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Conversation: 496-016

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Start Date: 10-May-1971 5:25 PM

End Date: 10-May-1971 6:15 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Ehrlichman, John D.Woods, Rose Mary

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 04:42:41

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 05:33:40

496a.mp3

496b.mp3

496c.mp3

NARA Description:

On May 10, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:25 pm and 6:15 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 496-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 496-16
                                              40

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)




Date: May 10, 1971
Time: Unknown after 5:25 pm until 6:15 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
     William P. Rogers
          -President's previous meeting                           Conv. No. 496-14 (cont.)
          -Relations with Henry A. Kissinger
          -President's meetings
                -Rogers' meetings
                      -Rogers' report on trip
                      -Kissinger's presence

     Middle East
         -Kissinger’s view

     Vietnam
          -Nguyen Van Thieu

John D. Ehrlichman entered at 5:28 pm

     Revenue sharing
         -Ehrlichman's conversation with Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
               -Wilbur D. Mills
               -1972 election
               -President’s view
         -White House strategy regarding revenue sharing
               -Warren E. Hearnes
               -George P. Shultz
                     -Upcoming conversation with Mills
               -Hearnes
         -Ehrlichman's conversation with Agnew
               -Gerald R. Ford

     Supersonic Transport [SST]
          -Upcoming vote
          -William M. Allen
                -Boeing Corporation
                     -Contract costs
                     -Current financial situation
          -Cost
                                        41

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



     -Ford
           -Talk with Ehrlichman
     -Allen
           -Business Council meeting
           -Call from Warren G. (“Maggie”) Magnuson
           -Conversation with Ehrlichman
                 -Bob Murphy of Boeing's Washington, D.C. office
     -William M. Magruder                                      Conv. No. 496-16 (cont.)
     -Boeing
           -Contracts
     -Purpose
           -Jobs
                 -Japan
     -North American Rockwell Corporation in Southern California
     -Boeing
     -Lockheed Corporation
     -Boeing
     -General Dynamics Corporation

Economy
    -Seattle
          -Recovery
          -Boeing
                -Employment level
          -Groceries, rent, real estate
          -Labor force
          -Future
    -Southern California
          -Compared with Seattle
    -Seattle
          -Community efforts
          -Area
                -Compared with California
    -New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana
    -Houston, Texas
          -Climate
    -Seattle and Southern California
          -Government subsidies to attract new industries
    -Monday night staff meetings
          -Ehrlichman, Shultz, Kissinger, and Haldeman
          -Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
          -Location
                                         42

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 9/08)




Middle East
    -Kissinger and Rogers
          -May 10, 1971 meeting
    -Israel
          -US policy
    -Suez
    -Rogers                                               Conv. No. 496-16 (cont.)
    -Israel
    -Kissinger
    -Editorial writers and columnists
          -Israel, Vietnam
          -Joseph W. Alsop
          -Joseph C. Kraft
          -Vietnam
          -Jews
          -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
    -US policy
          -Israel
          -Arabs
          -Great Britain
          -France
          -Italy
    -Visits to Israel
          -Edmund S. Muskie, Hubert H. Humphrey, Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
    -John B. Connally
    -Israel
    -Rogers
          -May 10, 1971 meeting with the President
    -Kissinger
    -Israeli requests for assistance
    -Suez

Kissinger
     -Israel
     -Vietnam
     -USSR/US relations
     -People's Republic of China [PRC]

Rogers
    -Role
    -State Department
                                             43

                             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)




     Kissinger

     Rogers
         -Reception in Middle East
         -Statements on London
               -PRC/USSR relations
               -Report to President, Haldeman                        Conv. No. 496-16 (cont.)
         -Compared with Connally
     Middle East
         -Kissinger
               -Jacob K. Javits
               -Golda Meir
         -Jewish attitude toward Israel
               -Admiral Lewis L. Strauss
               -Arthur Goldberg
                     -Appointment to United Nations [UN] by Lyndon B. Johnson
               -Compared with Irish attitude toward Northern Ireland
         -Meetings

     SST
           -Boeing
                -Magruder
                -Allen

     Ehrlichman's schedule

Ehrlichman left at 5:45 pm

     President's schedule
          -Rogers
                 -Future meetings with President
                       -Kissinger's presence
                 -National Security Council meetings
                 -May 10, 1971 meeting with President
                       -Kissinger's presence
                       -President's schedule
                             -Stephen B. Bull
          -Previous meeting with John N. Mitchell
          -Staff presence
          -George W. Romney, John A. Volpe, and Maurice H. Stans meetings
                 -Ehrlichman, John C. Whitaker
                                        44

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. 9/08)



     -Mitchell
     -Connally
     -Melvin R. Laird
     -Rogers
          -Kissinger's presence
     -Connally
     -Mitchell
                                                             Conv. No. 496-16 (cont.)
Middle East
    -May 10, 1971 staff meeting
          -Kissinger, Rogers
          -Israel
          -Kissinger
          -President's policy
                -Military aid
    -Political considerations
          -Support for Israel
          -Taft Schreiber, Theodore E. Cummings, Bernard (“Bunny”) Lasker, Max M.
                Fisher
          -Writers
          -Edmund S. Muskie supporters
          -Support for Israel
                -Public Opinion

Staff schedules
      -Kissinger's trip
      -Florida trip
      -Frequency and length of vacations
            -White House staff
            -Florida
            -High-level staff
      -President
            -Camp David
                  -Work
            -Florida
                  -Work
      -Kissinger, Haldeman, and Ehrlichman
      -Frequency
      -Ehrlichman
      -Kissinger
            -Kissinger’s schedule
            -Office and social schedules
                                           45

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 9/08)



        -Vacations
             -Length
             -Timing
             -Haldeman's
             -Length
             -Florida, the Bahamas
             -Home
             -Camp David                                         Conv. No. 496-16 (cont.)
                   -Ehrlichman
             -Time with families
                   -Kissinger
             -Camp David use
                   -President
                   -Ehrlichman
                   -Facilities
                   -President
                   -Cabinet
                   -Staff

Press
        -Rogers
              -Press and photo coverage of President's meeting
                    -Ronald L. Ziegler
                    -Wire services, press pool
        -Cabinet and other groups
              -Press and photo coverage
        -President's relationship
        -Press conferences
        -Social events
        -President's trips
              -Coverage
              -Florida trip
        -President's relations
              -Herbert G. Klein
        -Gridiron Dinner
              -President's role
        -White House Correspondents Association Dinner
              -Program
              -President's role
                    -Photos with entertainers
                    -Handshaking
                           -American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publishers [ASCAP]
                                        46

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



                 -Past and future dinners
     -Gridiron Dinner, White House Correspondents dinner
           -Haldeman's attendance
           -Speeches
           -Haldeman's role
                 -Compared with businessmen's dinner
     -Possible meetings with candidates of press organizations
     -President's relations                                      Conv. No. 496-16 (cont.)
           -Ziegler
           -Press conferences
     -Ziegler and Klein
           -Press events
           -Roles
                 -Compared with Kissinger and ambassadors
     -Zielger's work
           -"Credibility gap"
                 -Johnson's press statements
           -Budget
     -White House Correspondents Association dinner
     -President's relations
     -Possible column
           -Charles W. Colson
           -An event
     -Press dinners
           -President's attendance at Gridiron, White House Correspondents, and White
                 House photographers dinners
     -Photos of President
           -Awards
           -A television segment

Vietnam
     -Public opinion on Washington, D.C. demonstrations
           -May 10, 1971 staff meeting
           -Figures
                -Kissinger
     -Public opinion
           -Compared with World War II
                -Tanks in Africa
                -Storming of beachheads
                -Marines capturing Pacific Islands
                -Fighting force
     -Military
                                                47

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 9/08)



                 -Social class
           -”Gulf complex”
           -Current situation
           -President’s May 10, 1971 meeting with Kissinger
           -USSR, PRC
           -Peace settlement

     Monday night staff meetings                                   Conv. No. 496-16 (cont.)
         -Ehrlichman, Haldeman, Shultz
         -Peter G. Peterson

     President's schedule
          -Weather
          -Trip to Camp David
          -Golf game with Rogers
                 -Timing

     Gallup
          -Laos operation
          -Timing

Rose Mary Woods entered at 6:09 pm

     President's schedule
          -Golf game with Rogers
                 -Call
                 -Time
                       -Dr. W. Kenneth Riland

[The President talked with Ehrlichman at an unknown time between 6:09 pm and 6:11 pm]

[Conversation No. 496-16A]

     SST
           -Boeing
           -Ford, George Meany

[End of telephone conversation]

     Correspondence[?]

     A new item
                                              48

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 9/08)




     Call to Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon

Ms. Woods left at 6:11 pm

     Rogers

     Cabinet                                                     Conv. No. 496-16 (cont.)
          -Rogers
               -Possible conversation with Haldeman

     PRC initiative
         -Kissinger
         -Pakistan
         -Kissinger

     Vietnam
          -Negotiations with North Vietnamese

     USSR
         -Answer on summit

     PRC

     Rogers
         -Statements in London

     USSR
         -Evaluation of US political scene

     PRC initiative
         -USSR knowledge

[The President talked with Woods between 6:14 and 6:15 pm]

[Conversation No. 496-16B]

[See Conversation No. 2-137]

[End of telephone conversation]

     Ziegler[?]
                                             49

                             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)




Haldeman left at 6:15 pm