Conversation 407-026

On January 23, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, William E. Timmons, Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, James O. Eastland, Carl B. Albert, Thomas P. ("Tip") O'Neill, Jr., Gerald R. Ford, Hugh Scott, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, Henry A. Kissinger, Ronald L. Ziegler, Stephen B. Bull, Gerald L. Warren, John P. D'Arcy, and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:05 pm to 9:40 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 407-026 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 407-26

Date: January 23, 1973
Time: Between 9:05 pm and 9:40 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with William E. Timmons, Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield, James O.
Eastland, Carl B. Albert, Thomas P. (“Tip”) O'Neill, Gerald R. Ford, Hugh Scott, Spiro T.
Agnew, Henry A. Kissinger, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Stephen B. Bull.

       [General conversation]
            -Vietnam settlement

       Greetings

       Photograph session
            -Arrangements
            -Kissinger
            -Press
                                             -22-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                         (rev. Apr.-09)

                                                             Conversation No. 407-26 (cont’d)

Gerald L. Warren, John P. D'Arcy, the White House photographer, and members of the press
entered at 9:07 pm.

       -Vietnam settlement
             -Soviet Union [?]
             -Signing [?]
             -The President's speech

       Photograph session
            -Arrangements

       [General conversation]

       Photograph session
            -Length

Bull, Warren, D'Arcy, the White House photographer, and members of the press left at 9:11 pm.

       Refreshment order
            -Manolo Sanchez

       Vietnam settlement
            -Meeting with bipartisan Congressional leaders
                   -Release of agreement
                   -Foreign Affairs, Foreign Relations, Armed Services,
                    Appropriations Committees
                   -Other attendees
                   -Length
            -Initialing
            -Signing in Paris
                   -Foreign ministers
            -Provisions
                   -Cease-fire
                   -Troop withdrawals
                   -South Vietnamese government
            -The President's use of term Indochina
                   -Laos and Cambodia
                         -Continuing negotiations
                               -Confidentiality
                                -23-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                           (rev. Apr.-09)

                                            Conversation No. 407-26 (cont’d)

-Briefings
      -Timmons
      -Bipartisan Congressional leaders
      -Other members of Congress
      -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
      -William P. Rogers
      -Importance
      -Timing, location
      -Attendees
            -Wilbur D. Mills [?]
            -Charles H. Percy [?]
      -The President’s schedule
            -Press briefing
            -Lyndon B. Johnson funeral
-Laos and Cambodia
      -Provisions
      -North Vietnam
      -People’s Republic of China, PRC
      -Negotiations
-Cease-fire
      -Signing
      -Laos
            -Withdrawal of foreign troops
-Cambodia
-Cease-fire
      -Indochina
      -Cambodia, Laos
      -Military operations
-Laos
      -North Vietnamese forces
      -Ho Chi Minh Trail
-Cambodia
-South Vietnam
-Supplies
      -Laos, Cambodia
      -Ho Chi Minh Trail
      -Saigon
-Signing
-Withdrawal of forces
-Bombing
                               -24-

     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                          (rev. Apr.-09)

                                               Conversation No. 407-26 (cont’d)

-South Vietnam
-Laos
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-International Commission of Control and Supervision [ICCS]
-Missing In Action [MIAs]
-Cease-fire
-POWs
      -Location of return
      -Time of return
-Announcement
      -North Vietnam
      -Compared to October 26, 1972
-Release of text
      -Le Duc Tho's press conference in Paris
-POWs
      -Laos
      -PRC
      -The President's conversation
      -Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
      -John Downey
      -PRC
      -Cambodia, Laos
-Cease-fire
      -Effective time
-Press relations
      -The President’s speech
             -Broadcast
             -Distribution of text
             -Laos and Cambodia
                   -Complexity
                   -Congressional leaders
-Briefings
      -Ziegler
      -James R. Schlesinger [?]
-Laos and Cambodia
      -Lon Nol
      -Khmer Rouge
-Expectations for future
      Initial conflict
      -Compared to Korea
                                            -25-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                       (rev. Apr.-09)

                                                        Conversation No. 407-26 (cont’d)

                   -Supervision
             -Four Party signing
                   -Viet Cong
             -ICCS supervision
                   -Nguyen Van Thieu
                         -Canada, Poland, Hungary [?]
                         -Regions
                         -Military equipment
                         -Commission Report
             -Briefings
                   -Kissinger's schedule
                   -Haig
                   -Scheduling
                   -Kissinger
                   -Haig
                   -Kissinger
                   -Length
                   -Location
             -The President’s speech

Timmons, et al., left at 9:40 pm.