Conversation: 348-015
Prev:  348-014 Next: 348-016Start Date: 19-Jul-1972 9:45 PM
End Date: 19-Jul-1972 10:30 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.; [Unknown person(s)]; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building
NARA Description:
On July 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:45 pm to 10:30 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 348-015 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 348-15 Date: July 19, 1972 Time: 9:45 pm - 10:30 pm Location: Executive Office Building The President met with Henry A. Kissinger. Kissinger's schedule -Refreshments 24 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. Oct-06) Vietnam negotiations -Schedule -Communications -Ronald L. Ziegler -The President's Instructions -Pace The President's conversation with Charles W. Colson -Story out of Hong Kong about North Vietnam -Democrats -George S. McGovern Vietnam negotiations -Settlement -Timing -North Vietnam -Soviet Union -People's Republic of China [PRC] -Chou En-Lai -Kissinger's conversation with Le Duc Tho -Compared to previous meeting -Xuan Thuy -Kissinger’s secret trips -Alexander M. Haig, Jr. -Kissinger’s statement -Ziegler -Prisoners of war [POWs] release -James R. (“Jimmy”) Hoffa's proposed trip to North Vietnam -Harold J. Gibbons -William L. Taub's conversation with William J. Porter -Kissinger’s talk with Haig -Kissinger's statement -PRC and Soviet Union -Political situation -New York Herald Tribune -1972 election -Domestic opposition -Proposals -Leonid I. Brezhnev -Kissinger's conversation with Tho -Tho's statement -Significance 25 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. Oct-06) An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 9:45 pm. Refreshments The unknown man left at an unknown time before 10:30 pm. Vietnam negotiations -Seven Points -Tho’s comments -Thuy -Tho's statement -Bombing -Mining -Nguyen Van Thieu -Reparations -Respective interests -Kissinger's conversation with Tho -Agreements -Kissinger's conversation with Chou -The President's May 8, 1972 proposal -POWs -Ceasefire -Reaction -Compared to May 31, 1971 proposal -North Vietnam military action in South Vietnam -US bombing -Political settlement -Brezhnev proposal -Government of National Concord -North Vietnamese position -Thieu -US aid to South Vietnam -Kissinger's response -North Vietnamese strategy -McGovern -October 1972 -August 1, 1972 meeting -August 15, 1972 -Soviets -Political settlement -January 25, 1972 proposal -Thieu -McGovern 26 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. Oct-06) -Army -Brezhnev proposal Haig entered at an unknown time after 9:45 pm. Vietnam negotiations -Thieu -July 12, 1971 meeting -North Vietnamese strategy -1972 campaign -Republican National Convention -George C. Wallace -The President's lead over McGovern in polls -August 15, 1972 -May 2, 1972 Middle East -Brezhnev -Egypt -Egypt -State Department -William P. Rogers's statement in San Francisco -US-Soviet relations -Haig’s call to Anatoliy F. Dobrynin -Kissinger’s forthcoming meeting with Dobrynin -The President’s talk with Ronald W. Reagan -The President’s trip to the Soviet Union -Kissinger’s meeting with Andrei A. Gromyko -Brezhnev -Egyptians -Possible motives -US-Soviet relations -Egyptians -State Department -Anwar el-Sadat -Unknown advisor [Hafiz Ismail?] -Dobrynin McGovern -Forthcoming briefing by Kissinger -Schedule -Fred Dutton -Vietnam negotiations -McGovern's statements 27 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. Oct-06) -Possible effect -Views on Vietnam negotiations -Face the Nation -POWs -Return -Timing -1972 election -Lyndon B. Johnson's bombing halt -Forthcoming briefing by Kissinger -Arrangements -Haig -Tape recording -Memorandum of conversation -Johnson -The President's presence in office -Timing -The President's schedule -Camp David meeting with John B. Connally -Press -Johnson -Future briefings -Haig, Kissinger ***************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2 [Personal returnable] [Duration: 1m 40s ] END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2 ***************************************************************** Vietnam -Edward M. Kennedy's proposal -Refugees in South Vietnam -Refugees -Unknown Jesuit -Catholics -Negotiations 28 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. Oct-06) -Ceasefire -McGovern -POW for US withdrawal -US position -Cease-Fire -Withdrawal -Timing -POWs -Joseph C. Kraft's view -Negotiations -US actions -The President’s January 25, 1972 and May 8, 1972 speeches -May 2, 1972 -Effect on North Vietnamese -Transcript of meeting -The President's re-election -Tone -Tho's conversation with Kissinger -Thuy The President's PRC policy -Soviet Summit Soviet Summit -May 8, 1972 decision ***************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4 [Personal returnable] [Duration: 5m 3s ] END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4 ***************************************************************** The President's positions on issues -Communism -Foreign policy -Vietnam 29 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. Oct-06) -May 8, 1972 blockade -Soviet Union -PRC -Power -Conditions compared to 1950’s -Conservatives -National Security Council [NSC] Cambodia Arms control and arms development -Conservatives -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] -Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles [MIRVs], B-1, Undersea long- range missile system [ULMS] -National Review US forces in Europe Article in Newsweek -Zbigniew Brzezinski -Arnaud De Borchgrave -White House response -Europeans' view of McGovern -North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] -Soviet Summit -Fear of Finlandization -Michael J. Mansfield's and McGovern's proposals -Trips by Administration representatives -Kissinger -Reagan -William P. Rogers -NATO -The President’s meetings with European leaders -Reagan -Asia Europe -Role in US foreign policy -Soviet Summit -Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction [MBFR], European Security Conference 30 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF Tape Subject Log (rev. Oct-06) Newsweek article -Possible response by Helmut (“Hal”) Sonnenfeldt Europeans -Governments -Political orientation -View of 1972 election McGovern -Effect of possible election on US foreign policy [Unintelligible] McGovern The President, Kissinger and Haig left at 10:30 pm.