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Conversation: 864-007

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Start Date: 27-Feb-1973 4:37 PM

End Date: 27-Feb-1973 5:19 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Helms, Richard M.Kissinger, Henry A.

Recording Device: Oval Office

864-007a.mp3

864-007b.mp3

NARA Description:

On February 27, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Richard M. Helms, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:37 pm to 5:19 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 864-007 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 864-7

Date: February 27, 1973
Time: 4:37 pm-5:19 pm
Location: Oval Office
                                              -9-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                            Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


The President met with Richard M. Helms.

      Departure for Iran

      Rose Mary Woods

      Paper on Israel
             -Helms’s view
             -US position
             -Leverage

      Israel’s weapon requests
              -Planes
                      -Golda Meir
              -Necessity
              -Air power capacities
                      -Compared to 1967 war


******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National security]
[Duration 19s]
WEAPONS

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
******************************************************************************


      Golda Meir

      Prime Minister of Iran [Premier] Amir Abbas Hoveida
            -News summary
            -Jack Anderson story
                    -Helms

      Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi
             -Helm’s appointment as Ambassador to Iran
                                            -10-

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                       Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


                      -Reaction


******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[National security]
[Duration: 12s]

US-IRAN RELATIONS

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
******************************************************************************


      Shah of Iran
             -Helms
                    -Complimentary appointment
            -Visit to US
                    -Scheduling
                            -December
                            -May, June
                    -Empress Farah Diba
                            -Public relations [PR]
                            -Camp David
                            -Demonstrations
                    -Scheduling
            -Oil
            -Meeting with Helms
            -Relationship with US
                    -Specialness
            -Relationship with Helms
            -Visit to US
                    -Diba
                    -Dinner in San Clemente
                    -Camp David
                    -State dinner
                    -Camp David
                            -Facilities
                                              -11-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                          Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


              -Visit to New York
              -Oil talks [?]
                      -Progress

Henry A. Kissinger entered at 4:45 pm.

       John B. Connally
              -Visit to Iran
              -Talk with Helms
                      -President’s request

       Shah of Iran
              -Visit to US
                      -Scheduling
                            -Africans
                                   -Kissinger

       Sese Seko Mobutu
              -Patrol boats
                      -Congo region
                      -Communists
                      -Trade for fire boats


******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[National security]
[Duration: 20s]

CONTACTS

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO.3
******************************************************************************


       Aden, Yemen
             -Cubans
                   -Pilots, technicians
                                      -12-

              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                       Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)



Pakistan
       -Role of Iran
       -US aid
              -Iran
                      -Spare parts
                      -Morale
       -Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
       -Mrs. Bhutto
              -Hong Kong newspaper
                      -Cable
              -Beauty

Gulf states

Iran
       -Diplomatic post
              -Excitement
                     -Compared with Europe
                           -Berlin, Bonn
                           -East Europe

Middle East
      -Persian Gulf
      -Kissinger’s talk with Hussein ibn Talal [Hussein, King of Jordan]
      -Oman
             -Difficulties
             -Helms’s viewpoint
                     -State Department telegrams
                     -Use of back channels

Oman
       -Army
               -Dhofar region
       -Iran’s role
               -Sale of helicopters
       -Saudi Arabia’s role
               -Sale of helicopters
                                      -13-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                        Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


               -Financing
       -State Department
               -Foreign Military Sales Act compared with grant aid
               -Congress

Iraq
       -Relations with French and Dutch
       -Impact on Iran and Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia
       -Ambassador
               -Nicholas G. Thacher
                      -Career service
       -Oil reserves
               -Compared with Iran
       -American consortium
               -Share of market
                      -Compared with Iran
       -Importance to US
               -Competition with Britain, France, and Japan
                      -Solution
                              -Ambassador

Prisoners of war [POWs]
       -North Vietnamese Statements
               -Compliance with cease-fire agreement
               -Messages
                     -Cease-fire violations
                            -South Vietnam

Cease-fire violations
       -Nguyen van Thieu
       -North Vietnam
               -Infiltrations
               -US reactions

Oil problem
       -Need to have oil advisor in White House
                                             -14-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                               Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


                     -Helm’s recommendation


******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[National security]
[Duration: 3s]

OIL

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
******************************************************************************


      Oil problem
             -Oil advisor
                    -Thomas C. Barger
                            -Arabian-American Oil Company [ARAMCO]
                            -Recommendations
                                    -Otto Miller
                                           -Caltex
                                    -John A. McCone
                            -Qualifications
                            -Retired to South Carolina; La Jolla, California
                            -Experience
             -Alternative energy sources
                    -Oil sheiks
                    -Edward Teller
                            -Advice
                            -Ideas
                                    -Nuclear, shale
                    -Charles J. DiBona
                            -Teller
                            -Problems

      Iran
             -State visit
             -Helms
                                              -15-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                                Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


                         -Return to US
                         -Report
                         -John A.Volpe [?]

       Iran
              -Visit by President
              -Embassy
                      -Accommodations
                              -Compared with US embassy in Japan
                      -Visit by President when out of office in 1967
              -Women

Helms left at 4:59 pm.

       Vietnam settlement
             -Cease-fire agreement

       Press conference
              -President’s attendance
                     -Kissinger’s advice
                     -Rhetoric
                     -Cessation of bombing

       North Vietnamese complaints
              -Validity
              -Cease-fire violations
                      -Government of Vietnam [GVN] [South Vietnam]
              -Joint Military Commission
                      -Kissinger’s telegram to Thieu
                      -Dissolution
                      -Accommodations
              -Ellsworth F. Bunker
              -Message to North Vietnam
                      -Talks with South Vietnam
                      -Bunker
              -US response
                      -Mining
                      -POWs
                                     -16-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                              Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                       Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


                     -Public relations
                     -Resolution of problem

Press conference
       -President’s appearance
              -President’s view
       -Questions
              -Aid to Vietnam
              -Thieu

North Vietnam’s statements
       -POWs
             -Delay of release
       -Economic Commission
             -US delay
             -Reply to Kissinger’s message on mining
                     -Toughness
                     -Economic Commission
             -Kissinger’s reply
                     -Economic Commission
                     -Two-track method
                     -South Vietnam

Vietnam settlement
      -Kissinger’s view
              -POWs
                      -Movement
      -Kissinger’s talk with William H. Sullivan
              -William P. Rogers
                      -Conference
      -Kissinger’s talk with George R. S. Baring [Earl of Cromer]
              -House of Commons
              -Sir Alexander F. (“Alec”) Douglas-Home
                      -Attendance at international conference on Vietnam
      -Rogers
              -Public relations
              -International conference on Vietnam
                      -Credit
                                     -17-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                              Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                  Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


                     -Douglas-Home, Nguyen Duy Trinh
              -People's Republic of China [PRC]
                     -Message
              -POWs
                     -US response
                             -Reaction to delays
                     -Aid to Vietnam
                     -Stories
                             -Effect
              -Public statements
                     -Kissinger’s message
                     -December 1972 bombing
                             -Effect
                     -Compared with private talks
                             -Ultimatum

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
       -Summit
              -Handling
                     -State Department
                     -Rogers
                     -Anatoliy F. Dobrynin

International conference on Vietnam
        -President’s public pronouncements
        -List of POWs
                -Scheduled release dates

Vietnam settlement
      -Cease-fire violations
              -Thieu
              -Laos
                     -Infiltration
              -North and South Vietnam
              -Thieu’s actions
                     -POWs
                     -US aid to South Vietnam
                                            -18-

                 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                         Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


      The Earl of Cromer
            -Story about Vietnam
            -Departure from post
            -Lady Cromer
            -Common market post

      Vietnam settlement
            -Length
            -US goal
                    -Stability
                            -Timing

      Vietnam
            -Public awareness
                   -Waning interest
            -POWs
            -Troops

      South Vietnam
             -Number of US advisors
                    -Civilian, economic, military
             -Survival
             -Settlement agreement
             -Number of US advisors
                    -Reduction
                    -News summary

     Helms
             -Job as ambassador

     Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
            -James R. Schlesinger
                     -Shake up


******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[National security]
                                             -19-

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                                Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


[Duration: 1m 22s]

CIA

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
******************************************************************************


       CIA
              -Office of Strategic Services [OSS]
                     -Age

       International conference on Vietnam
               -USSR, PRC reactions
               -France
                      -Georges J. R. Pompidou
               -North Vietnam
               -Canada
                      -Pierre E. Trudeau
                              -Relations with US
               -North Vietnam
                      -National recognition
                              -Peace settlement
               -Kissinger’s message
                      -Joint Economic Commission
                              -Thieu
                      -Paris
                      -Delivery
                              -Timing
                      -Tone
               -POWs
                      -Return
               -North Vietnam’s response
                      -Contents
                      -Col. Bui Tin’s statement
                              -Four-power military commission
                              -Unofficial
                      -Testing US
                                              -20-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                             Conversation No. 864-7 (cont’d)


                      -Military operations
                              -Laos
                      -Response to Saigon’s initiatives
                              -Civilian prisoners

      Civilian prisoners
              -Number released
              -Convicts
                      -Amnesty
              -Cadres
                      -Number released
              -Disappearances
                      -Numbers
              -Thieu
                      -Responsibility
              -Effects on US
              -Nguyen Thi Binh
                      -Foreign Minister of Provisional Revolutionary Government of South
Vietnam
                      -Capital
                      -GVN
                      -Territory
                      -Civilian prisoners
                      -Hanoi’s embarrassment

Kissinger left at 5:19 pm.