Conversation No. 476-13

Date: April 9, 1971
Time: 11:05 am - 11:38 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull and David M. Kennedy; the White House photographer
was present at the beginning of the meeting

     Gift from Kennedy
           -Rock [Micronesian currency]
                 -Weight
           -Photographs
           -Greetings
           -Prop for rock
           -Gift from people of Yap
           -[Micronesian] trust territory [Western Caroline Islands]
                 -Palau [Islands]
           -Origin
                 -Islands
                 -Canoeing
           -Age
           -Photograph for Kennedy and press
           -Display
                 -Museums

General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. entered at 11:06 am

     President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
                                               27

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 9/08)



          -Delivery
          -Dinner at F Street Club
               -George H. Mahon
               -Russell B. Long

Bull left at an unknown time before 11:38 am

         -Oliver Oakes [sp?]
         -[Thomas] Hale Boggs
         -John W. Byrnes
         -Wilbur D. Mills
         -John B. Connally
               -Honored
         -Arthur F. Burns
     Kennedy’s trip to Asia
         -Airplane
               -Rest
               -Food
         -Health
         -Bali
               -Ambassador [Francis J. Galbraith]
               -Briefing by ministers
               -Social occasion
               -Indonesians
                     -Finances
         -Hong Kong
               -Harold Lee and Lyndon B. Johnson
               -Chinese people
               -Sir Kenneth Ping-Fan Fung
               -C. Y. Kong [?]
               -David L. Osborn
                     -Vietnam
               -Robert W. Drexler
                     -Briefing regarding People’s Republic of China [PRC]
         -Vietnam
               -Benchmark
               -David Engel
                     -State Department
                     -Benchmark
               -Comparative report
               -Saigon
                     -Condition
                            28

         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                    Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. 9/08)



-Mekong Delta
-Surprise
-American press reports
-Hue
     -Destruction
     -Structures
     -Rebuilding
     -Comparison with World War II                Conv. No. 476-13 (cont.)
           -Cologne
           -London
-Mekong Delta
     -Farm areas
-Guided tour
     -Sights
     -Hog, chicken farms
     -Demonstration farm
     -Private enterprise
-Agriculture
-Farmers
     -Hogs, chicken
     -French rubber plantation owners
-Ellsworth F. Bunker
     -Report to President
-General Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
     -Morale problems
-Agency for International Development [AID]
     -Withdrawal
           -Rate
     -Instructions to Haig
     -Dr. John A. Hannah
     -Presence
     -Agriculture
     -Kennedy’s conversation with General Nguyen Van Thieu
           -Vietnamization
           -Economy
           -Congress
                 -Annual review
           -Need for self-reliance
     -Economic Vietnamization
     -Personnel
           -Reduction
                            29

         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                    Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. 9/08)



      -Shift in resources
            -Hardware
            -Thieu
            -Morale
            -Funds
-Sir Robert Thompson
      -Kennedy’s conversations with Thompson
      -Optimism                                    Conv. No. 476-13 (cont.)
      -Cambodia and Laos operations
            -Effect on security of South Vietnam
      -Economy
      -Internal security
      -Thieu
            -Cooperation
-Thieu
      -Opposition
      -Nguyen Cao Ky
      -Lieutenant General Duong Van (“Big Minh”) Minh
      -Re-election
      -US position
      -Japanese ambassador’s views
            -Nation building in South Vietnam
      -Vietcong
-Economy
      -Stability in prices
-Economic problems
      -Regulation (“red tape”)
-Customs regulations
-Black market
-Possible solution
      -Single exchange rate
      -Timing
-Thieu
-Bunker
-American community
      -Complaints
-American embassy
-Customs graft
-Licensing corruption
-Thieu and Bunker
      -Administrative changes
-AID
                            30

         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                    Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. 9/08)



-American economic advisors
    -Korea
          -Henry J. Tasca
    -Japan
          -Joseph Dodge
          -Indonesia
    -Timing
    -State Department                             Conv. No. 476-13 (cont.)
    -AID
    -Indonesia and South Vietnam
    -Bunker
          -Criticism
    -Charles A. Cooper
    -Instructions to Haig
    -Dodge
          -Japan
    -Tasca
          -Korea
    -Dr. James R. Schlesinger
    -Bunker
    -Department of State
    -Military
    -Dodge
    -Instructions to Kennedy
          -List of names
    -Qualifications
          -Former chief executive officers [CEOs]
    -Bert S. Cross
          -3M [Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company]
    -Admiral [William C.?] Mott
    -Cooper
    -Timing
    -Thieu
    -Bunker
          -Possible transfer
    -Indonesia
          -William P. Rogers
          -Marshall Green
          -Unknown technical adviser
          -Government officials
          -Cross
                                   31

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                           Tape Subject Log
                              (rev. 9/08)



            -Suitable candidates
                   -Former CEOs
                   -Schlesinger
                   -[Peter G.?] Peterson
            -Business community
                   -Japan
            -Green
-State Department economic staff                             Conv. No. 476-13 (cont.)
      -Political side
      -Deficiency in economics
      -Need for economic experts
      -Attitude towards business
      -Eastern schools
      -View towards private enterprise
      -Woodward [Surname unknown]
      -Memorandum from Philip H. Trezise
            -US trade with Japan
-Briefing
      -Meeting of Council on International Economic Policy [CIEP], April 8, 1971
      -Peterson
            -Knowledge of Japan
      -Instructions for Haig
            -Future briefing for White House staff National Security Council [NSC],
                   Domestic Council staff, Council of Economic Advisers [CEA],
                   Office of Management and Budget [OMB] Staff
            -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Vietnam
      -American economic agencies
            -Cooper’s idea for post-election meeting
                   -Kennedy’s view
            -Possible administration position
                   -Need for single exchange rate
            -Timing
            -State Department
            -Defense Department
-Thailand
      -King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit Kitiyakara
                                           32

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 9/08)



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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration: 43s ]


    THAILAND                                                       Conv. No. 476-13 (cont.)


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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


              -Press reports
                    -Allegations of US dumping rice on Indonesia
                    -Effect on Thai economy
                           -Deflation
                    -Meeting with Cabinet
                    -State Department
                           -Aid
         -Indonesia
         -Cambodia
         -Indonesia
              -Lieutenant General T. N. J. Suharto
              -Military aid
              -Political situation
              -Kennedy’s conversation with Suharto
                    -Need for military aid
              -Visit by US team
              -Green
              -Rogers
              -Green
                    -Possible reassignment
                    -Japan
              -Embassy staff
                    -Lenora (Bingham) Kennedy
                    -Galbraith
         -Micronesian islands
              -Independence
              -Mariana Islands
                                               33

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 9/08)



                 -Caroline Islands
                 -Marshall Islands
                 -U. Alexis Johnson
                 -Saipan
                 -Peace Corps
                      -Joseph H. Blatchford
                      -Reduction
                      -Congo                                         Conv. No. 476-13 (cont.)
                      -Value
                 -Rogers C. B. Morton
                 -Peace Corps
                      -Morton
                      -Haig’s forthcoming report
                      -Reduction
                      -Possible changes
                      -Value
                      -Composition
                            -Protestors
                      -Kennedy’s possible conversation with Morton
                      -Mariana Islands

Kennedy and Haig left at 11:38 am