Conversation: 910-001
Prev: 909-034 Next: 910-002Start Date: 2-May-1973 5:10 PM
End Date: 2-May-1973 5:49 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Passman, Otto E.; Hannah, John A. (Dr.); Timmons, William E.; Kissinger, Henry A.; [Unknown person(s)];Recording Device: Oval Office
NARA Description:
On May 2, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Otto E. Passman, Dr. John A. Hannah, William E. Timmons, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:10 pm and 5:49 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 910-001 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 910-1
Date: May 2, 1973
Time: Unknown between 5:10 pm and 5:49 pm
Location: Oval Office
[Continued from Conversation No. 909-30]
An unknown portion of this conversation was not recorded while the audiotape reels were
changed.
The President met with Otto E. Passman, John Hannah, William E. Timmons, and Henry A.
Kissinger.
Vietnam
-Negotiations with North Vietnam
-Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam
-Compliance
-Paris Peace Talks
-Kissinger’s forthcoming trip
-Timing
-Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam
-US foreign aid
-North Vietnam’s acceptance
-Congressional appropriations process
-Maurice J. Williams
Foreign Assistance Act of 1973
-White House position
-Possible explanations to Congress
-Passman
-Security
-Support for President
-Public statements
-Press coverage
-Louisiana
-2-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 910-1 (cont’d)
-House Appropriations Committee, Democrats, Louisiana
-Negotiations with North Vietnam
-Passman’s possible terms
-Background
-Terms
-Grant aid
-Prospects in Congress
-Loans compared to grants
-Repayment
-Compared to developing nations
-Cambodia, Laos, South Vietnam, Korea
-Passman’s role
-President’s possible proposal for North Vietnam
-Passman’s role
-President’s possible veto
-North Vietnam allocation
-Prospects in Congress
-Passman’s leadership
-Vote count
-Democrats
-Communication with White House
-President’s possible veto
Kissinger left at 5:23 pm.
Foreign aid legislation
-Passman, Hannah
-Aid to North Vietnam
-Request
-US leverage
-Passman’s support
-Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House of Representative and Senate
-Hannah’s testimony
-Passman
-Gale W. McGee
-Conference bill
-Passman’s leadership style
-3-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 910-1 (cont’d)
-Support for President
-William Proxmire
-McGee’s replacement
-Attitude toward foreign aid
-Leadership style
-Staff
-Refusal to meet with Hannah
-Testimony
-Foreign Assistance Act
-Passman’s leadership
-J. William Fulbright, John J. McClellan, Allen J. Ellender
-Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives and Senate
-Conference committee
-Proxmire’s role
-Vote
-Daniel K. Inouye
-Previous hearings
-Henry K. Giugni
-Hannah’s assessment
-Future
-Foreign Operations Subcommittee
-Proxmire’s leadership
-Hearings
-Conference Committee
-Proxmire
-McClellan
-Aid to North Vietnam
-Passman’s role
-Congressional action
-William’s assessment
-Lyndon B. Johnsons’s request
-President’s estimate
-International commitments
-Edward W. Brooke’s statement
-Bi-partisan Congressional leadership meeting
-Kurt Waldheim
-Dollar amount
-4-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 910-1 (cont’d)
-Peace settlement
-Kissinger
-Grants compared to loans
-North Vietnam compared to South Vietnam
-Authorization bill
-Foreign Affairs Committee
-Hannah’s conversations with Dr. Thomas E. (“Doc”) Morgan, Clement J.
Zablocki, Dante B. Fascell, William S. Mailliard
-Loan requirements
-Timmons’s viewpoint
-Foreign Affairs Committee hearings
-Morgan
-Timing
-Schedule
-State Department
-Hannah
-William P. Rogers, Robert S. McNamara [?]
-Report
-Fulbright’s bill
-Foreign Relations Committee hearings
-Military assistance and security assistance
-[David] Kenneth Rush, Richard G. Lugar, Elliot L. Richardson
-House of Representatives bill
-Military assistance
-Authorization bill
-Fulbright
-Necessity
-Procedure
-Rules Committee
-Fulbright’s bill
-Morgan’s bill
-Appropriations Committee
-Fulbright
-Aid to North Vietnam
-Hannah’s support
-Kissinger’s negotiations
-President’s foreign policy powers
-5-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 910-1 (cont’d)
-Congressional authorization, appropriations
-Loans to Laos, Cambodia, South Vietnam, Korea
-Loam
-Foreign Aid bill
-Delay
-Passman’s conversation with F. Edward Hebert
-Vote count
-Foreign aid bill
-Chance success
-Cost of Vietnam War
-Passman’s support for President
-Presidential elections
-Illinois, Texas, New Mexico
-Passman’s experience
-Foreign aid bill
-Prospects in Congress
-Foreign operations subcommittee hearings
-Hannah
-Passman’s leadership
-Relationship with Hannah
-Passman’s proposal
-Hannah’s support
-Rogers
-Passman’s trips to Korea, South Vietnam
-Reaction
-Country-by-country analysis
-Hannah, State Department, Defense Department role
-Aid to North Vietnam
-Commitments by administration
-North Vietnam expectation
-Grant aid
-Peace negotiations
-Reconstruction program
-House Foreign Affairs Committee
-Timing
-Rehabilitation, humanitarian, technical assistance
-Grant aid
-6-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 910-1 (cont’d)
-Refugee, family planning aid
-Industrial development
-Loans
-Grants and low-interest loans
-Passman’s support
-Prospects in Congress
-Passman’s proposal
-Military, training assistance
-Scale
-Grants compared to loans
-Prospects in Congress
-Passman’s proposal
-Cost analysis
-Loss of life
-President’s negotiating position
-Possible impact on peace
-Prospects in Congress
-Prospects in Congress
-Passman’s proposal
-Support from Hannah, Rogers, Gerald R. Ford, Morgan
-Compared to Nixon Doctrine
-Possible “Passman-Nixon Plan”
-Possible statement
-Grants compared to loans
-National security matters
-Technical assistance
-Phraseology
-Passman’s support for President
-Aid to South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Korea
-Passman’s visit
-South Vietnam
-Hannah’s visit
-Conversation with Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Reconstruction loans
-Charles A. Cooper’s objection
-Credit rating
-Terms
-7-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 910-1 (cont’d)
-Reconstruction loans
-Agency for International Development [AID] loans
-Repayment
-Indonesia, Turkey, India, Pakistan
-Impact on Congressional support
-Congressional action
-Compared to International Development Association [IDA] loan terms
-Passman’s proposal
-Passman’s efforts
-Nixon Doctrine
-Attribution
-Loan repayment
-Possible default
-Niger compared to Algeria
-Oil resources
Unknown people entered at an unknown time after 5:00 pm.
Photographs
Passman’s banking experience
-Defaults
-Loan portfolio
Unknown people left at an unknown time before 5:49 pm.
Floods in Louisiana
-Disaster declaration [April 27, 1973]
-President’s visit
Kissinger and an unknown man entered at an unknown time after 5:10 pm.
Passman’s reports
[Photography session]
Cuff lings
-8-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 910-1 (cont’d)
-Passman’s gift to Thieu and Park
Passman et al. left at 5:49 pm.