Conversation No. 535-4

Date: July 2, 1971
Time: 9:15 am - 10:39 am
Location: Oval Office

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

     Pentagon Papers case
          -William P. Rogers' appearance characterized
          -Foreign government reaction to case
          -Effect on foreign relations
          -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] documents
                -Effects of possible leaks
                -Henry A. Kissinger
                                          3

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/08)



North Vietnamese peace offering
     -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield, Carl B. Albert
     -Media coverage
     -Congressional resolutions
     -National Liberation Front [NLF]
     -Congressional resolutions
          -Cooper-Church amendment
     -Congressional fund cut-off                                 Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
          -US troops
          -John Sherman Cooper

The President's forthcoming speech at the National Archives
     -The President's appearance July 3, 1971 with Chief Justice Warren E. Burger
          -Opening of the Bicentennial Era
          -Ronald L. Ziegler
          -News lead
          -Audience
          -Media coverage
          -Bicentennial Commission

Pentagon Papers
     -Patrick J. Buchanan's recommendations
           -Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy
           -Johnson Democrats
                 -Support for the President on foreign policy
                 -Relation to the President
     -Issuance of statements
           -Ziegler, the President

The President's schedule
     -Charles W. Colson

Campaign funds
    -Haldeman's meeting with John N. Mitchell
          -Control of funds
               -Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
                     -Monitoring during forthcoming campaign
               -Polls
    -Amount
          -Haldeman's forthcoming conversation with Herbert W. Kalmbach
          -Leonard Firestone
    -Polls
                                               4

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 10/08)



                -Role of Domestic Council
                      -Different types
                      -John D. Ehrlichman
                      -Payments
          -Funds for revenue sharing group
          -Milk Fund
          -1970 spending on film (?)
                -Leonard Garment                                    Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
          -Private funds
                -Kalmbach’s role
          -Uses from the past
                -Amount
                -Congressional campaigns
                -President’s orders

Colson entered at 9:28 am

     Unemployment statistics
         -Release
         -James D. Hodgson's forthcoming briefing
         -Congress
              -Joint Economic Committee
                    -Gerald R. Ford, Hugh Scott, Charles H. Percy
                          -Release of statements
         -Roger E. Johnson and staff
              -Responsibilities
         -Monthly decrease
         -John A. Scali's network contacts
         -News story
         -Significance

Peter M. Flanigan entered at 10:02 am

     Unemployment statistics
         -Statistical aberration
         -Rate
               -Herbert Stein
               -Composition of the unemployed
                      -Number of young people
         -Paul W. McCracken, Arthur F. Burns
               -Predictions on future unemployment trends
         -Forecasters
                                          5

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/08)



          -Need to prove accuracy of projections
     -Psychological boost from decrease in unemployment

Pentagon Papers case
     -Daniel Ellsberg
          -Outside assistance in gathering information
     -The President's July 1, 1971 conversation with J. Edgar Hoover
          -Impression of reluctance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
                                                                  Conv. No.[FBI]
                                                                             535-4
                                                                                 to (cont.)
                pursue the case
          -Possible call by Haldeman
          -Investigation of conspiracy
     -Need for conversation with Melvin R. Laird
          -Haldeman
          -Ehrlichman
                -Legal side of case
     -Coordination of anti-conspiracy effort
          -New York Times
                -Ehrlichman
          -Polygraph tests
                -President’s orders
                -Mitchell's knowledge
          -Persons needed for coordinator's role in the White House
                -Colson
                -Tom C. Huston
          -Need to begin the investigation
     -Mitchell
          -Need for prosecution
          -Ziegler
     -New York Times
          -Publication of documents
          -Impact on settlement of Vietnam war and return of the prisoners of war
                [POWs]
                -Draft Presidential statement from Buchanan
                -Administrations position
                      -Mansfield, Albert
     -Focus of press coverage
          -Perception of newspaper publication of the documents
     -Timing of action by the President

Newark, New Jersey
    -Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson
         -Appointment of seventeen-year old student to school board
                                         6

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/08)



Pentagon Papers case
     -Ellsberg
     -Mitchell
     -Newspaper publication of documents
           -Perception of Kennedy's reluctance to enter Vietnam war
           -Johnson
           -The President's citation of Kennedy and Johnson's role
                 -News coverage limitation                         Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
                 -The Kennedys
                      -New York Times Review of Books
                            -Forthcoming biographies
                                   -Rose F. Kennedy
                                   -Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
                                        -M. V. Thayer
                                   -Ethel S. Kennedy
                                   -Comparison with Mrs. Nixon
     -White House reaction
           -Low level of response
           -July 6, 1971 use of television in Kansas City
           -John A. Scali
                 -Recommendations
           -Timing

Forthcoming news stories
     -Unemployment figures
     -Effect of July 4 weekend on news impact
     -Steel industry story
           -Presidential leadership

The economy
     -Effect of unemployment figures
     -Burns
     -Impact of unemployment figures
     -Harris polls
          -President’s popularity
     -Productivity Commission
          -Edward Carter
                 -Reaction to the President's appearance at meeting
                 -John B. Connally
                 -Recommendations on taxes, control, and spending
                 -Retail sales figures
                      -Sears, Roebuck and Company
                                           7

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 10/08)



                      -California
     -Forecast
     -Foreign imports
          -Connally
          -George P. Shultz, Peter G. Peterson
          -Japan
     -Business and unions
     -Farmers                                                      Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
          -Farm prices
          -Consumer prices

Pentagon Papers
     -Need for conspiracy investigation
     -July 1, 1971 declassification meeting
           -Limited news release
           -Haldeman, Ehrlichman
           -Rand Corporation
           -Brookings Institution
                 -Cut-off in access to classified information
                 -Break-in
                       -Removal of documents
                       -Laird
                             -Rand Corporation
           -Changes in handling classified information
           -Declassification
     -Washington Post article
           -Vietnam war
                 -William F. Buckley, Jr.
     -Impact of issue
     -Protection of classified documents as opposed to repression of the press
     -Conspiracy investigation
           -Colson, Ehrlichman, and Haldeman
           -Laird, Hoover
           -Mitchell
           -Need for action
                 -Neil Sheehan of the New York Times
                 -Prosecutions in case
                       -Ellsberg
                       -[Forename unknown] Cooke
                             -Elliot L. Richardson
     -Ellsberg's statement on involvement
           -Motivation
                                              8

                         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/08)



                    -Comparison to Alger Hiss


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                    -Hiss
              -Ellsberg
         -The Eastern liberal Establishment
              -Howard K. Smith
                    -Vietnam issue
                    -Jack Smith
              -James B. ("Scotty") Reston
              -Scali
              -Rogers’ statement

    Public Broadcasting Corporation
         -Anti-trust action
         -Peter M. Flanigan

    Pentagon Papers
         -Conspiracy investigation
         -Unnamed man from the United States Information Agency [USIA]
         -Richard V. Allen
         -Huston
         -Mitchell

    Television broadcasting
         -Anti-trust action
               -Mitchell
         -Film and television production
               -Control of product
         -Broadcasting networks
                                   9

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                           Tape Subject Log
                             (rev. 10/08)



     -Increase in production of programs, movies
-Precedential effect
     -Federal Communications Commission [FCC]
           -Prime time access case
     -Independent networks
     -Gulf Oil request for Nixon-Cox wedding rebroadcast
           -Julian Goodman
     -Previous request on speech                             Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
           -National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
-Control and influence
     -Mitchell
     -Cable Access Television [CATV]
-Corporation for Public Broadcasting [CPB]
     -Board membership
           -John D. (“Jack”) Wrather, Jr.
                 -Committee on standards
           -President of the Board
                 -Democratic party affiliation
     -Funding cutbacks
           -National Education Television
           -CPB
           -Ford Foundation
           -Board members
           -Public Broadcasting Service [PBS]
                 -Elizabeth Drew's program
                 -Sesame Street
                 -Jerry Slater
                       -Previous position at CBS with Frank Stanton
                       -Proposed evening news show
           -Yearly costs
     -Public broadcasting
           -Leverage over commercial networks
           -Cuts
                 -NET and PBS
                       “Sesame Street”
           -Changes in management
           -Cutbacks in funding
           -Government controlled networks
                 -French, Canadian, British, Italian
           -PBS
                 -Drew program
                       -Viewership
                                            10

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/08)



                                    -NBS’s “Today” show
                        -Frank Pace, Jr., Wrather
                        -William Moore (?)
                   -Funding cutbacks
                        -Possibility of passage of legislation by Congress

    Ambassadorial appointments
                                                                     Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
    Public Broadcasting Corporation
         -Funding cutbacks
              -Shultz

    Ambassadorial appointments
        -Japan
             -[Armin H. Meyer]
             -Background required for post
             -John B. Connally
                   -Request for recommendations


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               -Need for business to fill post
               -Okinawa
               -Bert S. Cross
               -Frederic V. Malek's list of candidates
               -Flanigan’s list of candidates
               -[Forename unknown] (“Bud”) Humphrey, George T. Humphrey
               -Cross
               -Bart (“Tex”) [Surname unknown]
               -Connally
         -William J. Porter
                                           11

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 10/08)



              -Transfer of Posting
                   -Korea, Paris
                   -Marshall Green


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4                                   Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
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[Duration: 2m 34s ]


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         -Japan
              -Requirements
              -Recommendations
                    -Kissinger
                    -Peter G. Peterson
         -Ambassadorial posts
              -Tokyo, Japan
              -Germany
              -Soviet Union [USSR]
              -Britain, France, Italy
              -Germany
         -Japan
              -(David) Kenneth Rush
              -Green
                    -State Department
              -Qualifications
         -John D. Lodge
              -Kissinger’s concerns
                    -Argentina
                    -Finland
              -Financial situation
                                            12

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 10/08)



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END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5                                     Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)

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         -Austria
               -John F. Humes
                    -Contributions
         -Finland
               -Val Peterson
         -Belgium
               -Raymond Guest
                    -Contributions
                    -Ireland
                    -Don Strait
                    -Wife
                    -Contribution amount requested
         -Australia
               -John Sherman Cooper
                    -Flanigan’s conversation with Mitchell
                    -Louie B. Nunn
                    -Primary election

              -Lodge
                    -Argentina
         -J. William Middendorf, II
              -Return from assignment in the Netherlands
              -John J. (“Jack”) Caulfield
         -[Forename and surname unknown]
              -Ceylon
              -Netherlands
              -North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
              -State Department
         -Anthony D. Marshall
              -Ceylon
                                             13

                         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 10/08)



    State Department
          -Rogers
          -Position for Flanigan
                -Economics specialist
                      -Second undersecretary position
                -White House insider
                -1972 Campaign
                -Request for Flanigan to converse with Peterson and Connally
                                                                      Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
                      -Subsequent meeting with the President and Haldeman
                -Connally’s view
                -Peterson’s view
                -Haldeman’s view
                -Flanigan’s view
                -Rogers’ reluctance
                      -U. Alexis Johnson
                           -Role

    Ambassadorial appointments
        -George Champion
             -Hobart D. (“Hobe”) Lewis


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              -Donald Mc I. Kendall
         -Japan
              -Champion
              -Cross
              -[Forename unknown] Tyson
              -John Bechtel
                   -Bechtel Corporation
              -Type of ambassador required
                                               14

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 10/08)



                      -Free trade versus protectionist
                -Peterson’s recommendations
                -Connally’s recommendations

     State Department
           -Undersecretary position for Flanigan
                 -Connally, Peterson, Haldeman, the President
                 -Rogers                                         Conv. No. 535-4 (cont.)
           -Policy
                 -White House

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          -John N. Irwin, II
          -Effect of Pentagon Papers case
          -Rogers
               -Staff structure
                      -Economic specialist
                           -Provision of a balance to Peterson

Haldeman and Flanigan left at 10:39 am