Conversation No. 329-55

Date: April 16, 1972
Time: 10:20 am - 10:55 am
Location: Executive Office Building


The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Vietnam
          -Air strikes
                -Reaction of Pentagon
                -Kissinger's meeting with Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
          -Washington Post and Washington Star articles
                -George W. Wilson article in Washington Post
                      -The President's policy compared with Lyndon B. Johnson's
                      -An Loc article
                            -South Vietnamese army
          -An Loc
                -Kissinger's meetings with Melvin R. Laird and Moorer
                -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s trip to South Vietnam
                      -South Vietnamese attitude towards fighting
                -Current situation
                      -New York Times editorial
          -Public statement
                -Hubert H. Humphrey demand
                      -United Nations [UN] Security Council
                            -Vetoes
                                 -Soviet Union
                                 -People's Republic of China [PRC]
                            -Johnson Administration
                -Edmund S. Muskie statement
                      -Confrontation with Soviet Union and PRC

     Dinner for Latin American Ambassadors
          -Call from Kissinger
                -Jose A. Mora Otero
                -The President's remarks to John V. Brennan
          -Birgit Nilsson
          -Mora Otero
                -Secretary
                -Toast
                                         65

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 10/06)
                                                                  Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

                -PRC
                -Soviet Union

Vietnam
     -Air strikes
           -The president's conversation with Brennan
           -American viewpoint
                 -Support for Administration's policy
                       -Effort to end the war
     -Blockade
           -Effect on the election and the war
           -Duration
     -Kissinger’s trip to Moscow
     -Air strikes
           -Extent
                 -Haiphong
                 -Oil storage areas
           -B-52s
                 -Losses
                       -Unknown navy pilot
                             -Rescue by US destroyer
                             -North Vietnamese ships
                             -Moorer’s remark
           -Destroyers and cruisers
           -Gun installations
           -Haiphong
                 -Fireball
                       -Size
                             -Observation from the carrier, Kitty Hawk
     -Air strikes
           -Hanoi
                 -Petroleum, oil, and lubricants [POL] dumps
                       -Fires
                             -Extent and size
                             -Pilot reports
                       -Damage reports
                             -Fires
           -Haiphong
                 -Damage reports
                       -Extent
                       -Surface to air missile [SAM] sites
                       -Explosions
                                  66

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                           Tape Subject Log
                             (rev. 10/06)
                                                          Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

                        -Observation from the USS Kitty Hawk
-Naval bombardment
      -Damage report
            -Recovered pilot's report
                  -Extent of success
                  -North Vietnamese fishing and torpedo boats
      -Naval morale
      -Damage reports
            -Truck parks
                  -Extent of damage
-Soviet response
      -Kissinger’s trip to Moscow
            -Kissinger’s meeting with Dobrynin
            -Cancellation
            -Success
                  -Impact on US foreign policy
                        -PRC
                        -Soviet union
            -Compared with John F. Kennedy and Cuban missile crisis
-An Loc
      -Tank attacks by North Vietnam
            -Extent of destruction
      -21st airborne division
      -Capture
      -Air strikes
            -B-52s
                  -Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
      -Compared with Verdun strategy
            -Field Marshal Erich Von Falkenhayn
            -French
            -Symbolism
                  -Abrams
-Air strikes
      -Intensity
      -Military region one
      -Schedule
            -Number of sorties
            -B-52s
            -Destroyers
      -Impact
-Hue
      -Unknown White House source
                                     67

                 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                             Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. 10/06)
                                                               Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

           -New York Times report
                 -Soviet trip cancellation
                             -The President's instructions
                 -Hue
                 -Kissinger staff meeting
                 -Impact
                       -Soviets
                       -North Vietnamese
     -Possible fall
-North Vietnamese offensive
     -Third corps
           -Ability to sustain offensive
                 -Casualties
     -Compared with 1968 tet offensive
           -Losses
     -Cambodia
           -An Lc
     -Military region one
           -New York Times
                 -Wilson
     -Press
           -Honesty
     -Expected US-South Vietnam losses
     -Duration
     -Washington Star headline
     -Air strikes
           -B-52s
                 -Increase
                 -Hanoi area
                 -North Vietnamese losses
                 -Duration
-Soviets
     -Kissinger’s conversation with Dobrynin
           -Kissinger’s trip to Moscow
                 -Schedule
                 -Blockade
                 -Meeting with Leonid I Brezhnev
                       -Subjects for discussion
                             -The president's instructions to Kissinger
                 -Politburo meeting
                       -Discussion of US attacks
     -Summit
                                 68

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                          Tape Subject Log
                            (rev. 10/06)
                                                         Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

           -Cancellation
           -Soviet/German treaties
           -Kissinger’s preparation
           -US goals
      -Kissinger’s conversation with Dobrynin
           -North Vietnamese offensive
           -US bombing
                 -Hanoi and Haiphong
                 -Military areas
-North Vietnamese offensive
      -Soviets
           -Kissinger’s assessment
                 -Nguyen Van Thieu
           -Hanoi
           -North Vietnamese meeting with Kissinger
      -Nelson A. Rockefeller
           -Hypothetical actions as president
                 -Advisors
                 -B-52 increase
                 -Tacair increases
                 -Naval increases
                 -Public opinion
      -Kissinger’s trip to Moscow
           -Haiphong
           -Effect on foreign policy
                 -Bombing
-Air attacks
      -B-52s
      -Tacair
      -Impact on Hanoi
      -B-52s
      -Damage
           -Effect on North Vietnamese population
           -Moorer’s conversation with Kissinger
                 -Compared with Johnson Administration
                        -Number of planes
                        -Targets
                        -Time frame
                 -Targets
                 -Number of sorties
                 -John W. Vogt
                        -Targets
                                   69

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                            Tape Subject Log
                              (rev. 10/06)
                                                           Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

      -Conversation with Dobrynin
-Negotiations
      -Meeting on April 24
-North Vietnamese offensive
      -Rockets
            -Number
      -POL dumps
      -Impact on election
-Negotiations
      -Cease-fire
      -POWs
            -Issue in election
-Rogers
      -The President's memo
      -Statements
            -Hanoi
-Laird
      -Support for the President
      -Statements
-Air attacks
      -Panhandle
      -Secondary explosion
      -Fires and smoke
            -Extent
-Negotiations
      -US posture
            -North Vietnamese invasions
            -Bombing
            -Compared with Johnson administration
            -Moscow trip
                  -Kissinger’s meeting with North Vietnamese on April 24
                        -Plenary meeting on April 27
                  -PRC
            -Soviet Union
            -Bombing
            -Air strikes
-Blockade
      -Soviet summit
            -Kissinger’s statement to Dobrynin
            -Soviet-North Vietnam relationship
            -US options
-Air strikes
                                   70

                 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                            Tape Subject Log
                              (rev. 10/06)
                                                            Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

     -Weather conditions
-Negotiations
     -Cambodia
     -Soviet summit
     -Blockade
-Blockade
     -Public support
     -Impact on US
     -Impact on Nixon presidency
     -Criticism
           -Compared with Cambodia
           -Muskie statement
           -Moscow trip
           -Negotiations
           -Kissinger’s trip to Moscow
-Soviet summit
     -Public opinion
           -Compared with PRC trip
     -Cancellation
           -US response
                  -Soviet-German issue
                       -Willy Brandt
                  -Blockade
                       -Kissinger’s conversations with Dobrynin
                             -Bombing of North Vietnam
-War support
     -Christians
           -Catholics
           -Baptists
           -Quakers
           -Episcopalians
     -Hawks
           -Joseph W. Alsop
           -Richard Wilson
           -Unknown person's call to Kissinger
                  -White House involvement in unknown issue
-Kissinger's trip to Moscow
     -Success
-The President's Canadian trip
-Johnson's leaders meetings
     -Laird's comments
-Bombing of North Vietnam
                                              71

                              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 10/06)
                                                                       Conv. No. 329-55 (cont.)

                -Authority
                -Concentration
                -19th Parallel
                -Naval Gunfire
                      -Haiphong
                      -Authority
                      -Damage
                            -Truck parks
                            -Explosions
           -POWs
                -Morale
                -Probable observation of explosions and air attacks
                      -USS Kitty Hawk
                      -PRC
           -The President's message to Destroyer crew
                -John S. McCain

Kissinger left at 10:55 am.