Conversation No. 880-14

Date: March 15, 1973
Time: Unknown between 2:55 pm and 3:55 pm
Location: Oval Office
                                          20-
                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                                  Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. June-10)
                                                   Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

       Arrangements for Prisoners of war [POWs] reception

Lucy Ferguson, John Ferguson, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Williams, Jeannette Williams, Mark
Williams, Jonathan Williams, Diane Jordan, Shelby Jordan and Kim Jordan entered at 2:59 pm.
The White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

       Introductions
             -Size of family

       Lucy Ferguson's work with White House
            -Retirement
            -Thanks
                  -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

       Photographs
            -Arrangements
                 -Children
                       -Dress
            -Copies
                 -Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins

       Lucy Ferguson's work
            -Thanks

       Salutations

Lucy Ferguson, et al., left at 3:03 pm. Woods remained.

       Prisoners of war [POWs]
             -Recognition
                    -Medal
                    -Certificate
                    -Commendation
             -Gifts
                    -Presidential cufflinks
                    -Pins
             -J. Willard (“Bill”) Marriott, Jr. [?]
             -Recognition
                    -Commendation
                                        21-
                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. June-10)
                                                 Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


                   -Pins
                   -Bracelets
                   -Medals
                         -Design
                                -Eagle
                                -Marriott [?]
                         -Production
                   -Commendations
                         -Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft
                   -Inscription
                   -Presidential ashtrays

Max M. Fisher and Leonard Garment entered at 3:06 pm. The White House photographer was
present at the beginning of the meeting.

       Greetings

       President's press conference

Woods left at 3:06 pm.

       Photograph
            -Seating arrangements

       Fisher's activities
             -Fisher's work with Jewish community
                    -Foreign policy issues
                           -Middle East
                           -Soviet Jews
                                 -Most Favored Nation [MFN] status
                                      -Opposition of Jewish community
                                      -Non-Jews
             -Fisher's help for president
                    -Work with William P. Rogers
                    -Joseph J. Sisco
                    -Henry A. Kissinger [?]
                    -George P. Shultz
                           -Strategy

       Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
            -President's meeting with Golda Meir
                                       22-
                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                               Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. June-10)
                                                Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


            -President's approach on Soviet Jews
                  -Unnamed congressman
                  -President's trip to People's Republic of China [PRC]
                         -Release of John T. Downey

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 3:06 pm.

      Refreshment

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 3:55 pm.

      USSR
          -PRC trip by president
                -Lack of conditions
                -Relationship
                -Results of trip
                      -Release of Downey
          -Soviet Jewish emigration
                -MFN
                -US-USSR relations
                -Agitation
                      -Dangers
                             -Summit
                             -Peace
                      -American Jews
                      -Congress
                             -Pandering
                -Rate of emigration
                      -Reasons
                      -Relationship to MFN
                             -Economic initiatives
                -American Jewish community
                      -Agitation
                             -Dangers to Soviet Jews
                             -President's approach
          -US relations with USSR
                -Goals
                      -Peace
                             -Relationship between superpowers
                      -Handling of Soviet Jewish emigration
                             -Arms limitations
                          23-
     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                  Tape Subject Log
                    (rev. June-10)
                                   Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


                         -Communists
                         -Blame
                         -Press conference
      -Soviet Jewish emigration
            -Domestic issue
                  -Speech
                         -New York
                         -Herschel Schacter
                         -Heroics
                         -Leonid I. Brezhnev
            -President’s approach
                  -Humanitarianism
                  -Germany
                  -Rider on MFN
                  -Economic progress
                         -Vietnam
                         -Arms limitations
      -USSR’s leadership
            -Paranoia, jingoistic pride
            -Congressional action on MFN
                  -American Jewish community
                         -Responsibility
      -Meir's and Yitzhak Rabin's attitude
            -Peace prospects
            -PRC
                  -Release of Downey
                  -Conditions
-Soviet Jewish emigration
      -USSR’s goal
            -Respectability
      -President’s approach
            -Public relations program
            -Conditions on trade
-Treatment of Soviet Jews
      -Insane asylums
      -NAZIs
            -Killing, torture
      -Cruelty
      -Handling of Soviet Jewish emigration
            -US influence
                  -Rider on MFN
                          24-
     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                  Tape Subject Log
                    (rev. June-10)
                                   Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


-American Jewish community
      -Fisher’s role
      -Rogers
      -Leadership meeting
            -Speech
            -Congress
            -Demagoguery
      -Henry A. Kissinger
      -Rider on MFN
            -Battle against Jews
            -Votes
-US relations with USSR
      -Arms limitations
      -Vietnam
            -North Vietnam’s restraint
                   -Influence with USSR
      -Communism
      -Alger Hiss case
            -Popularity of anticommunism
-American Jewish community
      -Fisher's work
            -Congress
                   -Votes
            -Kissinger
            -Leadership
            -Strategy
      -Interests
            -Peace
            -Soviet Jews
-Soviet Jewish emigration
      -USSR’s reaction
      -France, Great Britain
      -Brezhnev
            -Discussions with President
            -Possible announcement
            -Congress
            -Internal matter
      -Natural gas trade
      -Conditions in USSR
      -US reception
      -Israel
                                25-
           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                        Tape Subject Log
                          (rev. June-10)
                                         Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


           -Immigrants to US
                 -Parole waiver
                 -Working class
                 -Intellectuals
                 -Nationalities
           -President’s influence
           -Dangers of rider on MFN
                 -Importance
                        -Comparison with arms for Israel
                              -Meir
                              -Airplanes
           -Humanitarian problem
           -Foreign policy problem
           -Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
                 -Political ambition

American Jewish community
    -Goodwill toward President
    -Confidence in president
    -Speech
    -Herschel Schacter
    -Leaders
          -Meetings
    -House of representatives
    -Foreign policy issues
          -Approach
                -Communicating President’s sympathy
    -Confidence in Rogers
          -Middle East
    -Attitude toward Kissinger
    -“Peace at home”
          -Administration’s efforts
    -Garment’s role
    -Fisher's approach
          -President’s suggestions

Vietnam
     -Status of cease-fire
           -Infiltration
           -Handling of North Vietnamese
                  -Compared to handling of American Jewish community
                                26-
           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                        Tape Subject Log
                          (rev. June-10)
                                         Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)



USSR
    -Brezhnev's visit
          -Dinner
                -Republicans from Jewish community
                       -Representation
    -Fisher's work with Jewish community
          -New York
          -Strategy
          -Garment’s role
          -Rogers's appearance on "face the nation"
                -Disclosure of strategy
          -Secrecy
          -President’s sympathy
          -Brezhnev
          -Work with Congress,
                -Jacob K. Javits and Abraham A. Ribicoff
                -Political overtones
                       -Partisanship
          -Strategy
    -Approaches
          -Georgi Arbatov
                -Speech
                       -Institute on American Relations with the Soviet Union
                       -Fall-out
                              -American Jewish community
    -PRC
    -Kissinger
    -Fisher’s work with American Jewish community
          -President’s suggestions

Energy
     -John D. Ehrlichman, Charles J. DiBona
     -Fisher's advice
           -Knowledge of oil and Middle East
     -Advisory group
           -Fisher’s inclusion
           -John B. Connally
                 -Oil companies
           -Fisher’s patriotism
           -Ken Jameson’s exclusion
                           27-
      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                   Tape Subject Log
                     (rev. June-10)
                                    Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


      -Standard Oil of New Jersey
      -Standard Oil of California
             -President’s friend
      -Standard Oil of Texas
             -Connally
      -Charles J. DiBona
             -Intelligence
             -Knowledge of oil
             -System analysis
             -Meeting with Fisher
-Fisher’s association with oil company
      -Discontinuation
             -Ehrlichman
             -President’s trust
                    -Connally
                    -Natural gas investments
-Natural gas
      -Price
             -Need for action
      -Kerr-Mills Bill
             - Dwight D. Eisenhower's veto
                    -Motivation
                           -Francis case [?]
                                 -Campaign contribution scandal
                                 -California
                    -Results
                    -Garment’s knowledge
                    -Contributions
             -Natural gas company
                    -Ruthlessness
      -Decontrol
             -Ehrlichman
             -Extent
                    -Political fall-out
             -Ehrlichman
      -El Paso Gas Company
             -Antitrust case
-Fisher's work
      -Support for President
             -Priorities
             -Trip overseas
                                  28-
             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                          Tape Subject Log
                            (rev. June-10)
                                           Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


                        -Prestige

[First name unknown] Tyson [?]
       -US Steel
       -Geneva [?]
       -Trade negotiations

Fisher’s work for administration
      -European Economic Community
            -Negotiations
      -George P. Shultz, Peter M. Flanigan
      -Business Council
            -Quality of advice
            -Selfishness
            -James M. Roche[?]
      -Donald McI. Kendall
            -Informal business group
      -Business Council
            -Connally
      -Paul W. McCrackan

Food
       -Prices
             -Fisher's advice
             -Production levels
             -Consumption levels
       -POWs
             -Physical condition
             -Diet
             -Capt. Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr., Col. Robinson Risner
                   -Solitary confinement
                   -Character
             -Diet
                   -Physical condition
             -Dental problems
             -Surgery
                   -Civil War
             -Denton
                   -Condition of teeth
                         -Reasons
                               -Diet
                                 29-
            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                         Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. June-10)
                                          Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


      -Diets
            -Concentration camp survivors
                 -NAZIs
                 -Condition of teeth
                       -Reasons
                       -Dentures
                       -Compared to American diet
                             -Smoking

POWs
   -Captivity
   -Communication in prison
         -Morse code
         -Sweeping
         -Writing paper
   -Reading matter
         -Propaganda
   -Solitary confinement
   -Survivors
         -Quiet voices
               -Improvement in treatment
         -American elite
   -Prison camps
         -World War II
               -Movie, The Great Escape
                     -Survival
                            -Treatment of POWs
                                  -Brutality
                                  -Adolph Hitler
   -Retention of American values
         -Denton's letter to President

Fisher's wife
      -Parties
      -Appointment to position
            -Kennedy Center
            -National Commission on the Arts
            -New elite of the President's supporters
                  -Sammy Davis, Jr.

Joseph J. Sisco
                                           30-
                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                                   Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. June-10)
                                                    Conversation No. 880-14 (cont’d)


                -Trustworthiness
                -Jewish community’s support
                -Middle East
                -US ambassador to Israel
                      -Kissinger
                      -Replacement
                            -Consequences
                -Work with Kissinger
                -Quality of work
                -Assistant Secretary of State

       Israel
                -US ambassador
                     -Appointment
                           -Paul N. (“Pete”) McCloskey, Jr.
                           -Jewish community
                           -Kenneth B. Keating
                                 -Nelson A. Rockefeller
                                 -Support for Israel
                                 -Assistant Secretary of State
                                 -Prestige
                                 -Work with Kissinger
                           -Sisco
                     -Germany
                           -Tom [last name unknown]
                                 -Qualifications
                -American Jewish community
                     -Support for Sisco
                           -Garment’s role
                     -Reaction to Rogers's plan
                           -Kissinger

       Campaign contribution

Fisher and Garment left at 3:55 pm.
                                        31-
                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. June-10)
                                                 Conversation No. 880-15 (cont’d)