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Conversation: 725-024

Prev:  725-023 Next: 725-025

Start Date: 16-May-1972 10:23 AM

End Date: 16-May-1972 10:52 AM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Ziegler, Ronald L.Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 02:26:48

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 02:58:44

725a.mp3

725b.mp3

725c.mp3

NARA Description:

On May 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:23 am to 10:52 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 725-024 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 725-24

Date: May 16, 1972
Time: 10:23 am - 10:52 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

      Ziegler's location
          -Talk with James J. Kilpatrick
                 -Soviet trip

      Soviet trip
          -Richard Wilson
          -Ralph deToledano
                 -Funds
          -Victor Lasky
          -Hobart D. (“Hobe”) Lewis
                 -Call from Ziegler
                 -President's instructions
          -deToledano and Lasky
                 -The President’s view
                 -Reader's Digest
                 -Seeds of Treason
                       -Alger Hiss case
                       -Excerpted in Reader's Digest
          -Lewis
                 -Call from Ziegler
                       -deToledano and Lasky
                             -President's confidence
                             -Knowledge

      President's schedule
          -John B. Connally
                -Resignation
                      -Announcement
                           -President's statement on George C. Wallace
                           -President's previous statement
                           -Connally, George P. Shultz, Caspar W. Weinberger
                                 -Location
                           -President's statement on Wallace
                           -Dr. William M. Lukash
                           -Dr. Walter R. Tkach
                                      29

              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                              Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. Jan-02)


                    -Wallace's condition
                    -Dr. Tkach
                          -Talk with Mrs. Wallace
                                -Wallace's future location
                                      -Alabama
                                      -Walter Reed Hospital
                                            -Dr. Tkach
                    -President's offer of services
                    -Dr. Tkach
                          -Position
                    -Walter Reed compared with Bethesda Hospital
                    -President's offer of services
                          -Plane to Alabama
                    -Conally's appearance
                    -President's statement on Wallace

Wallace
   -Assassination attempt
        -President's previous statement
              -Tone
              -Coverage
                    -President's appearance
              -Comparison with Hubert H. Humphrey and George S.
               McGovern statements
              -President's tone
              -New York Times editorial


President's schedule
    -Walk to Treasury Department
          -Connally
          -Shultz
          -Meeting
          -Handshaking with White House tourists
                -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
          -Impression conveyed
                -Secret Service
          -Public concern about safety
                -The President’s view
                -Calls to Ziegler
                -Need for balance
                -Press concerns
                      -Helen Thomas
          -News coverage
                                               30

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. Jan-02)



The President talked with Haldeman at an unknown time between
10:23 and 10:30 am.

[Conversation No. 725-24A]

      Haldeman
          -Meeting with Ziegler

      [End of telephone conversation]

     President's schedule
          -Public concern about safety
                 -A reception (Blue Room?)
                 -Persons present

Haldeman entered at 10:30 am.

          -Walk to Treasury Department
                 -Impression conveyed
                 -Connally
                 -Shultz
                 -Pace
                 -Picture with crowd
                 -Public concern for the Presidents
                 -Public impression of safety
          -New York Times editorial
                 -Television appearances
                 -President's opinion
          -Walk to Treasury Department
                 -Connally
                 -Shultz
          -Meeting White House tourists
          -Announcement
                 -Timing
                 -Duration
     -Meeting with Bangladesh diplomats
          -Time
     -Cabinet meeting
          -Time
     -Walk to Treasury Department
          -Time
     -Press briefing
          -Connally
                                            31

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. Jan-02)


                -Questions
                -Timing of resignation
                -Questions
                     -Support for Democratic presidential candidate
                     -The President’s view
    -Soviet trip
         -Press arrangements
                -Time
                     -Consultation with Henry A. Kissinger
                     -Consultation with Constance M. (Cornell) (“Connie”) Stuart
                            -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon's plans
                     -Consequences of delay
                -Press list
                     -Approval
                -Schedule
         -Camp David
                -Arrival day
                -Departure day
                -Purpose
                -Henry A. Kissinger's briefing books
                     -Peter G. Peterson
                     -President's Sunday reading
                            -Duration
                            -Normal Sunday activities

**********************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 3s      ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

**********************************************************************


     Wallace
        -Assassination attempt
             -President's previous statement
                   -Ziegler's evaluation
                         -Television
                   -Compared with McGovern
                   -Compared with Humphrey
                                         32

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. Jan-02)


               -Tone
               -Calls to Ziegler
               -News coverage
               -Tone
               -Appearance
               -Appropriateness
               -Mrs. Nixon's appearance

White House redecoration
   -Blue Room
        -Calls to Mrs. Nixon
        -Evaluations
              -Washington Post
                   -The President’s view
              -Mrs. Nixon's response
              -New York Times
        -Furniture arrangement
        -Wallpaper
        -Colors
   -Other rooms to be redecorated
        -Red Room
        -Green Room
        -State Dining Room
        -East Room
              -Delay
        -State Dining Room
              -Needs
   -Improvements
   -Oval Office
        -Response of visitors, President

Vietnam
    -Change in past week
    -Kissinger
          -Position
          -The President’s view
                -Lot's wife
    -Soviet summit
    -Change in morale
          -Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
                -The President’s view
          -American people
                -West Point
                -USS Albany
                                      33

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                              Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. Jan-02)


          -Compared with American students on college campuses
               -The President’s view
               -Demonstrations
    -North Vietnam
          -Effect of blockade
               -Cutoff of Cambodia
                      -Comparison to 1968
               -Cutoff of sealanes
          -Effect of bombing
                -Bridges
                -Oil dumps
                -A bridge
                      -News photograph
               -Kontum Bridge
                      -Weaponry needed
    -South Vietnam
          -Troops
               -Morale
               -Evalutated
    -Press coverage
          -Washington Post
          -Washington Star
          -[Dwight] David Eisenhower, II [?]
          -Washington Post
               -Comments on Firebase Bastogne capture
          -Martin Z. "Agronsky and Company" show
               -Effect on Soviet summit
               -Participants

Soviet summit
    -Press corps
          -Peter Lisagor
          -deToledano
          -Lasky
          -Kilpatrick
          -George Healy
                -Talk with Ziegler
          -Friendly press
          -Frank van der Linden
                -Call from Ziegler
          -Texas representation
                -Robert Baskin
                      -Dallas Morning News
                -Margaret Mayer
                             34

     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                     Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. Jan-02)


            -Dallas Times Herald
-President's instructions
-Columbus, Ohio representation
-Television
      -George Putnam
      -The President’s view
-G. Duncan Bauman
-Putnam
      -Problems
      -Compared to William F. Buckley, Jr. and PRC trip
-Bauman
      -St. Louis Globe-Democrat
-John F. Osborne
      -Discussions
      -The President’s view
-Hugh S. Sidey
      -Discussions
-Osborne
-Sidey
      -Comments to Ziegler about People’s Republic of China [PRC] trip
            -Number in press corps
-Number of press going to Soviet Union
-Sidey
      -The President’s view
      -Opinion of John F. Kennedy
-Lisagor
-Earl Mazo
                                              35

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. Jan-02)



**************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Privacy]
[Duration: 26s ]



END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

**********************************************************************



                       -Freelance work on previous trip to Moscow

       President's schedule
           -Walk to Treasury

Ziegler left at 10:48 am.

                 -Shultz
                 -Duration
                 -Protection


       Trade matters
           -President's meeting with Donald Mc. I. Kendall
           -President's memorandum
           -Maurice H. Stans
                 -Meeting with Peter G. Peterson and Peter M. Flanigan on Soviet trade
                       -Kendall's report
           -Peterson
                 -The President’s view
                 -Kissinger
                 -Compared to Flanigan
                 -The President’s view
           -Flanigan
                 -The President’s view



           -President's Soviet trip
                                            36

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. Jan-02)


                -Peterson and Flanigan
                -Kissinger
                     -Knowledge of economics
                -Economic negotiations
                     -Flanigan
                     -Joint Economic Commission
                           -Purpose
                     -Credits
                           -Duration
                           -Consumables
                           -Kissinger's position
                      -Peterson's role
                           -Guidance from Stans
                           -Guidance from Kissinger
                      -Kissinger's role
                           -Peterson
                           -Connally
                           -Economic advisors

      Blue Room redecoration
          -Call to Mrs. Nixon
                -Rose Mary Woods
                -Nellie L. Yates
                -Stephen B. Bull
          -Reviews


**********************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 6s         ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

**********************************************************************

          -Reviews

Haldeman left at 10:52 am.
                                                37

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. Jan-02)