons
-Draft
Draft
-Avoidance Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
-Ministers
-Teachers
-Coast Guard
Personnel officers
-Views of veterans
-My Lai
-Vietnam
Vietnam
-The Establishment
-Administration position
-Opposition
-Hawks
-Support for President
-Jingoism
Establishment
-Views regarding PRC and Taiwan
-Taiwan
-Expulsion from United Nations [UN]
-PRC
-Recognition
-Taiwan
-Incorporation into PRC
PRC
-President's initiatives
-Soviet Union
US and Soviet Union relations
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-Summit meeting
-PRC
-John F. Kennedy
20
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-Press
-George Washington
Vietnam
-Peace negotiations
-North Vietnamese strategy
-US strategy
-President’s view Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
-Residual force
-POWs
-Residual force
-POWs
-Vietnamization policy
-North Vietnamese position
-US withdrawal
-US military capabilities
-Air Force
-Negotiations
-Paris
-Possible North Vietnamese military operations
-US military options
-US casualties
-US withdrawal
-US military options
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:19 am.
President's schedule
-Meeting with Henry Ford II
-John D. Ehrlichman and Ronald L. Ziegler
-Timing
Bull left at an unknown time before 10:50 am.
Vietnam
-Peace negotiations
-Possible US proposal
-Possible US military operations
-Bombing
-Possible North Vietnamese military operations
-Possible US military operations
-Effect on US public
21
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-Media
-Press and television
-Television
-Coverage of administration spokesmen
-William H. Sullivan
Germany
-World War I Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
-Comparison to Vietnam War
-1918 Revolution
-Sentiment in 1921
-Revolution
-Results
Vietnam
-Senators
Press
-Coverage of administration activities
-Haldeman's reaction
-Rightists
-Press conferences
-President's use of
-Frequency
[Transcript #5: 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]
Press coverage
-Effect
-Pride
-Self-confidence
-Vietnam
-Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr. case
Vietnam
-Public reaction
22
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-Casualties
-US national goal
-Cabinet views
-Connally and Agnew
-John N. Mitchell
-Outlook
National Outlook Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
-1976 and 1980
-Public reaction
-Kissinger's possible candidacy
-President's standing
-Effect in 1972
-President's opponents
Vietnam
-Polls
-Approval and disapproval rate
-Administration initiatives
-Troop withdrawals
-Casualties
-Administration's position
-Press
-Magazines
-Laos and Cambodia
-Administration’s response
-North Vietnamese presence
-Reports on administration
-US military activities
-Laos
-Need for public relation efforts
Kissinger's schedule
-Trip
Press
Haldeman entered at 10:50 am.
Administration policies
-Vietnam
-Press
23
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-Economy
-Support for the President
-Confidence
Packard
-Kissinger’s conversation with Packard
-The President’s view
-Role Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
-Lucile Packard
-Stanford
-Possible Defense Department reorganization
-Panama
-Southern Command
-Packard, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer and Kissinger
-Views
-President's schedule
-Possible meeting, May 3, 1971
-Timing
-Meeting, May 4, 1971
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Southern Command
-Packard’s view
Southern Command
-Packard's views
-President's position
-Importance
-Military views
-US Ambassadors
-Latin America
-Joint Chiefs of Staff
-Packard
-President's schedule, May 4, 1971
-Meeting with Packard
-Kissinger's possible conversation with Packard
-Panama Canal
-Negotiations
Kissinger's schedule
-Trip to California
-Timing
24
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
Vietnam
-President's policies
-Establishment
-Republic of South Vietnam
-Support for US
-Military
-Para-military
-Government Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
-Officials
-Communist takeover
Ziegler entered at 10:53 am and Kissinger left.
Ziegler's upcoming press conference
-Scheduling
-President's schedule
-Trip to California
-Return date
-First Marine Division
-Ceremonies
-Return date
-Length of stay
-Return date
-Timing
-Wording of statement
-Return date
-Schedule, May 4, 1971
-Republican leadership meeting
Ehrlichman entered at 10:55 am and Ziegler left.
Air bags
-President’s position
-President's upcoming meeting with Ford and Lide A. Iacocca
-John A. Volpe's activities
-Department of Transportation regulations
-Federal Register
-Administration's position
-The President’s upcoming meeting with Ford and Iacocca
-The President’s comments
-Consumerism
-Ford
25
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
Economy
-Manchester Guardian article
-George P. Shultz and Connally
-Arthur F. Burns
-Interest rates
-President’s comments to Burns
-Connally’s role Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
-Shultz
-Administration's position
-Possible White House statement
-Burns' statement
-Interest rates
-Chase Manhattan Bank
-Connally’s view
-Council of Economic Advisors [CEA]
-Unknown man's statement
-Connally’s jurisdiction
-Paul W. McCracken
-Herbert Stein
-Hendrik S. Houthakker
-Connally’s statement
-Chase Manhattan Bank
-Unknown CEA official comments
-Effect on Connally
-President’s view
-Burns
-CEA
-Connally's role
-Chase National Bank
-President’s previous meeting with Burns
-Discussion topics
-Ehrlichman’s recollection
-Burns
-Ehrlichman's possible conversation with Connally
-Unknown CEA official
-Ziegler's press statement
-Briefing comments
-Connally’s role
-Federal Reserve Board
-CEA
-Shultz
26
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-Connally’s role
-CEA
-Need for coordination
-McCracken
-Connally
President's schedule
-Upcoming meeting with Ford and Iacocca Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
-Airbags
-The President’s view
-Bumpers
-The President’s comments
Volpe
-Tenure
-Haldeman's conversation with Mitchell
-Role
-Italians
-Department of Transportation
Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:55 am.
President's schedule
-Meeting with Ford and Iacocca
Bull left at an unknown time before 11:08 am.
Cabinet
-Volpe
-Role
-Public relations
-Meeting with the President
-George W. Romney
-Speech
-Revenue sharing
-Labor
-Support for the President
-Volpe
-Role
-Ehrlichman’s view
President's schedule
27
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
-Visit to California
-Legislative meeting, May 4, 1971
-Event at shipyard
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 12
[Personal Returnable] Conv. No. 488-15 (cont.)
[Duration: 20s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 12
**********************************************************************
[Transcript #6: 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]
Ford, Iacocca and an unknown man [Ziegler] entered at 11:08 am. Haldeman left.
Greetings
The unknown man left at 11:08 am.
[General conversation]
-Golf
-Europe
-Unknown man's trip
-President's schedule
[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under court order from
April 1983 for Special Access 65, Whitmore v. General Motors Corporation, No. C82-500 A.
The National Archives and Records Administration produced this transcript. The National
Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]
[End of transcript]
28
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 9/08)
An unknown person entered and left at an unknown time during the transcribed portion.
Ford, Iacocca and Ehrlichman left at 11:43 am.