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Conversation: 776-004

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Start Date: 14-Sep-1972 9:18 AM

End Date: 14-Sep-1972 9:50 AM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haig, Alexander M., Jr.

Recording Device: Oval Office

NARA Description:

On September 14, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:18 am to 9:50 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 776-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 776-4

Date: September 14, 1972
Time: 9:18 am - 9:50 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

              Vietnam War peace negotiations
                  -Henry A. Kissinger
                  -Nguyen Van Thieu
                       -Possible treaty revisions
                       -National Committee for Reconciliation
                            -Composition
                                -Thieu’s view
                                -National Liberation Front [NLF]
                                -Government of South Vietnam [GVN]
                                -Thieu's position
                                -Haig’s view
                  -Kissinger's view
                       -North Vietnam's stance
                  -Possible North Vietnam responses
                       -US proposals
                       -Thieu
                  -Thieu
                       -US proposals
                       -Kissinger’s view
                  -Instructions for Kissinger
                  -Thieu
                  -Present situation in Vietnam
                       -Present trends
                       -US stance
                            -The President's opinion
                  -Possible American opposition
                             4

    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                    Tape Subject Log
                      (rev. Oct-06)

     -Impact on public opinion
          -The President’s view
          -Chalmers Roberts
          -Max Frankel
          -Haig’s view
               -Press
-Thieu's position
     -Coalition government
          -US polling information
-Electoral commission
     -Possible composition
     -Election procedures
          -International supervision
               -Communists
-Future elections
     -Thieu's position
-Instructions to Kissinger
     -Thieu
     -Domestic US reaction
          -Coalition government
-Negotiations
     -Previous negotiations
          -US military action
               -Effect
     -Effect on Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China [PRC]
          -Relations with North Vietnam
               -The President's visit to PRC
               -The President's visit to the Soviet Union
     -North Vietnam
          -The President’s view
               -Military action
-US popular attitude
     -Mining of Haiphong harbor
          -Effect on national attitude
          -PRC
          -Soviet Union
-Momentum of talks
     -Continuance
          -US position
               -The President’s view
     -George S. McGovern's effect
-October 15, 1972 meeting
                                 5

        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                        Tape Subject Log
                          (rev. Oct-06)

        -Proposals for Soviet negotiations

Future negotiations with Soviet Union
    -Kissinger
         -US negotiating tactics
         -European Security Conference
    -Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty [SALT] II talks
    -Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions [MBFR]
    -Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe [CSCE]
         -Final conference
    -Lend-Lease agreement
    -Trade package with Soviet Union
    -Future summit with Leonid I. Brezhnev
    -Trade agreement
         -Victor Louis
             -London Times

US foreign trade policies
    -Possible Kissinger press conference
        -Response to possible leaks
             -Agriculture Department
                  -PRC
             -Commerce Department
                  -Lend-Lease
                  -Peter G. Peterson
                  -William P. Rogers
        -Need for White House coordination

US foreign policy
    -Wheat sale
        -Briefing by Kissinger
        -George Meany
    -Briefing on PRC wheat sale
        -Rogers
        -Haig’s view
        -Rogers
        -Communique
             -Progress of talks
        -Rogers
        -European Security Conference
             -Kissinger
             -Communist Party of the Soviet Union [CPSU]
                           6

    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                   Tape Subject Log
                     (rev. Oct-06)

         -Soviet Union-US relations
         -European Security Conference
         -Expected Rogers response
-Communique
    -Developments on issue of Lend-Lease
         -Momentum for SALT talks
-Briefing for Rogers by Kissinger
    -European security talks
         -Brezhnev
-Rogers
    -Work on European security talks
    -Kissinger
    -Brezhnev
-Soviet position on European security
    -Kissinger reaction
         -Allocation of troops
-Soviet proposal
    -European Security Conference
    -Central Europe
    -Rogers's reaction
    -Rogers
         -Status of current talks
              -SALT
              -Lend-Lease
              -Trade negotiations
    -Kissinger reaction
    -State Department
         -Communication with allies
    -Proposed text of agreement
         -Rogers's possible reaction
         -Date for announcement
    -State Department
         -Staffing
    -Kissinger's schedule
         -Talks with the President
         -Talks with Rogers
              -Camp David
         -Press announcement
    -Kissinger
    -Rogers
         -Communication to allies
                                            7

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Oct-06)

             Negotiations with the Soviet Union
                -European Security Conference
                      -Status
                           -Timing of negotiations
                      -Kissinger
                           -Rogers
                           -Briefing
                      -MBFR
                           -The President’s view
                               -Negotiations
                -Kissinger
                      -The President’s view
                -Rogers
                      -European Security Conference
                -Joint communique with Soviet Union
                      -Announcement date
                      -SALT II
                      -Rogers
                           -Kissinger

Haig left at 9:50 am.