Conversation No. 378-2

Date: October 31, 1972
Time: 9:28 am - 9:50 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

        Greetings

        Vietnam negotiations
            -The President’s letter to Nguyen Van Thieu
                -Ellsworth F. Bunker
            -Terms of agreement
                -South Vietnam’s seven points
                     -News summary
                -Criticism
                     -Left compared to right
                         -Concessions
                         -William F. Buckley, Jr., Robert B. Semple, Jr., Colm [sp?] [First
                           name unknown]
                         -Settlement text
                              -Publication
                         -US foreign policy
                         -Press coverage
                         -Clayton Fritchey, Joseph W. Alsop, Rowland Evans,
                           Thomas W. Braden
                                2
        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                        Tape Subject Log
                          (rev. Nov-03)

            -Time
                -Jerrold L. Schecter
                -Hugh S. Sidey
-US posture
-North Vietnamese position
    -October 30, 1972 message
         -Possible meaning
              -Break-off of talks
              -Resumption of talks
                   -Future message
-Forthcoming North Vietnamese – US meeting
    -Expectations
         -US position
    -Kissinger’s schedule
         -Timing of meeting
              -1972 election
                   -Terms of agreement
         -North Vietnamese troop removal from South Vietnam
         -Analogy to Soviet Union troops in Poland
-US strategy
    -Post-1972 election
         -Bombing
         -Hardline approach
    -Bombing
         -Demilatarized zone [DMZ]
         -B-52’s
              -19th parallel
              -20th parallel
         -Hanoi reaction
         -Post-1972 election
              -Radio
-Thieu position
    -Effect of actions on 1972 election
    -Victory claim
-US public relations stance
    -Kissinger’s possible briefing
    -Tone
         -Timing
              -Usefulness
    -The President compared with Kissinger’s briefing
         -Difficulties
    -Kissinger briefing, October 26, 1972
                                 3
         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                         Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. Nov-03)

    -Points
         -Coalition government
         -Reason for the US not signing
             -Quality of agreement
                   -Compared to Laos, 1962
             -Reaction in US
                   -Moral issue
                   -Right
    -Tone
    -Stress on negatives rather than positives
         -News summary
         -Charles W. Colson’s conversation with Louis P. Harris
    -Harris
         -Political preference
    -Liberals
    -Support
         -Conservatives, hard hats
         -George S. McGovern
         -The President’s agreement with Harris’ analysis
    -Kissinger’s forthcoming meeting with Jay Lovestone
    -Thieu
    -Terms of agreement
         -Thieu
         -Coalition government
         -Aid to South Vietnam
         -Thailand
         -North Vietnam
             -Laos
             -Cambodia
    -Joseph C. Kraft’s, October 31, 1972 column
    -Liberals
         -Kissinger’s view
         -The President’s view
             -Lovestone
    -Alsop
    -Buckley
    -Reassurance to conservatives
    -Media
-North Vietnamese options
    -Breakoff of talks
         -Timing
             -Bombing
                                 4
         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                         Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. Nov-03)

          -Results
          -1972 election
               -Administration’s stance
                    -Settlement
-Settlement
     -Press statement
          -Nelson A. Rockefeller’s forthcoming appearance at National Press Club
          -“Peace with honor”
          -Details of agreement
-Thieu position
     -Bunker
          -Kissinger’s view
-Strategy
     -Schedule
          -October 26, 1972 television [TV] speech
     -1972 election
     -The President’s letter to Thieu
          -Negotiation strategy
-US posture
     -Tone
-Congress
-US public relations stance
     -William P. Rogers statement
     -Melvin R. Laird statement
     -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew statement
     -Kissinger’s and the President’s role
     -Rogers
     -Strategy
          -1972 election
               -New York
               -Far left and far right
               -Kissinger’s recent statement
               -Agnew’s recent statement
     -Kissinger’s possible statement
          -The President’s address to the nation, “Look to the
           future”, November 2, 1972
               -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
          -Length
          -Progress
          -Settlement
          -Coalition government
          -“semi-backgrounder”
                                               5
                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. Nov-03)

                       -Timing of statements
                       -Wires services
                       -Network people
                       -Major commentators

         Pierre E. Trudeau
              -Recent Parliamentary election
                  -Seat margins
                      -Liberals
                      -Conservatives
                      -[New Democrats]
                  -Reason for results
                  -Robert L. Stanfield
                  -Possible election
                  -Stanfield
              -The President’s view

         The President’s schedule
             -Rockefeller

Kissinger left at 9:50 am.