Conversation No. 464-17

Date: March 9, 1971
Time: 3:01 pm - 3:42 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger

     Meeting with William P. Rogers
          -Postponement
          -Rescheduling
          -Kissinger’s possible attendance
          -Richard M. Helms
          -Melvin R. Laird
          -Kissinger’s possible attendance

     Kissinger
          -Role in administration
               -Possible resignation
                                           36

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 9/08)



                   -Reasoning
             -State Department
                   -Rogers
             -Possible resignation
                   -Reasoning
                   -John N. Mitchell
                   -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
             -Work on the White House staff
             -Rogers’ role
                   -Kissinger’s view
             -President’s support
             -Current situation
                   -Calls from State Department
                         -Rogers
                               -Relationship with Rogers
             -Relations with Defense Department
                   -Laird
             -Public attacks
                   -State Department
                         -Senate
                   -New York Times, March 7, 1971
                   -Bureaucratic leaks
                         -State Department
                         -Defense Department

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Privacy]
[Duration: 30s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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             -Rogers
                  -Department of State
                  -Call from Kissinger
                        -Results
                  -Bureaucracy
                                        37

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



                       -Richard F. Pedersen
                       -U. Alexis Johnson
                       -John N. Irwin, II
                       -State Department
           -Kissinger’s role
                 -Support for the President
           -Possible problems
                 -Newsweek article on Rogers and Kissinger       Conv. No. 464-17 (cont.)
                 -Press credibility
                       -Effect on Kissinger
                       -Liberal journalists
                 -Bureaucracy, liberal senators, and press
                       -J. William Fulbright
                       -W[illiam] Stuart Symington
                 -Laos operation (Lam Son)
                       -Kissinger’s conversation with General Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
                 -Need for President’s support
     -Role of possible successor
           -Changes
                 -Effect
           -Rogers
     -Role in administration
           -Rogers
                 -Press commentary
                       -Laos (Lam Son)
Foreign policy
     -Outstanding issues
           -President’s view
           -Japanese textiles
                 -Peter G. Peterson
                 -George P. Shultz
                 -Harry S. Dent
                 -Peter M. Flanigan
                 -Wilbur D. Mills
                 -State Department
           -Vietnam
           -Soviet Union
                 -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
           -Middle East
     -President’s view
           -Rogers
           -Laird
                                         38

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 9/08)



           -Kissinger’s role
           -State Department

Middle East
    -State Department analysis
          -Suez Canal
                -Golda Meir
                -Kissinger’s view                                Conv. No. 464-17 (cont.)
    -Joseph J. Sisco
    -Possible US negotiating strategy
          -Israel
                -Suez Canal
          -Soviet Union involvement

Foreign policy
     -President’s advisors
           -Role
           -Kissinger
           -Rogers
                 -President’s foreign policy report
                       -State Department
           -Kissinger’s possible resignation
                 -President’s view
                       -Effect on foreign policy
           -Shultz
           -John D. Ehrlichman
           -Peterson
           -John B. Connally
           -Peterson
                 -Possible letter from President
                 -A memorandum
     -Trade
           -Great Britain
                 -Peterson’s view
                 -Options
                 -Connally, Clifford M. Hardin, and Maurice H. Stans’ positions
                 -Kissinger’s conversations with Peterson, March 8, 1971
                       -Bureaucracies
                             -US Department of Agriculture [USDA] involvement
                       -Negotiating role
                 -Peterson’s negotiations with George R. S. Baring [Earl of Cromer]
                 -USDA position
                                              39

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)



                      -Connally
                      -Peterson’s role
                            -Work with Connally and Hardin
          -Soviet Union
          -Kissinger’s future role
          -President’s future role
          -Public criticism
          -State Department and Kissinger                          Conv. No. 464-17 (cont.)
                -Relationship
          -Kissinger’s possible resignation
                -President’s view
          -SALT
                -Status
                      -Soviet Union response
                            -Possible speech by the President
                            -Gerard C. Smith
                      -US negotiators
                            -Instructions
                                  -Timing

     Vietnam
          -Peace talks
               -People’s Republic of China [PRC]
                     -Chou En-lai
                     -Possible effect
               -Possible developments
               -Xuan Thuy and Dr. David K. E. Bruce
                     -Newsweek
               -Possible talks
                     -Lieutenant General Vernon A. Walters
                     -US position
                           -Strategy
                                 -Use of Soviet Union
                                      -Summit

An unknown man [Stephen B. Bull?] entered at an unknown time after 3:01 pm

     Robert A. Taft, Jr.

The unknown man [Bull?] left at an unknown time before 3:42 pm

     Vietnam
                                  40

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                          Tape Subject Log
                             (rev. 9/08)



-Peace talks
     -US position
           -Strategy
                 -Soviet Union
                 -Walters
     -Military situation in Laos (Lam Son)
           -Laird and Admiral Thomas H. Moorer
           -Length of operation                          Conv. No. 464-17 (cont.)
                 -Kissinger’s view
                 -South Vietnamese position
                 -General Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
                 -General Nguyen Van Thieu
                 -Abrams’ view
                 -South Vietnamese position
                 -Possible results
                       -Kissinger’s view
           -Public opinion
                 -Los Angeles Times
                 -President’s meeting with press
                 -Comparison with Cambodian operation
           -Reinforcements
           -Battlefield positions
                 -Army of the Republic of Vietnam [ARVN]
                 -North Vietnamese army
                       -Tchepone
                 -Possible ARVN attack
                       -Kissinger’s view
           -Moorer’s briefing
           -Enemy losses
           -Moorer’s briefing
                 -Congress
                 -Enemy losses
           -Effect on future negotiations
           -Air strikes
                 -US Air Force
                 -Moorer
                 -Timing
                 -Problems
                       -Weather
                 -US Air Force
                 -Timing
           -North Vietnamese army
                                              41

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)



                             -Casualties
                                   -Hill 31
                -Continued ARVN action
                       -Ground and air power
                       -Abrams’ view
                -Possible ARVN withdrawal
                       -Timing
                             -President’s schedule                      Conv. No. 464-17 (cont.)
                -Possible troop announcement
                       -Timing
                             -Scenario
                             -President’s forthcoming speech to editors
                                   -Format
           -Possible troop announcement
                -Timing
                       -President’s schedule
                -Haig
                       -Laird

     Kissinger’s role in administration
          -Haldeman
          -Ehrlichman
          -Kissinger’s possible resignation
                -President’s position
          -State Department
          -Kissinger’s background
          -State Department
                -Foreign Service

     President’s schedule
          -A meeting with Kissinger
                -Middle East
                      -Timing
                -Haldeman
          -Taft

Kissinger left at 3:42 pm