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Conversation: 715-005

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Start Date: 26-Apr-1972 12:33 PM

End Date: 26-Apr-1972 1:10 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Kissinger, Henry A.Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Monson, Zosimo

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:52:59

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:31:30

715a.mp3

NARA Description:

On April 26, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Zosimo Monson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:33 pm to 1:10 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 715-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 715-5

Date: April 26, 1972
Time: 12:33 pm - 1:10 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Soviet Union
          -News reports
               -Invitation from Leonid I. Brezhnev
                     -Source
               -US release
               -Andrei A. Gromyko
                     -Official statement
          -The President's trip
               -Publicity by Soviets

     Vietnam
          -The President's speech
               -Conversation with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                                             12

                         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 7/07)
                                                                   Conv. No. 715-5 (cont.)


               -Advance copies
                      -Clark MacGregor and Ronald L. Ziegler
               -Kissinger briefing
               -Publicity
                      -Television
          -Ellsworth F. Bunker
               -Message
                      -Report on South Vietnamese performance
                           -South Vietnamese government agencies
                           -South Vietnamese Air Force
                           -South Vietnamese Navy
                      -South Vietnamese Militia
                      -North Vietnamese invasion
                           -Current status
                           -South Vietnamese government
                                 -Strength
                                 -Popular support
               -Possible Bunker briefing in Saigon
               -Release of message to John A. Scali
          -Publicity from Saigon
               -Public Information Officer [PIO]

Haldeman entered at an unknown time after 12:33 pm.

          -Press coverage
               -Bunker
          -Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
               -Press conference
               -Quotation by the President in speech
          -US policies
               -Public support
               -Press response
          -Abrams
               -Press conference
          -Bunker
               -Press conference
               -Release of message
                     -Diplomatic angle
                     -Ziegler and Scali
          -The President's speech
               -Advance copies
                                         13

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. 7/07)
                                                               Conv. No. 715-5 (cont.)


                   -Release
                         -Ziegler and MacGregor
                   -Ziegler's office
                   -Refusal
                   -Deletions
                         -Abrams
                   -Format
                   -Distribution
                         -Time
                   -Format
             -Kissinger's briefing
                   -Contents
             -Press reactions
             -Advance copies
                   -Television vs. print media
                   -John R. (“Tex”) McCrary
        -James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
             -Column on Kissinger
             -Meetings with Kissinger
                   -Frequency
             -Credibility
                   -Compared with Melvin R. Laird

Press
        -McCrary's analysis
              -Television compared to print media
        -Control by Administration
        -Stories
              -Biases
        -North Vietnamese invasion
              -Ways to write stories
                    -Troop withdrawals
                          -Vietnamization
                    -Prisoners of war [POWs]
        -Kissinger’s private meetings
        -Television networks
              -Briefings
        -Kissinger's briefing
              -Length of the President's speech
              -Television
                    -American Broadcasting Corporation [ABC]
                                             14

                         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 7/07)
                                                              Conv. No. 715-5 (cont.)


                         -Basketball game
                              -Starting time
                     -National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC], Columbia
                         Broadcasting System [CBS

     Vietnam
          -The President's speech
               -Briefing of congressmen
                     -MacGregor
                     -Kissinger briefing
               -Kissinger briefing
                     -Troop withdrawals
                     -Attendance
                           -Letters to congressmen
               -Text
                     -Advance copies
                           -MacGregor and Scali
                           -Excerpts
               -Kissinger's briefing
                     -Press
                     -Television networks
                     -Contents
                           -Vietnamization
                           -William J. Porter
                           -Bombing
          -Soviets
               -Invitation to Kissinger
               -Work on talks
                     -Public statement
                     -Gromyko
                           -Comments to Kissinger
                                 -Trip

Zosimo Monzon entered at an unknown time after 12:33 pm.

     The President's suits
          -Colors
          -Selection for speech
               -William H. Carruthers
               -Tie

Monzon left at an unknown time before 12:54 pm.
                                       15

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 7/07)
                                                               Conv. No. 715-5 (cont.)



Vietnam
     -The President's speech
          -Advance copies
                -Excerpts
          -Kissinger's briefing
                -The President’s January 25, 1972 speech
                      -Performance
                      -Press questions
                -Moscow trip
                      -Comments
                            -News reports from Moscow
     -Talks
          -Kissinger's meeting with Brezhnev
                -Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
          -Failure of talks
                -Soviet reactions
          -May 2, 1972
          -Cease-fire
                -Washington Special Action Group [WSAG]
     -North Vietnamese invasion
          -Provincial capitals
                -Possible capture
                -Pleiku and Kontum
                -An Loc
                -North Vietnamese problems
                -An Loc
                      -Loss
                            -Impact
                      -Significance
                -Kontum
                      -Size
                      -Possible loss
                            -Kissinger’s comments to newsmen
                      -Montagnards
                -Pleiku
                      -Loss
                      -North Vietnamese capture
                      -US air power
                      -Compared with Laos
          -Abrams
                                                16

                              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 7/07)
                                                                      Conv. No. 715-5 (cont.)


                      -Air power
                            -Laos operation
                            -Reports to Kissinger
                            -Tactical air [TACAIR]
                            -Gunships
                                  -Air operations
                                        -Photographs
                                             -Kissinger's retrieval
                                                  -Staff
                 -Kissinger briefing

Kissinger left at 12:54 pm.

           -The President's speech
                -Advance copies
                      -Problems
                      -Reasons for refusal
                -Duration

Kissinger entered and Haldeman left at 12:55 pm.

     Vietnam
          -Photographs
               -Air strikes
                     -Pilot
                     -Oil storage facilities
                            -Haiphong
                     -Targets
                     -Secondary explosions
                     -Bomb damage
                     -Targets
                            -Railroads
               -Lyndon B. Johnson's policy
          -Johnson
               -Strategy
                     -Nature of war
                            -Guerilla war
          -North Vietnamese invasion
               -Change of nature of war
          -The President's speech
               -Changes
                                        17

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 7/07)
                                                                  Conv. No. 715-5 (cont.)


          -Speechwriters
                -John K. Andrews, Jr. and Winston Lord
                     -Work with Kissinger
                     -Support for the President's changes
          -Personal element
                -November 3, 1969 speech
          -Andrews
                -Work with Kissinger
                -Changes in text
          -Conclusion
          -Criticism
          -Kissinger's briefing
                -North Vietnamese offensive
     -North Vietnamese offensive
          -Naval attack
                -North Vietnam
                     -Thanh Hoa
                     -Blockade
                            -Hanoi and Haiphong
                -Attack on shipping
                     -Compared to attacks on Israel
                     -Torpedo boats
                -Naval gunfire
                     -Effectiveness
          -Impact on North Vietnam
          -Peace talks
                -Soviet role
                -Brezhnev
     -Soviets
          -Statement on contacts with US

Strategic Arms
      -Submarine offer
           -Adm. Thomas H. Moorer's response
                  -Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]
           -Hawks
      -Anti-ballistic missiles [ABMs] and Sub-launched marine ballistic missiles [SLBMs]
           -Gerard C. Smith
           -William P. Rogers
      -Treaty
           -Duration
                                         18

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 7/07)
                                                          Conv. No. 715-5 (cont.)


                -Soviet position
     -Signing ceremony
          -Value
          -Location

Soviet Union
     -The President's trip
          -State dinner
                -Location
                      -The President's previous trip
                           -Nikita S. Khruschev
          -Plenary sessions
                -Hall of Catherine the Great
          -Soviet arrangements

Vietnam
     -Doves
     -Bombing
           -Success
           -Washington Post editorial
                -Responsibility
     -1972 election
     -South Vietnam
           -Survival
                -Pleiku
     -Bombing
           -Abrams
                -Use of fire power
                      -Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
     -Air base
           -Thailand
                -Kissinger’s talk with Moorer
     -Cambodian and Laotian operations
           -Problems
     -North Vietnamese invasion
           -Change of situation
           -US response
                -Justification
                -Demilitarized zone [DMZ] violation
                -The President’s speech on Laos
                -Linkage
                                               19

                             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 7/07)
                                                                          Conv. No. 715-5 (cont.)



Kissinger left at 1:10 pm.