Conversation: 527-003
Prev: 527-002 Next: 527-004Start Date: 22-Jun-1971 1:48 PM
End Date: 22-Jun-1971 1:50 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); [Unknown person(s)];Recording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:04:03
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 00:04:15
NARA Description:
On June 22, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:48 pm to 1:50 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 527-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 527-3
Date: June 22, 1971
Time: 1:48 pm - 1:50 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with an unknown woman.
2
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
Request for John D. Ehrlichman
An unknown woman left at an unknown time before 1:50 pm.
Conversation
Conv. No. 527-3
No.(cont.)
527-4
Date: June 22, 1971
Time: 1:50 pm - 3:07 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield and H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
Schedule
-Henry A. Kissinger
Kissinger
-Conversation with Haldeman
-Haldeman conversation with William P. Rogers
Butterfield left at 1:54 pm.
Pentagon Papers
-Poll
An unknown woman entered at an unknown time after 1:54 pm.
Meeting with John D. Ehrlichman
-Kissinger
The unknown woman left at an unknown time before 1:55 pm.
Pentagon Papers
-Poll
-Implications
-New York Times story as an issue
-View of printing stolen documents
-Times’ moral position
3
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 11s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1 Conv. No. 527-4 (cont.)
**********************************************************************
Haldeman spoke with an unknown person at an unknown time after 1:54 pm.
[Conversation No. 527-4B]
Scheduling
[End of conversation]
United States Information Agency [USIA]
-Chain of command
-Frank J. Shakespeare
-Kissinger contact
-Haldeman's contact
-Robert B. Anderson
-President's conversation with Shakespeare
-Shakespeare's self-image
-Support for Nixon
-Relationship with Department of State
Ehrlichman and Kissinger entered at 1:55 pm.
Kissinger's schedule
President's schedule
-Camp David visit
-Return to Washington
-Shipbuilding contract signing ceremony
-Kissinger's schedule
-Budget session
-Kissinger's schedule
4
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Possible short notice trip
Kissinger’s meeting with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Berlin negotiations
-Linkage of administrations over Vietnam
-Summit
-Soviet Union decision
-Scheduling of summit
-Dobrynin report Conv. No. 527-4 (cont.)
-Leonid I. Brezhnev's schedule
-Visit to Germany
-Timing of summit
-US and People’s Republic of China [PRC] contacts
-Onus of cancellation
-Brezhnev travels
-Implications
-Cancellation of Moscow summit
-Role of PRC summit
US and PRC relations
-Message from PRC to US
-Arrangements for upcoming trip
US and Soviet Union relations
Anti-war amendments
-Marlow W. Cook-Ted Stevens amendment
-Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield amendment
-Clark MacGregor and leadership group
-Voting on Mansfield proposal
-Status of Mansfield amendment
-Kissinger's conversations
-Robert W. Packwood
-Jack R. Miller
-Winston L. Prouty
-William E. Brock, III
-Howard H. Baker
-Stevens-Cook reference
-Discussion of administration needs
-Effect of amendments on negotiations
-Future events
5
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
Vietnam negotiations
-Le Duc Tho arrival in Paris
-Timing
-Rationale
US strategic plans
-US and PRC relations
-US domestic turmoil Conv. No. 527-4 (cont.)
-Effect on PRC
-Effect on Hanoi
-Effect on Moscow
-Published articles on Pentagon Papers
-Peking comments
-Kissinger’s monitoring of the press
Congressional activities
-Kissinger's contact with Senators
-Mansfield status
-Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty
-Legal status
-Allen J. Ellender
-Call by President to Ellender
-Ramifications
-Timing
-Talking points
******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[National Security]
[Duration: 7s ]
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
******************************************************************************
6
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Prior contact with Ellender
-Support for call
-U. Alexis Johnson
-George P. Shultz
-Richard M. Helms
-Other remedies
-USIA
-House of Representatives Conv. No. 527-4 (cont.)
Pentagon Papers
-Stewart J.O. Alsop
-President's status
-Administration obstacles
-John F. Kennedy administration
-Times action
-Administration response
-Weekly news publications
-Administration standing
-Kissinger attendance at Department of State reception
-John N. Hightower retirement
-Paul W. Ward retirement
-Chalmers Roberts
-Demeanor of newsmen
-Press
-Whitney North Seymour, Jr.
-Prosecution of Times
-Seymour
-US Attorney
-Need for public relations points
-John N. Mitchell
-Melvin R. Laird
-William P. Rogers
-Declassification action
-Scope
-White House and Department of Defense [DOD] procedure
-Precedent
-Ehrlichman’s efforts
[Ehrlichman talked with Laird at an unknown time between 1:55 pm and 2:43 pm]
[Conversation No. 527-4A]
7
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
[Unintelligible]
[End of telephone conversation]
Pentagon Papers
-Declassification action at DOD
-White House and DOD procedure
-Mansfield
-Carl B. Albert Conv. No. 527-4 (cont.)
-Associated Press [AP] story
-Public perception
-Robert McNamara's papers
-Albert
-Laird and Rogers meeting with Albert
-Mitchell
-Mansfield and President meeting
-Albert
-Laird
-Action
-Laird and Rogers action
-Laird leaks
-Scope of declassification action
-Laird meeting with Senate Foreign Relations Committee
-Effect on legal action
-Laird and Rogers action
-Ehrlichman and Laird conversation
-Albert request for documents
-President's meeting with Albert, [Thomas] Hale Boggs, and
Mansfield
-Preferred action
-Mansfield breakfast
-Clark M. MacGregor
-Mansfield's resolution
-Timing
-Mansfield’s position
-Timing of other events
-Leaders meeting
-“Big Five” Committee chairman
-Pentagon Papers discussion
-Cook-Stevens amendment vote
-Mansfield amendment vote
-Benefits of changing Mansfield's breakfast
-Rogers’ attendance
8
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Call from MacGregor to Kissinger
-Rogers
-Mitchell's knowledge
-MacGregor conversation with Mitchell
-Source of administration decision on declassification
-President
-Laird
-Rationale for action Conv. No. 527-4 (cont.)
-Laird's action
-Laird and Rogers action
-Options for action by President
-”Big Five” Committee chairman
-Need for proper public relations
-Mansfield
-Results of Laird statements
-Ronald L. Ziegler's briefing
-Instruction from President to the Secretary of Defense
-Congressional access to papers
-Leaders meeting
-Play on evening news
-Rogers and Laird action
-Reflection on discipline
-Laird and Rogers action
-Laird's statement
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Identification of declassifiable papers
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Speech
-Legal action
-Focus on declassifiable papers
-Times view
-Chicago Tribune call for declassification
-Declassification of World War II, Korean War, Bay of Pigs, Cuba
documents
-Need for experts
-Laird and Rogers action
-President's role in administration response
-Laird and Mitchell’s actions
-Results
-President's role
-Statement by administration
-Mitchell's instruction to the Department of Justice
9
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Legal action
-Legal action
-Supreme Court
-District Court
-Problems of decision
-Mitchell’s view
-Delay of further publication
-Public relations Conv. No. 527-4 (cont.)
Congressional relations
-Phone call to Ellender
-Purpose
Pentagon Papers
-Administration response
-Declassification
-Laird's action
-Call to Ehrlichman
-Rogers
-Call to Ehrlichman
-Call to Kissinger
-Declassification of World War II, Korean War, Bay of Pigs documents
-Ehrlichman
-Ehrlichman's conversation with Charles W. Colson
-Tom Charles Huston
-Haig
-Preliminary draft report
-Shakespeare
-Call to Laird and Rogers
Kissinger and Ehrlichman left at 2:43 pm.
-President's handling of staff
-Administration counter
-Focus on other wars
-Public perception
Schedule
-Unknown person [Spiro T. Agnew ?]
-Visit to President
-Content
-Press conference
10
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-President's meeting with business leaders
-Peter G. Peterson
-Utility
-Donald McI. Kendall
-Size
-Purpose
-Format
-Dialogue Conv. No. 527-4 (cont.)
-Upcoming events
-President's legislative agenda
-Examples of welfare
Legislation
-President's legislative program
-President’s conversation with Ehrlichman
-House action on Social Security
Schedule
-President's dinner with business leaders
-Other events
-Format
-Peterson
-Comments by others
-President's contact with members
-Table configuration
-Problems
Pentagon Papers
-Laird action
-White House responsibility
-Kissinger’s view
-Rogers’ action
-Rationale
-Administration response
-Supreme Court action
-Ehrlichman
-Need for firm action
-Public relations
-Mansfield Amendment
-MacGregor's effort
-Supersonic Transport [SST] problem
-Administration response
11
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-President's role
-Possible meeting with Congressional leaders
-Ziegler
-Laird
-Announcement of declassification
-Play by media
Polls Conv. No. 527-4 (cont.)
-Use
-Focus on issues
Shakespeare meeting
-Haldeman's role
President's schedule meeting with Agnew
-Purpose
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Use of staff
-President’s conversation with John Foster Dulles
-Pattern of meetings
-Reports from Cabinet officers
-Anderson report
-Canal Treaty
-John N. (“Jack”) Irwin, II
-Rogers
-MacGregor
-Request for opinion on Ellender call
-Previous meetings with Ellender
Pentagon Papers
-Ehrlichman
-[D. Kenneth Rush ?]
-Cabinet officers' responsibilities
-Laird
-Declassification
-Albert
-Laird and Rogers’ meeting with Congressman
-Declassification
-Procedure
12
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
President's schedule
-Dinner, June 22
-Entertainment
-Possible performance by US Army Chorus
-Timing
-Eisenhower's method
Conv. No. 527-4 (cont.)
Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 3:05 pm.
-Meeting with Peterson [?]
Butterfield left at 3:06 pm.
Haldeman left at 3:07 pm.