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Conversation: 534-002

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Start Date: 1-Jul-1971 8:45 AM

End Date: 1-Jul-1971 9:52 AM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Bull, Stephen B.Kissinger, Henry A.Haig, Alexander M., Jr.

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:04:58

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:10:44

534a.mp3

534b.mp3

534c.mp3

NARA Description:

On July 1, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, Henry A. Kissinger [?], and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:45 am to 9:52 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 534-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 534-2

Date: July 1, 1971
Time: 8:45 am - 9:52 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
                                         2

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/08)



The Pentagon Papers case
     -Haldeman's conversation with Elliot L. Richardson
     -The Eastern “establishment”
          -The President's experiences with the Alger Hiss case
                -Contrast between Hiss' and Whitaker Chambers' background
     -Richardson conversation about Charles M. Cooke, Jr. (?)
          -Melvin R. Laird
          -Ellsworth F. Bunker cables shown to Daniel Ellsberg Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
          -Jimmy Doyle of the Washington Star
          -William P. Rogers
                -Investigation of cable leak
                      -Cooke's admission of showing cable to Ellsberg
          -Ellsberg's departure from the Rand Corporation
                -Cooke
                -Access to cable from unnamed woman in the State Department
     -Richardson's June 30, 1971 conversation with Cooke
          -Perception of Cooke's role
          -Cooke's position with the federal government
                -Henry A. Kissinger
     -Frank [Surname unintelligible]
          -Conversation overheard at Los Angeles Rams football game in October 1970
                -Plans to leak documents via unnamed persons from Kissinger's staff at
                      the White House

News story about the Turkish opium ban

The President's appearance at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's [FBI] academy
     -Defense of J. Edgar Hoover

Howard K. Smith
    -Commentary on "The Establishment"
         -New York Times
         -The President as anti-establishment figure

Pentagon Papers case
     -Action against anti-administration conspiracy
          -John D. Ehrlichman
                -Charles W. Colson
                -The President's schedule
                -Leaking of stories about opponents
                -The New York Times
                      -John F. Kennedy
                                    3

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                           Tape Subject Log
                             (rev. 10/08)



-Feasibility and timing of statement by the President
      -President’s view
            -Suppression
      -Possible action
      -Ehrlichman's recommendation
      -Ellsberg's legal status
      -Ehrlichman’s forthcoming conversation with Colson
      -Kissinger                                              Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
      -Ehrlichman’s views
      -Haldeman’s forthcoming meeting with Ehrlichman, Colson, Richard A. Moore,
            John A. Scali, Ronald L. Ziegler
      -Kissinger
-Declassification of government documents
      -Kissinger
      -Ehrlichman
            -Laird
      -John N. Mitchell
      -Laird
      -FBI
-Handling of case by someone for the White House
      -Tom C. Huston
      -Richard V. Allen
            -Henry E. Peterson
      -Comparison to the President's involvement in the Hiss case
      -Leaks
      -Hoover
      -Mitchell
      -Ehrlichman
      -Orchestration of effort to leak information
            -Purposes
                  -Declassification
                  -Political benefits
                  -Vietnam
-Distraction from current issues
      -Focus on previous administrations
-Type of person needed to handle the case
      -John C. Whitaker
      -Qualities required
      -Huston
      -Presidential involvement
-Cooke
      -Tran Ngoc Chau
                                              4

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/08)



              -Future White House contact
         -Freeze against the Washington Post and the New York Times
              -Continuation
              -Backgrounders, off-the-record, personal
                     -George P. Shultz
              -Access restriction to on-the-record appearances in presence of other reporters
                     -Leonard Garment, William L. Safire, Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                                                                       Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
     Unemployment statistics
         -The President's conversation with Colson
         -Adjustments
         -Shultz
              -Seasonal adjustments
         -June statistics
         -Colson
              -The President's instructions on handling story
                     -ABC news
                     -Scali

     Opium agreement with Turkey, June 30, 1971

     The FBI
          -The President's appearance at academy
               -Hoover
          -Repression issue
               -Mitchell's attitude
               -Passing nature of issue

     The Supreme Court
          -Justices
          -Need to change
          -Hugo L. Black, Thurgood Marshall, William J. Brennan, Byron R. White

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 8:45 am

     The President's schedule
          -Request
          -Kissinger

Bull left at an unknown time before 9:18 am

[The President talked with an unknown person (Kissinger?) at an unknown time between 8:45
                                               5

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 10/08)



am and 9:18 am]

[Conversation No. 534-2A]
     Schedule

[End of telephone conversation]

     The President's schedule                                            Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
          -Meeting request by Ehrlichman

     Bicentennial speech
          -John K. Andrews, Jr.
               -Use of the President's previous statement
               -Speech language
          -Number of television networks scheduled to broadcast speech

Kissinger entered at 9:18 am.

     The Vietnam war
          -Vietnamese
          -Negotiations
               -Press report
          -May 31, 1971 proposal

     The Pentagon Papers case
          -California
                -Incident at October 1970 Los Angeles Rams game
                      -Member of Business Executives for Peace
                      -Plans by unknown member of Kissinger's staff
                            -Alleged plan to quit staff and leak information about the war

Haldeman left at 9:18 am

           -Release of classified information
                -NSC control
                -Contingency plans
                      -Laos-Cambodia contingency plans
                      -Haiphong Harbor
           -Cooke
                -Richardson
                -Comparison to the Hiss case
                -Relations with Ellsberg
                                              6

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 10/08)



                     -Rand Corporation
               -Case of Chau in South Vietnam
                     -Secret cables
                     -Nguyen Van Thieu
               -Publication of cables by Doyle
                     -Washington Star
               -Rogers
                     -Concern                                         Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
               -Investigation of Rand Corporation
                     -Ellsberg
               -Richardson's defense of Cooke
               -Security-clearances
               -Need-to-know rule
          -Kissinger's staff
               -[First name not known] Davis
                     -May 14, 1969 incident

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 8:45 am

     Accidental summons
          -Haldeman

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 9:23 am

     The Pentagon Papers case
          -Davis
                -Alleged leak of embargoed speech to journalist
          -Ellsberg

Haldeman entered at 9:23 am

     The Pentagon Papers case
          -Ellsberg
                -Distinction between holding security clearance and need-to-know principle
                -Chau case
          -Cooke, Ellsberg, Bunker
          -Handling of classified information
                -Richardson
          -Need for individual to be assigned to work with the President on the case
                -Ehrlichman
                -Ehrlichman, John W. Dean, III
                -Comparison to Hiss case
                                        7

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/08)



          -Ethics and lawyers
                -The Manson case
                -Mitchell
                -New York Times
          -White House publications efforts
     -Brookings Institute safe
          -Break-in
                -Blame                                        Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
     -Cooke
          -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
          -Bunker
          -Chau case
                -Cables from Bunker
                -The President’s message to Ambassador Bunker
                -Washington Star story

Brookings Institution
    -Break-in

Vietnam war
     -Negotiations
         -Public reaction
         -Press
         -Conditions
                -Prisoners of War [POWs]
                -Ceasefire
         -Possible public statement
         -Bunker’s knowledge of negotiations
                -David K.E. Bruce
         -Timing
         -Kissinger’s schedule
         -Proposal
                -POWs
                -POW wives
         -Report from Bruce
         -Possible public release of proposal
                -Release of POWs
                -Ceasefire
                -Conditions

The Pentagon papers case
     -Leaks
                                    8

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                           Tape Subject Log
                             (rev. 10/08)



      -National Security Council [NSC] staff
            -Investigation
                  -Haig
                         -Wiretapping
      -Issue of trust in the White House
            -Haldeman, Ehrlichman
            -Leaks
      -NSC staff                                               Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
            -Liberals
            -Theft of classified documents
      -Mitchell
            -Reaction
            -Repression
-The Hiss case comparison
      -Tom Clark
      -Justice Department
      -Nixon’s efforts
      -Use of leaks to get Hiss
            -Newspaper stories contrasted with legal action in court
            -Grand jury
            -[Forename unknown] Murphy
            -Hoover
-Ellsberg case
      -Declassification
            -Ehrlichman
      -Opposition to Laird plan
      -President’s role
            -White House efforts
            -Cuban missile crisis
            -Conspiracy
            -Leaking of information
      -Cooke
            -Role
      -Rand Corporation
            -Ellsberg

     -Chau case
          -Bunker
          -Cables
     -Cooke
          -Ellsberg
          -Leak
                                               9

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 10/08)



                 -Leak by White House
                      -Conspiracy
                      -Other administration’s involvement
                 -Cooke
                      -Richardson’s handling of case
                      -Status
                      -Leaks to press about involvement
The President talked to Haldeman at unknown time between 9:28 am andConv.
                                                                    9:52 am.
                                                                          No. 534-2 (cont.)

     Cooke
         -Removal
         -Richardson
         -Leaks to the press
              -Colson

[End of telephone conversation]


Haig entered at 9:39 am.

                -NSC staff
                      -Allegations about two unknown staff members
                            -Leaking of documents against the Vietnam War
                -Security of materials
                      -Kissinger and the NSC staff
                            -Executive Office Building [EOB]
                -Intellectuals
                      -Eastern schools
                      -University of California, Berkeley

     Vietnam War
            -Negotiations
                  -Ziegler
                  -POWs
                  -Haig's conversation with William C. Sullivan
                       -North Vietnamese conditions
                             -Thieu's Regime
                       -Handling
                             -Sullivan
                             -Ziegler
Haig left at 9:45 am.
                                             10

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 10/08)



     Foreign relations
          -Briefing book
                -Public information
                -Changes in section about negotiations
                -The People's Republic of China [PRC]
                      -The President's conversations with Nicolae Ceausescu and Andrei
                           Gromyko
                           -Tone and style                             Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
                           -Stance
                           -Philosophical angle
                      -Chou En-lai's statements
                           -Analysis
                           -Kissinger’s future conversation with Chou En-lai
                           -The President's perceptions of the world
                           -The President's conversations with communist leaders
                                  -Unnamed Greek revolutionary
                                        -1947 Meeting
                                  -Nikita Khrushchev
                                  -Anastas Mikoyan
                                  -Frol Koslov
                                  -Fidel Castro
                                  -Nature of conversations
                      -Opening Statement
                      -Flexibility
                -Thought processes of foreign communists compared to current US
                      revolutionaries

     Telephone Call from William P. Rogers to Kissinger

Kissinger left at 9:52 am