Conversation: 647-009
Prev: 647-008 Next: 647-010Start Date: 13-Jan-1972 11:11 AM
End Date: 13-Jan-1972 11:41 AM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Ziegler, Ronald L.; Bull, Stephen B.;Recording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:51:34
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:21:59
NARA Description:
On January 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:11 am to 11:41 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 647-009 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 647-9
Date: January 13, 1972
Time: 11:11 am - 11:41 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
John B. Connally
-Meeting with the President’s Commission on School Finance
-Invitation
-Talk with the President, January 12, 1972
-Swearing-in ceremony for John E. Sheehan
-Role in economic policy
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Treasury Department
-Talk with the President in California
-Staff
-Ehrlichman
-Department of the Treasury
-George P. Shultz
-Shultz
-Council on Economic Advisers [CEA]
-Phase II
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew’s idea
-Connally’s reaction
-Shultz
Agnew
-Labor
11
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 647-9 (cont.)
-1972 election
-Economic spokesman role
-Arthur F. Burns
Connally
-Relations with Haldeman
-Role
-Talk with Shultz
-Agnew
Agnew
-Talk with Haldeman, January 12, 1972
-Ideas on document classification
-Ehrlichman
-Presidential classification
-Talk with Congressmen, William H. Rehnquist, Ehrlichman, John W. Dean, III
-Talk with Haldeman
Cabinet
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Agnew
-Responsibilities
Edmund S. Muskie
-Walter L. Mote’s conversation with Clark MacGregor
-Administrative assistant’s claim
-Possible charge against the President
-Jack N. Anderson papers
-Cover-up and double standard
-Daniel Ellsberg
-Alleged culprit
-Departments of Defense, State
-Administration counter-attack
-[Yeoman Charles E. Radford]
-Responses
-John N. Mitchell, Ehrlichman
Anderson papers
-Attacks on the President
-Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]
-[Yeoman Radford]
12
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 647-9 (cont.)
-Possible prosecution
-Lack of evidence
-Laird
-Motives
-JCS
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 36s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
**********************************************************************
Muskie
-Anderson papers
-Laird, Rogers
-Joseph McCarthy
-[Yeoman Radford]
-Lack of evidence
-Strength as issue
-Press coverage
-Thomas W. Braden
Kissinger
-Possible press conference, January 14, 1972
-Schedule
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Mitchell, Haldeman
James B. (“Scotty”) Reston's article
-Opening to the People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Key to the 1972 election
-Link between Pakistan and the PRC
-Conflict between military strategy and domestic campaign strategy
-Purpose of trip to the PRC
-Kissinger's reaction
13
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 647-9 (cont.)
-Source of response
-State Department, William P. Rogers
-PRC trip
-Purpose
-Conciliation
-1972 election
-Appearance on television
-Forbidden City
New York Times editorial
-Impact of Pakistan policy
-Soviet Union
-Indian Ocean
Kissinger
-Concerns about news stories
-Press conference
-Conversation with Ronald L. Ziegler
-Propriety
-Possible briefing, January 18, 1972
-State Department
-Change of focus
-South Asia
Ziegler entered at 11:26 am.
Laird's statement
-Presentation
-Laird’s talk with the President
-Rate of withdrawal
-North Vietnamese buildup
-South Vietnamese capabilities
-Army of the Republic of Vietnam [ARVN]
-Vietnamization
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Remaining forces
-Refusal to predict
-Cambodia
-Army
-Capabilities vis-a-vis North Vietnam
-Press reactions
14
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 647-9 (cont.)
-US confidence in South Vietnamese capabilities
-Tet offensive
-ARVN
-Tet offensive
-Alsop column
-I Corps
-Answer to critics
-South Vietnamese capabilities
-Reduction of US ground combat role
Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon’s trip to Africa
-Interview
-Ziegler’s talk with Mrs. Nixon
-Ziegler’s view
-Use of Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins's slides
-Ivory Coast
-Question
-Response
-Barbara Walters
-Liberia, Ghana
-Evaluation
-Poise
-Confidence
-Television coverage of trip
-Remarks
-Women's issue
-PRC initiative
-The Soviet Union
Press coverage of the Russian orchestra
-Photographs
-Atkins
Ziegler's talk with Constance M. Stuart
-Mrs. Nixon's interview
-Stuart’s talk with Walters
-Questions
**********************************************************************
15
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 647-9 (cont.)
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 5s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
**********************************************************************
Laird's troop announcement briefing
-Ziegler’s forthcoming talk with Laird
-Transcript
Ziegler left at 11:33 pm.
Kissinger
-Possible press conference
-Possible meeting with Max Frankel
-Reston
-Press conference
-Anderson papers
-Importance
-Public perceptions
-PRC initiative
-Media coverage
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 11:33 am.
Group to see the President
Bull left at an unknown time before 11:41 am.
Muskie
-Mitchell and Ehrlichman
Anderson papers
-Legal case
-[Yeoman Radford]
-Anderson
-Kissinger
16
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 647-9 (cont.)
News summaries
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Robert S. McNamara's forthcoming International Monetary Fund [IMF] appointment
-Possible reaction by Barry M. Goldwater
-Endorsement
-Kissinger
-Connally
-The President’s instructions to Kissinger
-Need to avoid publicity
-Format
-Vietnam
-Busing
-Richmond court decision
Richmond court decision
-The President conversation with John D. Ehrlichman
-Judge [Richard Merhige]
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Publicity
-Liberals
-Democrats
Kissinger
-Interview with Frankel
-Compared to press conference
-White Paper issuance option
-State of the World message
-Haig
-Kissinger
-Focus of news stories
-Trips to the PRC, Soviet Union
-George Meany
Speechwriting
-William L. Safire
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
Haldeman left at 11:41 am.
17
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 647-9 (cont.)