Conversation No. 415-16

Date: February 27, 1973
Time: Unknown between 11:50 am and 12:31 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President dictated a memorandum for the file.


******************************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

       President’s press conference
              -Plans
                                             -28-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                              Conversation No. 415-16 (cont’d)


                     -Postponement
                            -Prisoners of war [POWs]
                            -Henry A. Kissinger, Ronald L. Ziegler
              -Other times

       Resolution of POW issue
              -Kissinger’s advice
                      -Laos, Cambodia
                             -Cease-fire agreement negotiations
                             -North Vietnam
                                    -Hard line
                             -South Vietnam
                                    -Cease-fire violations

       Message to Nguyen Van Thieu
             -US support
             -Thieu’s visit
                    -Postpone announcement
             -POW issue
                    -Resolution

        Kissinger’s concerns regarding William P. Rogers
               -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s opinion
               -International Conference on Vietnam
                       -Talks with the People’s Republic of China [PRC], Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics [USSR]
                       -Publicity

       President’s conversation with Rose Mary Woods
              -Invitations to church service
                      -Mistakes
                      -Congressmen and Senators
              -Stephen B. Bull
              -Maurice H. Stans
                      -Contributors
                              -List
              -David Packard
              -National Finance Committee
                                       -29-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                        Conversation No. 415-16 (cont’d)



Invitation to the White House to Jane Payden [?]
        -Background information

President’s talk with Ziegler
       -Press relations
                -1972 campaign
                -Discrediting the press
                        -Effect on voters
                -[Edith Efron] syndrome
                        -Virulence
                        -Compared with 1968
                -Censorship
                -Publicity
                -Press reports
                        -Accuracy
                        -Catherine Mackin’s story
                -Press statements
                        -Firmness
                        -Adversarial tone
                        -William L. Safire, Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                                -Conciliatory tone
                        -Critics
                        -“Peace with honor”
                        -Bias

President’s conversation with Kissinger
       -Recommendations
               -Bombing, mining
               -Accuracy
       -Mining
       -Announcement
               -North Vietnam
       -Removal of mines
               -US statement
                      -Delay
                      -POWs release
                      -Private communication
                                       -30-

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                      Conversation No. 415-16 (cont’d)


                       -US troop withdrawal
         -Kissinger
                -Reception
                       -New York

Barbara Walters’s program
       -Kissinger’s appearance
              -President’s conversation with Haldeman
              -War critics
       -Bombing decision
              -Kissinger’s compared to President’s role
              -Compared with PRC initiative
              -Liberal credibility
                      -Claims to being a dove

Rogers
         -Conflicts with Kissinger
         -Melvin R. Laird

Press relations
        -Ziegler
        -James J. Kilpatrick, Jr. [?]
                -Martin Z. Agronsky [?]
        -Inauguration picture
                -Hugh S. Sidey
                -Photographer
        -James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
                -Special relationships
        -Voices in press
                -Avoidance in press
                       -Avoidance of overlooking
                -Lyndon B. Johnson [?]
                -Republican critics [?]

Cary Grant, Sophia Loren
      -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew [?]
      -Telephone calls [?]
                                                  -31-

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                            Tape Subject Log
                                             (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                                  Conversation No. 415-16 (cont’d)


[Pause]

          J. Strom Thurmond’s [?] vote
                  -Special committee
                  -Richard D. Kleindienst
                  -Someone’s candidacy
                         -Governor

          Ken Crawford
                -Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.
                -Price [?]

          News summary
                -Reorganization
                -Haldeman
                -Ziegler
                       -Discussion with President
                -Commentary compared with news
                       -Reaction to POWs
                              -New York Times
                              -Editorial decisions
                              -Amnesty

          Press relations
                  -Leaks
                            -President’s conversation with Haldeman
                            -Charles W. Colson
                                   -Staff

          George P. Shultz and John T. Dunlop

          Budget cuts
                -Balance
                -Shultz [?]

          Press relations
                  -White House staff
                  -Safire
                                              -32-

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. Mar.-09)
                                                             Conversation No. 415-16 (cont’d)



          A campaign
                -Robert C. Byrd

          Foreign policy
                 -Issues
                 -Aid

[Pause]

          John D. Ehrlichman
                 -Bryce N. Harlow
                 -Congressional relations

[Pause]

          Truth [?]

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
******************************************************************************


The President finished dictating at an unknown time before 12:31 pm.