Conversation No. 855-22

Date: February 14, 1973
Time: 12:38 pm - 1:46 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

       Photograph with unknown woman

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 12:38 pm.

       Request for Washington Star

Bull left at an unknown time before 1:05 pm.

       News stories
             -Raising of flag for prisoners of war [POWs] return
             -Charles Colson
                    -Washington Post
                    -Radio
                    -Television [TV]

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 12:38 pm.

       Incorrect newspaper
              -Washington Star-News

Bull left at an unknown time before 1:05 pm.

       Presidential actions
              -Gimmicks

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 12:38 pm.

       Presidential actions
              -Naturalness
                      -Raising of flag
                                               -40-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. August-10)
                                                              Conversation No. 855-22 (cont’d)


                      -Corsages
              -Press coverage
                      -National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
                      -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
              -Corsages
              -Raising of flag
                      -Press coverage
                              -Reports by John W. Chancellor, Walter L. Croncite, Jr.

Bull left at an unknown time before 1:05 pm.

       Raising of flag
              -Press coverage
                       -Mourning for Lyndon B. Johnson
                             -Claudia A. (“Lady Bird”) Johnson
                             -Agreement

       POW return
            -Raising flag compared to meeting POWs in Philippines
                   -Graciousness
                           -POW wives
            -President’s handling
                   -Church statement
                           -Privacy for POWs
            -Clark Field
                   -Rehabilitation
            California
            -Physical appearance
                   -Vietcong [VC] prisoners
                           -Publicity
                   -Stories of treatment
                           -Effect on aid to North Vietnam
            -H. Ross Perot
                   -Prison cells
                           -Congress
                   -Communication from the administration
                   -Missing in action [MIAs]
                                              -41-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. August-10)
                                                               Conversation No. 855-22 (cont’d)


                       -Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft

The President talked with John D. Ehrlichman at an unknown time between 12:38 pm and 1:05
pm.

[Conversation No. 855-22A]

       Meeting with George P. Shultz and John T. Dunlop
             -Devaluation of dollar
                     -New York Times correspondent
                            -Economic impact
                                    -Imports
                                    -Prices
                     -Phase III
                     -Statement by Shultz
                     - New York Times correspondent
                            -“Hatchet job”

[End of telephone conversation]

       Shultz
                -Press statement
                        -Economy

       Prices
                -Effects of devaluation of dollar
                        -Foreign cars
                        -Trips abroad by the American public

       President's statements
              -State of the union
                       -Multiple speeches
                       -Energy
                              -Written compared to spoken words
                                     -Transitions
                                     -Fuel shortages
                                     -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                              -42-

    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                       Tape Subject Log
                        (rev. August-10)
                                              Conversation No. 855-22 (cont’d)


                     -Henry A. Kissinger
       -Editing
              -Conclusion
                      -Wording
                              -Transition
              -Sentence structure
                      -Conjunctions
-David R. Gergen
-Quotes
       -Presidential meaning
              -Colorful language
                      -“Fair shake” compared to “competitive position”
                      -Shultz
                              -US exports
              -Ronald L. Ziegler
                      -Phrase-making
-Speechwriters
       -Quality prose compared to quotable line
              -Enduring value
       -“Speech doctors”
              -Hollywood
       -S. Bruce Herschensohn
       -Gergen
              -Colorful phrases
                      -Patrick J. Buchanan
-Editing
       -Transitions
-Speechwriters
-Content
       -Timeliness
              -POWs
              -People’s Republic of China [PRC]
       -Concluding paragraph
              -Reminders
                      -Beauty of America
                      -Inaugurations
                      -PRC
                                       -43-

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. August-10)
                                                          Conversation No. 855-22 (cont’d)


                                     -President’s trip
                              -POWs
                              -Big issues
         -Delivery
                -Norman Vincent Peale
                       -William F. (“Billy”) Graham [?]
                       -Preachers
                       -Anecdotes
                       -Timeliness
                -Ehrlichman
                       -Substance compared to style
                       -Phrase-making
         -Editing

Press relations
        -Bull
        -Newbold (Newby”) Noyes, Jr.
                -Meeting with President
                        -Ehrlichman
                -Washington Star
                        -Blacks
                        -Support for President
                                -Washington Post
                -Objectivity
                -Meeting with President
                        -Reasons
                        -Value
                -Support for President
                -Letter to President
                        -Ehrlichman

Blacks
         -President’s conversation with Ehrlichman
         -1972 election
         -Demands
                -Handouts
                -Appreciation from President
                                        -44-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                               Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. August-10)
                                                   Conversation No. 855-22 (cont’d)


                    -John F. Kennedy
                    -Lyndon B. Johnson
             -News summary
                    -President’s accomplishments
             -Public demonstration
                    -Speech
             -Haldeman’s view
                    -Complaints
       -Lukewarm support
       -Kennedy
             -Robert Elliott Thompson
                    -Hearst newspapers
                    -High ratings
                    -Assassination
                    -Press coverage
             -Timing of civil rights promises

Past president
        -Kennedy
               -Rating
               -Harry S Truman
               -Franklin D. Roosevelt
               -Foreign policy
               -Personal appeal

Press relations
        -Ronald L. Ziegler
        -Richard A. Moore
        -William E. Safire
        -John Reagan (“Tex”) MCCrary
                -Kennedy
                      -Public relations [PR]
        -Understanding
                -Emotional reactions
                      -Moore
                      -Herschenson
                                             -45-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. August-10)
                                                             Conversation No. 855-22 (cont’d)


Ziegler entered at 1:05 pm.

       Press relations
               -Radio speech
                       -Film clip
                              -Request from networks
                              -Public reaction
               -Film clip
                       -PRC, POWs
                              -Emotional appeal
                       -Length
                       -Environmental statement from radio speech
                              -Abraham Lincoln
                              -“Peace with nature”
                              -President’s record
                       -Television [TV]
                              -Value
               -Radio speech
                       -Editing
                              -Gergen
               -Radio speech film clip
                       -Delivery
                              -Teleprompter
                              -Speech typewriter
                       -Location
                       -Filming
                              -Length
                       -Typing speech
                              -Rose Mary Woods
                       -Timing
                              -Preparation

Ziegler left at 1:14 pm.

       President's meeting with Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
              -Timing
                                     -46-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                               Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. August-10)
                                                      Conversation No. 855-22 (cont’d)


President’s statements
       -Moore
       -Herschenson
       -Ziegler
       -Need for imagination
                -McCrary
                -Youth
       -Ehrlichman
       -Shultz

Meeting with President
      -Anne L. Armstrong
      -George H. W. Bush
      -Subjects of discussion
      -Bush
              -Letter to President

White House social affairs
      -Maurice H. Stans's recommendation
      -President's opposition
      -Dinners for contributors
              -Number attending
      -Elmer H. Bobst and wife
      -State dinners
              -Coordination with other dinners
                     -Problems
      -Events for financial contributors
              -Evening at the White House
                     -Members of Congress
                     -Alternative to Stans's idea
                             -Small dinners
                                     -Stans
                                     -Cabinet members
                             -Supplement with state dinners
                                     -Golda Meir
              -President's support
              -Scheduling
                         -47-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                  Tape Subject Log
                   (rev. August-10)
                                           Conversation No. 855-22 (cont’d)


 -Stans’s recommendation
 -Briefing
 -Dinners
         -Black ties
         -Stag dinner
         -Wives
                -Evening at the White House
                -Stag dinner and briefing
                       -Number
                       -President’s statement
                       -Evening at the White House
                       -Shultz
                       -Ehrlichman
                       -Foreign policy
                               -Henry A. Kissinger
                               -William P. Rogers
                       -Entertainment
                               -Army Chorus
                       -President’s statements
                       -Number
                       -Shape of tables
                       -Location
                               -East Room
                               -State Dining Room
                       -Photographs
                       -Autographs
                       -Number of courses
                       -President’s appearance
                               -Cabinet officers
                                       -Distribution at tables
                               -Celebrities
                               -Businessmen
                               -Stans
                               -Bush
                               -Herbert W. Kalmbach
                       -Invitations
         -Scheduling
                                      -48-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. August-10)
                                                    Conversation No. 855-22 (cont’d)


                            -Governors dinner
                            -Golda Meir dinner
                            -Invitations
                            -Gridiron dinner
                                    -Key Biscayne
                                           -Departure
                            -Nguyen Van Thieu
                                    -Kissinger
                                    -Troop withdrawal
                            -Governors dinner
                            -Golda Meir dinner
                            -Press conference
                            -Florida

President’s schedule
       -Trip to Florida
               -Weather
                      -Delays

White House social affairs
      -Events for financial contributors
              -Dinners
              -Scheduling
      -Press conference
              -Date
              -Governors dinner
              -Nighttime
                     -Kissinger’s return
              -California
                     -Thieu’s visit
      -Events for financial contributors
              -Dinners
                     -Scheduling
      -Astronauts
      -Veterans of Foreign Wars [FVW] Congressional dinner
              -Coordination with White House dinners
      -Evening at White House
                                               -49-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. August-10)
                                                             Conversation No. 855-22 (cont’d)


              -Invitations
                      -Congress members
              -Reception for President’s Congressional supporters
              -Governors, Meir, Stans dinners

Bull entered at an unknown time after 1:14 pm.

       President’s schedule
              -Ziegler
                      -Film crew
              -Meeting with Moorer

Bull left at an unknown time before 1:46 pm.

       White House social affairs
             -Evening at the White House
                    -St. Patrick’s Day
                             -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon’s birthday
                    -Congress members
             -Church service
             -President’s trip to Florida
                    -Scheduling
                    -Gridiron dinner
                             -President’s absence
                                     -Camp David
                    -Scheduling of Evening at the White House
                             -Church services
                             -Democrats
                             -Invitations
                             -Entertainment
             -Church services
                    -Minister
                             -Variety
                                     -Peale
                             -House chaplain
                             -Catholics, Jews
                                     -Edger F. Magnin
                                              -50-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. August-10)
                                                            Conversation No. 855-22 (cont’d)



       President’s schedule
              -Long-range schedule
                      -Speeches, press conferences
              -Radio speeches
                      -Releases
                             -Messages to Congress
                      -Live compared with tapes
                             -Announcement
                             -TV
                             -Newspapers
              -Meeting with Moorer
              -Long-range planning
                      -Church services, Evenings at the White House

Haldeman left at 1:46 pm.