Conversation: 496-016
Prev: 496-015 Next: 496-017Start Date: Monday, May 10, 1971 9:25 PM
End Date: Monday, May 10, 1971 10:15 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Ehrlichman, John D.; Woods, Rose MaryRecording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 04:42:41
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 05:33:40
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