Conversation: 780-015
Prev: 780-014 Next: 780-016Start Date: 16-Sep-1972 10:55 AM
End Date: 16-Sep-1972 12:50 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Bull, Stephen B.; Sanchez, Manolo; Cox, Tricia Nixon; Kissinger, Henry A.; Ziegler, Ronald L.;Recording Device: Oval Office
NARA Description:
On September 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, Manolo Sanchez, Tricia Nixon Cox, Henry A. Kissinger, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:55 am to 12:50 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 780-015 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 780-15
Date: September 16, 1972
Time: 10:55 am - 12:50 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
The President's forthcoming speech at the Conference on International Narcotics
Control
-Length
-John K. Andrews, Jr.
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-The President’s view
-Duration of speech
-Haldeman’s view
-Content
-Phrasing
-Need for headline
26
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-The President's role in writing
-Haldeman’s view
-White House speechwriters' abilities
-State Department
-The President’s view
-Length
-Department of State briefings
-Television [TV] coverage
-International drug traffic
-Administration policy
-Speech-writing process
-Andrews
-Letter
-The President's efforts in writing speech
-Haldeman’s view
-Length
-Delivery
-Desired speech format
-Anecdotes
-Audience
-Compared to high school audience
-The President’s view
-Content
-Phrasing
-The President’s view
-Theme for the President's speech
-Press reports
-Reporters
-Headlines
-Speech writers
-Phrasing
-General audience
-The President's use of anecdotal speech
-International affairs audience
-Desired speech format
-The President’s view
-The President’s speech to International Monetary Fund [IMF]
-William L. Safire
-Timing
Speech writing
27
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-Need for editor
-Importance of headline
-Price
-Editorial abilities
-Editor's role
-Haldeman’s view
The President’s forthcoming speech at the Conference on International Narcotics
Control
-Content
-Theme
-Length
-Effect on audience attention
-Washington, DC
-Audience
-Purpose of speech
-Format
-The President’s instructions to speech writer
-Anecdotal speech
-Recitation of the record on an issue
-Effectiveness
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Egil G. (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.
-Wording
-Catch-phrases
-Accomplishments and goals
-International affairs audience
-Number of countries
-Drug control officials
-Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
-Purpose
-Length
US foreign policy
-The President's recent conversation with Henry A. Kissinger
-William P. Rogers
-Interest in substance
-Rogers
-Interest in substance
-Concern about results
-Publicizing of results
28
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-Compared to Kissinger
-Details
-Announcements
-Effect on campaign
-US-Soviet Union Trade Agreement
-Strategic Arms Limitation Agreement [SALT] II
-The President's policy
-Future promise in foreign affairs
-Compared to SALT I
-European Security Conference
-Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions [MBFR]
-US-Soviet Union trade agreement
-Final detail negotiations
-Positive news for the President's campaign
-Administration's accomplishments
-Compared to opposition's accomplishments
-George S. McGovern
-Positive campaign ideas
-Price and wage program
-News summary
-1966 program
-Chances of success
-Food prices
-Response
-Herb Stein
-Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Compared to Lyndon Johnson's guidelines
-Economic philosophy
-Walter W. Heller
-Food Prices
-Trickle-down effect
-Trickle-down effect on food prices
-Criticisms of the President
-The administration's control of other prices
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 59s ]
29
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
Foreign policy
-Timing of announcements
-The President’s schedule
-Washington, D.C.
-Kissinger's trip to Paris
-Vietnam peace negotiations
-Timing compared to the President's trip to West Coast
-Media coverage
-Kissinger’s Paris trip
-Vietnam peace negotiations
-Moscow visit
-Buildup of expectations
Watergate
-Tactics
-Kissinger
-News coverage
-Statements by the Cuban defendants
-News summary
-Public's belief in accusations
-Infiltration of communists
-John W. Chancellor
-McGovern response
-Direct challenge to Democratic National
Committee
-Communist influence
Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:55 am.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower's schedule
-Philadelphia
-Possible change in flights
-Camp David
-Secret Service notification
30
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-Tricia Nixon Cox
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
First Family's schedule
-Changes
-The President's arrival at Camp David
-Hagerstown
Haldeman’s schedule
-Ehrlichman
Bull left at an unknown time before 12:14 pm.
Haldeman's schedule
-Meeting
Watergate
-Media coverage
-TV interviews of Watergate defendants
-Bernard Barker interview
-Informant role
-Communist conspiracy
-American Broadcasting Company [ABC]
-National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Coverage of Watergate
-Barker
-Defendant’s credibility
-Fear of McGovern
-Sell-out to Communists
-Henry Rothblatt
-Barker's lawyer
-Interview of defendants
-Fear of McGovern
-Compared to Manolo Sanchez
-Cover-up charges
-Barker
-New York Times interview
-Motivation for cover-up
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 10:55 am.
31
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
Watergate
-TV coverage
-Cubans indicted in Watergate
-Fear of McGovern
-Communists
-Democratic Party
-Newspapers
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:14 pm.
McGovern
-Loyalty to US
-Cubans
Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 10:55 am.
Press relations
-Newspaper
-Cuba
-New York Daily News
-McGovern
-The President
-Democrats
-Communists
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:14 pm.
-1972 election
-McGovern
-Communism
-Vietnam
-Jane Fonda
-W. Ramsey Clark
-Jerry Rubin
-John V. Lindsay
-Support for McGovern
-Supporters
-Sanchez’s reading
1972 election
32
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-Press releases
-The President’s financial statement
-Timing
-September 16, 1972
-Kissinger's press conference
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Seeing-eye dog
-TV coverage
The President's forthcoming speeches
-Conference on International Narcotics Control
-Reading
-TV coverage
-Response to speech
-Need for votes
-Radio talk on senior citizens
-Taxes
-Headline-grabbing theme
-Radio talks
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 13s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
The President's economic program
-Rise in personal income
-Retail sales
-Stock market
-Rise in profits
-Public psychology
-Effect of 1972 election
-Status of the market at present
33
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-Capability of rise in Dow Jones Average
-Concern over market
Stock market
-Newspaper coverage
-Washington Star
-Associated Press [AP] story
-[Sterling F. Green ?]
-Paris peace talks
-The President’s view
-Average stockholder
-Sale of International Business Machines [IBM] stock
-Kissinger's progress in Vietnam peace talks
-Predictions for future
-Discussion of rise in market
-Effect of more conservative government
-1972 presidential election
White House personnel
-John W. Dean, III
-Ehrlichman
-Haldeman
-Recruitment for the White House
-Frederic V. Malek
-Dean
-David R. Young, Jr.
-Ehrlichman
-Kissinger's office
-Work assignments
-Haldeman and Nixon’s vision
-Krogh
-Work assignments
-The President's meeting with tax experts
-John B. Connally
-George P. Shultz
-Stein
-The President’s view
-1968 election
-Opposition from Congress
-1968 election results
-Lack of mandate for the President
34
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-Effect on policy-making
-Urban riots
-Hunger program
Future White House policies
-Conservative administration
-Cutbacks on programs
-Agricultural programs
-Cotton program
-Department of Health, Education and Welfare [HEW]
-Amount of outlays
-Office of Economic Opportunity [OEO]
-Education programs
-Child-care cutbacks
-Savings in budget
-Domestic Council staff
-New programs
-Benjamin Disraeli
-Ehrlichman
-Robert Blake biography [Disraeli]
-Party reform
-Effect of long period of reforms
-William Gladstone
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Lessons for Nixon’s second term
-New policies
-Government reorganization
-Connally
-Real gains of reform
-Needs of people
-Louis P. Harris's theory
-Desire not to improve
-Blake's analysis
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Ehrlichman's staff
-New programs
-American people's attitude
-End to experimental programs
-Retention of good programs
-Caspar W. Weinberger
35
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-Study of budget
-City-orientation
-Compared to the President's philosophy
-Housing and Urban Development [HUD]
-OEO
-Instructions from the President
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 28m 11s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
Watergate
-Proper campaign response
-Avoidance of fatalism
-The President’s view
-White House actions to change situation
-International Telephone and Telegraph Corp. [ITT]
Kissinger
-Concern over policy image
-Mining
-Cambodia
Need to look forward
-Positive attitude
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 17s ]
36
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
*****************************************************************
George H. Gallup poll
-John S. Davies
-Contact with the White House
-Government work aspect of polling
-Gordon C. Strachan
-Importance of contacts within the White House
-Cooperation with the Gallup Poll organization
-The President's use of the Gallup Poll organization
-Possible leaks of poll information
-Disclosure of polls to the President
-Motivation of pollsters
-Jack N. Anderson
-White House connections with pollsters
-Gallup poll
-Harris poll
-Motivation for polling
-Ties to power
-Gallup poll
-Anderson story
-Source of story
-Anderson
-Possible prosecution
-Timing
-Joint Chiefs of Staff
-Charles E. Radford
White House use of executive powers
-Reasons
-The President’s view
White House relations with press in second term
-Press's attitude toward White House
-The President’s view
-Hugh S. Sidey
37
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-John F. Osborne
-News blackout
-Washington Post
-Government sources
-Business failure
-Effect of profits on editorials
-Charles W. Colson
-Trip to New York
-Effect on broadcasters
-Effect on news
-William S. Paley
-Frank Stanton
-The President's letter to Screen Actors Guild
-Ronald L. Ziegler press conference
-Barry Serafin
-Intimidation of networks
-White House concern
-Questioning of Ziegler
-Re-run question
-Network operations
-Entertainment and news divisions
-White House intimidation of the networks
-Division of news and entertainment
-Benefits of decrease in re-runs
-Viewers
-Actors
-Hollywood
-Filmmakers
-Haldeman’s view
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:55 am.
First Family schedule
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower's return
-Tricia Cox's return
-National Airport
-Edward R.F. Cox
-Cincinnati
-Mrs. Nixon
-Return time
38
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
Bull left at an unknown time before 12:14 pm.
The President's letter to Screen Actors Guild
-John Gavin
-Network practices
-Profits
-Station-ownership
-Profits for network
Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:55 am.
Tricia Nixon Cox telephone call
Bull left at an unknown time before 12:14 pm.
The President talked with Tricia Nixon Cox at between 12:14 pm and 12:19 pm.
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 15m 38s ]
[END OF TELEPHONE CONVERSATION]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
*****************************************************************
Economic situation
World situation
-Effect of 1972 Presidential election
-Vietnam war
-North Vietnamese attack
-Effect
-Haldeman’s view
-Kissinger’s effects
-Negotiations
39
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-Middle East
-Peoples Republic of China [PRC]
-Soviet Union relations
-Effect
-Focus
-Hypothetical Suez crisis
-Effect on polls
-Realities of international relations
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 21s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
*****************************************************************
Henry Kissinger entered at 12:33 pm.
Recent press conference
Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 12:33 pm.
Refreshments
Sanchez and the President left at an unknown time before 12:35 pm.
Foreign policy
-Kissinger's recent press conference
-Europe
-Questions by Jews
-Soviet-Jewish emigration
-US-Soviet Union
-Trade agreement
-Abrehem A. Ribicoff Amendment
-US position
40
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-Submission to Senate
-Jacob K. Javits
President entered at an unknown time before 12:35 pm.
-Length
-Crowd size
-European relations
-The President's message to European leaders
-New vitality
-Moscow
-Peking
-Cornerstone of US foreign relations
-Possible trip by the President to Europe
-Contact with European leaders
-New diplomacy
-Economic ties
-New basis
-Press interest
-Press coverage
-Effect on McGovern campaign
-McGovern withdrawal of troops from
Europe
-Introductory statement
-US-Soviet Union relations
-Visit
-Meeting with Secretary General [Leonid I. Brezhnev] and President
-Results of Moscow summit
-Future negotiations
-Personal contact between US-Soviet Union leaders
-August 1972
-Decision making
Ziegler entered at an unknown time after 12:33 pm.
-Press stories
-Relations with Soviet Union
-Negotiations
-Vietnam
-Handling of press
41
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
Ziegler left at an unknown time before 12:35 pm.
-US-Soviet relations
-The President's messages to Brezhnev
-Economic relations
-European Security Conference and MBFR
-Stalemate problem
-The President's message to Brezhnev
-SALT II
-Economic negotiations
-Kissinger's contact with the President
-Progress
-Dates
-Categories
-Aleksai N. Kosygin
-Presence at meeting
-Brezhnev
-Vietnam negotiations
-Press questions
-Kissinger’s response
-Negotiations goals
-Ending of war
-Pace
-Le Duc Tho
-Transcript
-Desire to end war characterized
Israel
-Movement of troops into Lebanon
-Kissinger’s message to Israeli Charge D’Affairs
-Effect of troop movement
-Possible Egyptian response
Haldeman left at 2:35 pm.
-US aid
-Demarche
-Kissinger’s trip to the Soviet Union
-Appearance of collusion
-US-Soviet Trade agreement
42
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-Possible action in Congress
-Treatment of Soviet Jews
-Foreign pressure on US
-Angela Davis
-US response
-The President’s message to Israel
-Israeli troops in Lebanon
-US aid
-McGovern’s Israel policy
-US talks with Egyptians
-Anwar El-Sadat
-Murder of Israeli athletes
-Egypt
-Syria
-Motives for action vis-à-vis Lebanon
-Conditions
-Inheritance from previous Administration
-The President’s international rule
-Support
-Compared with Eisenhower
-Roosevelt as world leader
-Concept of foreign policy
-Strength of US
-Winston S. Churchill
-Joseph V. Stalin
-Dominance
-Other Nations
-Brezhnev’s foreign policy
-Chou En-Lai
-Konrad Adenauer
-Gen. Charles A.J.M. De Gaulle
-Churchill
-[Meunie] Harold MacMillan
-Compared to Europe
-The President’s grasp of policy
-McGovern as president
-Effect on
-PRC
-Soviet Union
-McGovern’s position
-PRC reaction
43
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
-Unilateral US disarmament
-Effect on PRC
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 45s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
*****************************************************************
Israel
-Kissinger’s possible message to Israeli Charge D’Affairs
-US position
-[Golda Meir]
-Movement of troops into Lebanon
-The President’s support of Israel
-Aid
-Rogers and Melvin R. Laird
-Rogers
-Gunnar V. Jarring mission
-Rogers and Laird
-February 1971
-Aid
-Airplanes
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10
*****************************************************************
Kissinger's schedule
-Invitation to Camp David
-Meeting on Vietnam negotiations
44
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Oct-06)
Kissinger left at 12:50 pm.