Conversation No. 479-1

Date: April 14, 1971
Time: 9:10 am - 9:45 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger

     Kissinger’s call to President

[The President talked with the White House operator [?] at an unknown time between 9:10 am
and 9:45 am]

[Conversation No. 479-1A]

     Telephone call

[End of telephone conversation]

     Kissinger’s dinner with Joseph W. Alsop

Unknown people entered at an unknown time after 9:10 am

     [Unintelligible]

The unknown people left at an unknown time before 9:45 am

     Kissinger’s dinner with Alsop
          -Attendees
                -Katharine L. Graham
                -Marilyn B. (“Missy”) Chandler
                -Benjamin C. Bradlee
                -Stewart J. O. Alsop
                -Alice Roosevelt Longworth
                     -Esteem for President
                     -Conversation with Kissinger
                     -Franklin D. Roosevelt
                -Conversation regarding 1972 elections
                     -Graham
                     -Bradlee
                     -President’s prospects
                                         2

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



                -Possible Democrat candidate
                     -Hubert H. Humphrey
                     -Edmund S. Muskie
                -George W. Romney
                -Bradlee’s remarks
                -Romney

President’s conversation with William P. Rogers                   Conv. No. 479-1 (cont.)
     -Rogers’ location
           -Cornell University
     -Muskie
           -US Senate
           -Television
           -Press conference

Kissinger’s dinner with J. W. Alsop
     -Chandler
            -Support for President
     -Vietnam
     -Chandler
     -Mood
     -S. J. O. Alsop
     -Reaction to President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
     -S. J. O. Alsop
            -Article
            -Joseph C. Kraft
            -Vietnam article
                  -Withdrawal
                  -Laos
     -J. W. Alsop
     -Attendees
            -Robert S. McNamara
     -McNamara’s remarks regarding 1972 elections
            -President’s prospects
     -McNamara
            -Letter
                  -World Bank
     -Graham
     -Polls
     -Mood
     -Kissinger’s support for the President
                                             3

                         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 9/08)



         -Attitude toward the President
         -Chandler


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Privacy]                                                            Conv. No. 479-1 (cont.)
[Duration: 5s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6

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


              -Population Control Council
              -President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
              -Vietnam
         -J. W. Alsop
              -Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr.
                    -John B. Connally
                    -Leavenworth military prison
                    -Trial

    Middle East
        -J. W. Alsop’s views
        -State Department
              -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] arms shipments
              -Israel
        -Administration’s possible response

    Kissinger’s dinner with J. W. Alsop
         -McNamara
         -Graham
         -Bradlee
               -Trip around world
               -View regarding President’s foreign policy
                     -Support
               -Trip to Vietnam
                                          4

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 9/08)



Vietnam
     -Press coverage
     -Bradlee
     -Peter Jay
           -Laos

Kissinger’s dinner with J. W. Alsop
     -Comments                                                     Conv. No. 479-1 (cont.)
           -Tone
     -Chandler
           -Remarks
           -Otis Chandler
           -M. B. Chandler

Vietnam
     -Television coverage
     -Media
     -Newspaper

People’s Republic of China [PRC]
     -[Announcement of relaxation of trade and travel restrictions, April 14, 1971]
     -Chou En-lai
          -Statement
                -Ping-pong team
                -US relations
                -Ping-pong team

USSR
    -PRC initiative
    -Kissinger’s conversation with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
         -Congratulations on Central Committee’s elections
    -Kissinger’s possible initiatives
         -Yuli M. Vorontsov
         -US priority
    -Dobrynin’s schedule
    -Kissinger’s conversation with Vorontsov
         -Pyotr A. Abrassimov
         -Leonid I. Brezhnev’s speech
               -Kissinger’s response
         -Dobrynin’s schedule
         -Brezhnev’s speech
               -Air Force One
                                        5

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



                 -Kissinger’s response
           -Dobrynin’s election to Central Committee
      -Kissinger’s conversation with Dobrynin
           -Telephone number
           -Congratulations
           -Letters
           -Dobrynin’s schedule
                 -Instructions                            Conv. No. 479-1 (cont.)
      -Possible soviet responses
           -Brezhnev

PRC
      -US relations
            -Possible diplomatic relations
                  -Timing
      -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
            -Location
            -Support for the President
            -Possible use by Administration
            -President’s initiatives
                  -Credit
      -Peter G. Peterson
            -Time/Life briefing
      -State Department
            -Press
            -Trade
            -United Nations [UN] representation
            -Publicity
            -Marshall Green
            -Pakistan
                  -Agha Muhommad Yahya Khan
            -Trade
            -Jean Sainteny
            -State Department
            -Advantages for US
                  -Confusion of opponents
            -Possible North Vietnamese reaction
            -USSR
            -Brezhnev
            -Coincidence of needs
                                             6

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 9/08)



Support for President
    -Kissinger’s dinner
           -Criticism of Kissinger
    -Senate
    -PRC
    -President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
           -Compared with November 3, 1969 speech
           -Conclusion                                     Conv. No. 479-1 (cont.)
           -Accountability
    -Kissinger’s dinner with J. W. Alsop
           -Vietnam
                  -Draft, withdrawal rates
           -M. B. Chandler
           -Bradlee
           -McNamara
           -S. J. O. Alsop
           -Longworth
           -Bradlee
           -Longworth’s views

Draft legislation
      -Dwight L. Chapin
      -House
            -Pay increase
                  -Defense budget
            -Troop increase
            -Anti-ballistic Missiles [ABM]
      -Senate
            -Margaret Chase Smith
            -John C. Stennis
            -Four-year draft extension

ABM
   -Prospects
   -Senate
        -Ernest F. (“Fritz”) Hollings
        -Supersonic Transport [SST]
        -Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
        -J. Glenn Beall, Jr.
        -Robert A. Taft, Jr.
        -California and Illinois
        -Unknown person
                                        7

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 9/08)



           -Smith
           -Karl E. Mundt
      -Prospects
           -Congress
           -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
      -USSR
           -Dobrynin
           -Negotiations                                  Conv. No. 479-1 (cont.)
                 -Possible statement
                       -Timing
           -Senate
                 -Vote
           -Difficulties
                 -PRC
           -Dobrynin’s schedule
           -Kissinger’s possible initiatives
                 -State Department
                 -Exchange of letters
           -PRC
           -Relations with US
           -Vorontsov
           -Politburo meeting

Vietnam
     -Military activity
           -South Vietnam
                -Timing
                -Ashau Valley
           -Casualties
           -Risks
     -US policy
           -Casualties
                -Helicopters

PRC

USSR
    -SALT negotiations
        -PRC
        -Timing
    -Summit meeting
        -Timing
                                          8

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 9/08)



       -SALT negotiations
           -State Department
       -Summit
           -US position
           -State Department
                  -Jacob D. Beam
       -Summit meeting
           -Announcement                                           Conv. No. 479-1 (cont.)
           -Vietnam
       -SALT/Summit
           -Prospects
           -Timing
           -Press
       -Summit
           -Vorontsov
           -Dobrynin
           -President’s schedule
       -Negotiations
           -Style

Laos
       -Effects on PRC and USSR
       -PRC

Vietnam
     -President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
           -Congress
           -White House staff
     -Democrats
           -Prospect of end of war
     -Liberal Republicans
           -John V. Lindsay
           -Nelson A. Rockefeller
     -Kissinger’s dinner with J. W. Alsop
           -Reaction to the President
                -President’s speech, November 3, 1969
                      -Hardhats
                -Cambodia
                -Kissinger’s dinner with J. W. Alsop
                      -Consensus
                      -John Freeman
                      -Kissinger’s attempted telephone call to the President
                                                 9

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. 9/08)



                                   -President’s location
                            -S. J. O. Alsop
                            -Patricia (Hankey) (“Missy”) Alsop

     PRC
           -Announcement
                 -Relaxation of trade and travel restrictions
           -Ronald L. Ziegler                                         Conv. No. 479-1 (cont.)
           -State Department

     Vietnam
          -President’s speech on Southeast Asia, April 7, 1971
                -Reaction of State Department

     International support for President
           -Report on President’s special message to Congress on American foreign policy
           -Bradlee

     President’s schedule
          -Meeting with Dr. Rainer Barzel
                -Duration
                -Translator
                -Kissinger’s role

Kissinger left at 9:45 am