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Conversation: 815-006

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Start Date: 24-Nov-1972 8:21 AM

End Date: 24-Nov-1972 8:56 AM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Ehrlichman, John D.Bull, Stephen B.Butterfield, Alexander P.

Recording Device: Oval Office

815-006.mp3

NARA Description:

On November 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Stephen B. Bull, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:21 am to 8:56 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 815-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 815-6

Date: November 24, 1972
Time: 8:21 am - 8:56 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John D. Ehrlichman.

       Second term reorganization
            -George W. Romney
                  -Forthcoming meeting with Ehrlichman
                        -Length
                  -Forthcoming meeting with the President
                  -Meeting with Ehrlichman
                        -Announcement of departure
                        -Romney’s Plans
                             -Leaks to public
                             -Republican-oriented civic group
                                  -Common Cause model
                        -Announcement of Cabinet departures
                             -Timing
                                  -Congress
                             -Melvin R. Laird
                        -Romney’s successor
                             -Undersecretary of Department of Housing and Urban
                               Development [HUD]
                                  -Recess appointment
                             -Confirmation
                             -Richard C. Van Dusen
                             -Timing
                             -Congressional hearings on HUD
                                 -5-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                         Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. Jan.-08)

                                                  Conversation No. 815-6 (cont’d)

                          -Recess appointment
                          -William Proxmire
                   -Van Dusen
                   -Romney's suggestions
                          -Meeting with the President
                                -Newspaper article
                   -James T. Lynn
            -Resignation
-John A. Volpe
      -Forthcoming meeting with Ehrlichman
            -First-term Cabinet
                   -Domestic field
                   -William P. Rogers
            -Ambassadorship
            -Changes in Cabinet
                   -Rogers
                          -Retention
                                -Vietnam negotiations
                                -Middle East
            -Domestic Cabinet
            -James D. Hodgson
            -Romney
            -Other assignments
            -Ambassadorship to Italy
                   -Timing
                          -1972 election
                   -Graham A. Martin
                          -Performance
                          -Compared to Volpe
                   -Dealings with Italians
                   -Volpe’s Relationship with the President
                   -Italian politics
                          -Left wing
                   -Volpe’s relationship with the President
                          -State Department
                   -Italian politics
                          -Left wing
                          -The President’s forthcoming meeting with Volpe
                   -Volpe’s departure
                          -Volpe’s performance
                                           -6-

                 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. Jan.-08)

                                                             Conversation No. 815-6 (cont’d)

                                        -Cabinet comments


******************************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

                 -1972 Election
                      -Italian-American vote
                             -Charles W. Colson’s comments
                                  -Public appearances

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
******************************************************************************


      Second term reorganization
           -Volpe
                 -Retention
                 -Departure
                 -Ambassadorship to Italy
                       -Acceptance
                            -Other cabinet members
                       -Qualifications

      Vietnam negotiations
           -Settlement agreement
                  -Henry A. Kissinger
                        -North and South Vietnamese intransigence
                  -Expectations
                  -1972 election
                  -Kissinger’s view
                        -Wires, cables
                        -San Clemente
                        -The President’s November 3, 1969, Cambodia [April 30, 1970], and
                     May 8, 1972 speeches
                  -North Vietnamese repudiation
                        -October 8, 1972
                        -US bombing
                  -Nguyen Van Thieu repudiation
                        -Separate peace between US and North Vietnam
                                     -7-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                              Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. Jan.-08)

                                                      Conversation No. 815-6 (cont’d)

                 -Prisoners of War [POWS]
                 -US forces withdrawal
                 -The President’s November 23, 1972 message to Thieu
                 -Thieu’s future
           -Public expectations
           -Talks resumption
                 -Timing
                       -1972 election
                             -North Vietnamese message
                       -North Vietnamese position
                             -October 1972
                             -US deadline
           -Timing
                 -1972 election
                       -Kissinger’s view
           -Public expectations
                 -Kissinger’s meeting with Le Duc Tho
                       -Tone
                 -Kissinger’s recent meeting with [Lt. Gen. T.N.J. Suharto and Adm.
                  Malik] in Brussels
                       -State Department
                 -Thieu
                       -Tenure
                       -Coercion to accept
           -Kissinger’s schedule
                 -Possible recall for consultations

Second term reorganization
     -Announcements
           -Format
                 -The President’s conversations with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                 -Camp David
                      -Ronald L. Ziegler’s view
                      -Symbolism
                            -Press briefing
                                   -Hangar
                                         -Laurel Lodge
                      -The President’s schedule
                            -November 27, 1972
                            -Richard G. Kleindienst
                                   -8-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                           Tape Subject Log
                             (rev. Jan.-08)

                                                     Conversation No. 815-6 (cont’d)

                   -Hand-outs
                   -Statements
                   -Introductions
                         -The President's role
                                -Ziegler
                                      -Details, biographies
                                -Photograph session
                                -Secretary of State
                                      -Rogers
                                -Secretary of Defense
                                      -Elliot L. Richardson
                                -Statements by designees
                                -Lunch
                                      -Photograph session
                                             -Television [TV]
                                             -Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins
                   -Conflict of interest, confirmation
                   -Conference room
                         -John W. Dean, III
                   -Lunch
                   -Staff briefings
                   -Timing
-John A. Scali
      -Kissinger
      -Haldeman
-Department of Transportation
      -Italian-American nominee
-Announcements
      -The President's role
             -Master of ceremonies
             -Photograph session
                   -Camp David
             -Introductions
                   -Lunch
                   -Ziegler's briefing of press
                   -Foreign affairs
                   -Domestic affairs
                   -Laird
                         -Richardson
      -Under Secretaries
                                 -9-

         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                         Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. Jan.-08)

                                                  Conversation No. 815-6 (cont’d)

         -Roy L. Ash
-Scali
       -United Nations [UN] ambassadorship
              -Decision
              -Kissinger's support
                    -Kissinger’s schedule
                           -Paris
                    -Ehrlichman’s forthcoming conversation with Kissinger
                           -George H.W. Bush
                           -White House
                                  -State Department
                           -Scali’s qualifications
                                  -Italian American background
                           -Ehrlichman’s forthcoming conversation with Haldeman
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
       -Forthcoming meeting with Ehrlichman
              -Robert J.Dole
       -Relations with Ehrlichman
              -Barry M. Goldwater
              -Second term
                    -Domestic policies
                    -Special assignments
              -Tone
       -Staff
              -Edwin L. Harper
                    -Possible assignment
                           -Benefits for Agnew
                                  -Political orientation
              -Loyalty
              -Unknown person
              -Changes
       -Forthcoming meeting with Ehrlichman
              -Indian problems
                    -Complexity
                    -Interior Department
                           -Bureau of Indian Affairs [BIA]
-Interior Department
       -Under Secretary
              -Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.
                    -Compared to Rogers C. B. Morton
                                 -10-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                         Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. Jan.-08)

                                                   Conversation No. 815-6 (cont’d)

                   -Toughness
                   -Value
                   -Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
                   -Compared to Patricia R. Hitt
                   -Morton
                   -Robert J. Hitt
-Department of Transportation
       -Under Secretary
             -Robert Hitt
                   -Relationship with Frederic V. Malek
                         -Experts
                                -Assistant Secretary
                   -Compared to Robert E. Nidecker
                         -West Point
                   -Loyalty
                         -Patricia Hitt
                   -Morton
                   -Relationship with Malek
                         -Politics
                                -Personal relations
                         -Administration
-Interior Department
       -Under secretary
             -Morton
-Justice Department
       -Solicitor General
             -Robert J. Bork
                   -Kleindienst's reaction
       -Changes
             -Kleindienst’s view
                   -The President’s possible conversation with Kleindienst
             -Watergate
                   -Prosecution
             -Appearance
             -Henry E. Petersen
                   -Judgeship
                   -Criminal division
       -Kleindienst
             -Departure
                   -Timing
                                               -11-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                         Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. Jan.-08)

                                                               Conversation No. 815-6 (cont’d)

                                    -Haldeman
                                    -John N. Mitchell’s possible conversation with Kleindienst
                        -Appointment
                             -Problems
                                    -Mitchell
                                    -International telephone and telegraph [ITT]
                        -Haldeman
                        -Departure
                             -Delays
                  -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
                        -Louis Patrick Gray, III
                  -Kleindienst
                        -Departure

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 8:21 am.

       The President's schedule
            -Milton Pitts

       [Letter to Kissinger?]
             -Alexander P. Butterfield

       The President’s schedule
            -Forthcoming trip to New York City
                  -Wall Street
                         -Timing
                         -Mudge, Rose, Guthrie and Alexander
                  -Family
                         -Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
                              -Kissinger

Alexander P. Butterfield and an unknown woman entered at 8:53 am.

       Letter
              -Typing
                    -Spacing
Butterfield and the unknown woman left at an unknown time before 8:56 am.

       The President's schedule
            -Trip to New York City
                                               -12-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. Jan.-08)

                                                             Conversation No. 815-6 (cont’d)

                    -Timing
                         -Meeting with Mudge, Rose, Guthric and Alexander
             -First Family
             -Leonard Garment
             -Departure

Bull left at an unknown time before 8:56 am.

       Nixon Library
            -The President’s note
                  -Mudge, Rose, Guthrie and Alexander
                  -The President’s home [in Yorba Linda, California]
                  -Confidentiality

The President replayed the dictation to Robert Devaney.

       Nixon Library
            -Property
                  -Trade-off
                  -Confidentiality
                        -The President’s conversations with John H. Alexander, Randolph H.
                        Guthrie
                  -F. Edward Hebert
                        -Camp Pendleton
                             -National site

The President replayed the dictation to Devaney.

       Nixon Library
            -Property

Ehrlichman left at 8:56 pm.