President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to discuss international affairs, specifically focusing on a proposed Agreement on the Prevention of Nuclear War (APNW) and the potential for reforming the international monetary system. They reviewed the political implications of recent elections in France and Chile, and the President provided guidance on managing relations with the Cuban-American community following the Johnny Express freighter incident. Furthermore, the two discussed the President's upcoming foreign policy outreach, including potential visits to Latin America and Africa, and coordinated strategies for handling upcoming visits from world leaders such as Kakuei Tanaka.
On March 5, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:55 pm to 3:25 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 417-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 417-3
Date: March 5, 1973
Time: 2:55 pm - 3:25 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.
Kissinger's meeting with Great Britain’s Defense Minister
-Agreement on the Prevention of Nuclear War [APNW]
-Draft
-Complications
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] response
-Work on draft
-Sir Denis Greenhill
-Sir Burke Trend
-Sir Thomas Brimelow
-Meeting with Kissinger
-USSR acceptance
-Basic Principles of Relations between the US and USSR
-Response of the People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Explanation
PRC
-President's letter to Mao Tse-Tung
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[National security]
[Duration: 5s]
INTELLIGENCE
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APNW
-Impact on allies
-3-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-3 (cont’d)
-Impact on domestic opposition
-Allies
-Great Britain
-Response
-PRC
-Knowledge
-Kissinger draft of letter
-Administration's critics
-Confusion
-Advancement in US-USSR relations
-USSR
-Possible acceptance
-Compared with Kellog-Briand Treaty
France’s elections
-Guallists
-Results
-United Press International [UPI] report
-Communists
-Compared with Socialists
-Effect on Gaullists
-Polls
-Constituencies
-Analysis for Kissinger
-Guallists
Chile
-Election
-UPI reports
-Salvador Allende Gossens
-Minority vote
-Significance
-Reasons
-Press reports
-UPI
-Compared with France
France’s electoral system
-4-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-3 (cont’d)
-Majority
-Districts
-Gerrymandering
-Communist vote
-Distribution
News reports
-President’s annotations
-Johnny Express freighter incident
-Captain Jose Villa
-Panama
-Release
-Information
-Cuban community in US
-Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo
-News summary
-Kissinger’s memo
-Impact on Cuban community in US
-Wife, children
-Telephone call
-Visit with Rebozo
Kissinger's talk with Hugh S. Sidey and Joseph C. Kraft
-Sidey's viewpoint
-President compared with John F. Kennedy’s foreign policy
-President's humanitarian concerns
-Kraft
-George S. McGovern as conservative
-President as progressive on foreign policy
-Compare with France’s Communist Party
-Fear of change
US ambassador to Vietnam
-Frederick C. Nolting, Jr.
-President’s note
Party for William P. Rogers
-5-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-3 (cont’d)
-Kissinger's attendance
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s attendance
-Casts of plays
-Nicholas von Hoffman
-Support for President in 1960
-Kennedy
-Foreign policy
-Criticism of President
Kissinger
-Avoidance of disillusioning supporters
-Contacts with Sidey, Kraft
-Frequency
Foreign policy
-Administration record
-Press relations
-Clayton Fraizer’s [?] story
-News summary
-Comments on Vietnam settlement
-Frustration
-Prisoners of war [POWs] statements upon return
-London Sunday Times
-Frank Giles [?]
-Criticism of December 1972 bombing [?]
-President’s foreign policy compared with Gen.
Charles A. J. M. de Gaulle
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-Demoralization
Rogers
-Luncheon
-Plaque unveiling
-President's attendance
-Interactions with agencies
-Small groups
-Defense Department
-Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft [?]
-6-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-3 (cont’d)
-Kissinger's call
-President's attendance at a meeting
-Handling of POW situation
-Subject of discussion
-Arrangements compared to Defense Department
President’s letter to Willy Brandt
-Effect
International monetary policy
-Letter from Edward R. G. Heath
-President's talk with George P. Shultz
-Kissinger
-Meeting with Shultz
-Meeting with George R. S. Baring [Earl of Cromer]
-President’s response
-Brimelow
-Attendance at Brandt discussion
-Bilateral actions
-Common float
-Restriction on capital movement
West Germany’s position
-Telephone call to Kissinger
-Helmut H. W. Schmidt
-Finance minister
-West Germany-US relations
-Request for US intervention
-Shultz’s knowledge
-Impact on European Economic Community [EEC]
-US intervention
-Necessity
-Shultz’s, President’s opinion
-US dollar
-Schmidt
-US inaction
-US criticism of Europe
-Europe’s commitment
-7-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-3 (cont’d)
-Reform of international monetary situation
-Japan
-Kakuei Tanaka
-Reaction to invitation to US
-Arrival of advisor
-[Emperor of Japan] Hirohito
Tanaka
-Visit to US
-time
USSR visit to US
President's schedule
-Visits to San Clemente
-Kissinger visit
-Weather
Tanaka visit
Mohammed Reza Pahlavi [Shah of Iran]
Tanaka visit
-Public statements about US
Press relations
-Problems
-1972 election
-Vietnam settlement
-Giles [?]
-Von Hoffman
-Elizabeth Ashley [?]
-President’s foreign, domestic policy
-Compared with post-World War II presidents
-Age
-Comments on President's foreign policy
-De Gaulle
-8-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-3 (cont’d)
International monetary policy
-President’s leadership
-Actions on currency
-Reform of monetary system
-West Germany’s position
-Shultz’s viewpoint
-President's view of intervention
-Political impact
-EEC
President’s policy toward Latin America and Africa
-Tokenism
-Carlos Sanz de Santamaria
-Organization of American States [OAS]
-Alliance for Progress
-Head of state visits
-Brazil
-Africa
-Nigeria
-Congo
-Reception
-Length
-Brazil
-Mexico
-Reception
-Radicals
-Size of group
-Brazil
-Africa
-Ivory Coast
-Liberia
-Nigeria
-Congo
-East Africa
-Nigeria
-Great Britain
-Congo
-Belgium
-9-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-3 (cont’d)
-Ivory Coast
-France
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon’s visit
-Felix Houphouet-Boigny’s visit to US
International monetary policy
-Europe
-Kissinger’s meeting with Shultz
-Dealings with US
-Kissinger's call to Schmidt
-Responsibility for reform
-Heath, Tanaka
-Georges J. R. Pompidou
-Runoff election
-Public statement
-Kissinger’s call
Kissinger left at 3:25 pm.This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.