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Conversation: 457-001

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Start Date: 24-Feb-1971 10:19 AM

End Date: 24-Feb-1971 11:35 AM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Kissinger, Henry A.Ziegler, Ronald L.Knauer, Virginia H.Engman, Lewis A.Hanford, ElizabethWhite House photographerButterfield, Alexander P.

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:18:51

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:25:54

457-001.mp3

NARA Description:

On February 24, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, Ronald L. Ziegler, Virginia H. Knauer, Lewis A. Engman, Elizabeth Hanford, White House photographer, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:19 am to 11:35 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 457-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 457-1
Date: February 24, 1971
Time: 10:19 am - 11:35 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
[Recording begins while the conversation is in progress]

     Personnel
          -Speech writers
               -John K. Andrews, Jr.
                    -Lee W. Huebner
                    -Abilities
                    -John D. Ehrlichman
                    -Ronald L. Ziegler

     Economy
         -Publicity
         -Prices

[Recording was cut off at an unknown time for an unknown duration; this section appears on the
original tape as a blank portion of 2m 41s duration]

     Department of State
         -Leaks
         -U. Alexis Johnson
              -William P. Rogers
              -Ellsworth F. Bunker
         -Personnel

Henry A. Kissinger entered at 10:24 am

     Consumer legislation

     Laos
            -James L. Buckley’s reception
                 -Kissinger’s talk with Paul C. Warnke

Ziegler, Virginia H. Knauer, Lewis A. Engman, and Elizabeth Hanford entered at 10:25 am; the
White House photographer was present during this portion of the meeting
                                               2

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 9/08)



     Greetings
          -Presentation of gifts

     Consumer affairs

Knauer, Engman, and Hanford left at 10:30 am

     Vietnam                                                         Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
          -Media coverage
              -Ziegler’s briefing
              -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield’s television appearance
              -Melvin R. Laird
              -General Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
              -Henry Kahn of New York Times
                    -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
              -Ziegler’s statements
                    -Day to day operations
                    -Laird’s view
              -John W. Chancellor’s report
                    -Plan of South Vietnam in Laos
                          -Tchepone
                          -Supply lines
              -Cambodia
              -President’s previous comments
                    -Justification for operation
                          -North Vietnam
                          -General Nguyen Van Thieu
              -Accuracy of press accounts
                    -Briefings
              -Kissinger’s briefing
                    -Casualties regarding Cambodia
              -Attitudes
              -Associated Press coverage of Laos
              -Administration briefings
                    -Laird
                    -Claire Crawford
                    -Crosby S. Noyes
                    -Dennis Leonard
                    -Herbert G. Klein
                    -Mailing to editors and publishers
                          -Source
                          -William F. Knowland
                                                3

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 9/08)



                       -Cynicism of press
                             -Crawford
                             -[Forename unknown] Wiggins
                 -W[illiam] Averell Harriman
                       -Yale speech
                             -Withdrawal
                 -Instructions for Ziegler’s press briefing
                       -President’s comments                    Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
                             -Democratic Senators’ resolution

Ziegler left at 10:37 am

                      -Warnke’s assistant
                            -Edmund S. Muskie
                            -Invitation to Kissinger
                      -Briefings for Democrats
                            -Kissinger
                      -Mansfield
                            -Withdrawal

     Laos military operation (Lam Son)
          -Abrams
          -Military reports
          -General Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
                -Possible report
          -Laird
          -Military plans
                -Tchepone
                      -North Vietnamese Army
                      -Roads
                      -Kissinger’s concern
                -Problems
                -Briefing for Kissinger
                      -Roads
                            -Supplies and trucks
          -Compared to Cambodian operation
                -Objectives
          -Tchepone
          -Haig
                -Report
                      -Military assessment
                            -Compared to Inchon
                                       4

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 9/08)



     -Status
           -Briefing for Kissinger
           -Kissinger’s concerns
                 -Problems
                       -Army of the Republic of Vietnam [ARVN]
                             -Strategy
                             -Schedule delays
                             -Quality of ARVN troops           Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
           -Appearance versus substance
     -Tchepone
           -Roads and supplies
           -ARVN troops
                 -Air support
                 -Potential problem
     -Haig
           -Possible trip to Vietnam
                 -Assessment
                       -ARVN troops
     -ARVN troops
           -Compared to Cambodia
           -Supplies
           -Objectives
     -Air strikes
           -B-26's
           -Statistics
           -Damage reports
           -Firebase attacks
                 -Effects
                 -Moorer
           -Air support coordination in South Vietnam
     -Forthcoming briefing
           -Haig trip
           -Moorer
           -Laird
     -Plan to send Haig to Southeast Asia
     -Kissinger’s information
           -Accuracy
                 -Conflicting reports

Military psychology
      -Focus on objectives
           -German army
                                        5

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 9/08)



                 -Verdun
                 -Stalingrad
           -British army
                 -Somme
     -Difference from conventional warfare
     -Need for accurate reporting

The President’s schedule                                 Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
     -Briefings
           -Middle East
           -Haig
           -Richard M. Helms

Laos military operation (Lam Son)
     -Briefing
           -Status
           -Conflicting reports
                 -ARVN
     -ARVN
           -Supplies
           -Troops
                 -Tchepone
     -American commanders
           -General William C. Westmoreland
           -William H. Sullivan
     -Military strategy and tactics
           -Cambodia
           -Laird
           -Haig
           -Air support
                 -Tchepone
                      -Problems
           -Laos versus Cambodia
           -ARVN forces
                 -Abrams’ plan
     -Forthcoming briefing
           -Moorer
           -General John W. Vogt, Jr.
     -Laos battle plans
           -Tchepone
                 -ARVN
                      -Options
                                                6

                             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                         Tape Subject Log
                                            (rev. 9/08)



                             -Problems
                -B-26s
                     -Problems
                     -Alternatives
                           -B-52s
                           -Moorer
                           -Laird
                           -Haig                                      Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
                           -F-4s
                     -C-54s

Kissinger left at 11:04 am

     Rogers
         -Muskie
             -Request for meeting with Kissinger
             -Request for meeting with Rogers
                  -President’s instructions


******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 25s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

******************************************************************************


     Physical demands of office
          -Connally
                -Health
          -Health of personnel
          -Connally
                -President’s previous telephone conversation with Connally
                      -Camp David visit
          -Camp David
                -Haldeman’s conversation with Connally
                -Amenities
                                         7

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



          -Cabinet Secretaries
               -Connally
          -Renovations
               -Laurel Lodge
          -Administration
               -Commander
          -Plans
               -Julie Nixon Eisenhower                    Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
               -[Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
               -Connally

The President’s schedule
     -Meeting with Governors
     -Black leadership meeting
          -President’s participation
          -Leonard Garment
          -Robert H. Finch
          -Ehrlichman
          -George W. Romney
          -Robert J. Brown
          -Edward L. Morgan
          -Agenda
                 -Revenue sharing
                       -Finch
                       -George P. Shultz
          -Possible Presidential appearance
                 -Haldeman’s position
                 -Meeting with college editors
                 -Peter M. Flanigan
                       -Meetings with lobby groups
          -Mechanics of “Drop by”
     -Meeting with Governors
          -Nelson A. Rockefeller’s reaction
     -Possible Republican governors’ meeting
          -Pep talk
          -Richard B. Ogilvie
                 -Revenue sharing
                 -View of welfare reform
          -Connally, Shultz, and Ehrlichman

Governors’ meeting and dinner
    -The Vice President
                                                  8

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)



                 -Revenue sharing
                 -Milton J. Shapp
           -The President’s attendance
                 -Toast
           -Golf balls
           -Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope
                 -Attendance
                       -Entertainment                          Conv. No. 457-1 (cont.)
           -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
                 -Revenue sharing


******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Privacy]
[Duration: 52s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

******************************************************************************


           -Rockefeller
                -Margaretta (“Happy”) Rockefeller
           -George C. Wallace
                -Idanell (Brill) (“Nellie”) Connally
                -Haldeman’s conversation with Wallace
           -The President’s plans for next year
                -Governors’ dinner
                      -Republicans
                      -Warren E. Hearnes

     The President’s schedule

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 11:34 am

           -Meeting with black leaders
               -Length of the President’s visit
               -Press coverage
                     -Ziegler
                                               9

                               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. 9/08)



                       -Donald H. Rumsfeld
                       -Shultz
                       -Ehrlichman

Haldeman left at 11:34 am

Butterfield left at 11:35 am
                                                                     Conversation No.(cont.)
                                                                     Conv. No. 457-1  457-2

Date: February 24, 1971
Time: Unknown between 11:35 am and 11:38 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

     The President’s schedule
          -Meeting with black leaders
               -Tenure of meeting
               -Berkeley G. Burrell
               -Cenoria Johnson
               -Suggested remarks
               -Possible White House tour

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 11:38 am