Conversation No. 524-27

Date: June 17, 1971
Time: 2:42 pm - 3:33 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and Ronald L. Ziegler.

     Pentagon Papers
          -Charles W. Colson
          -John D. Ehrlichman
          -Efforts
          -Administration counter
               -Focus on other administrations
               -Television reports
               -Lyndon B. Johnson press conference
                      -Demeanor
                      -Bryce N. Harlow effort
                      -Press coverage
                      -Tricia Nixon Cox
                      -Johnson book
          -Colson's "lines"
               -“Publication of stolen goods”
               -“Aid and comfort to enemy”
               -Justification for publication
                      -Patrick J. Buchanan
          -Use of Johnson
          -Use of William P. Rogers
               -Interference with judicial process
               -Rogers statement
                      -Buchanan
                      -Link with statement by President
               -Interference with judicial process
          -Other statements
               -Ehrlichman statement
                      -Problems
                      -Use
                            -President
                            -Rogers
               -"Breaking the law"
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                                      Tape Subject Log
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                -"Aid and comfort"
                -Ehrlichman
                -Need for "bite"
                      -Buchanan

Colson entered at 2:46 pm.

                -Publication of classified material                    Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
                     -Use of stolen goods
                -Buchanan wording of statement
                     -Publication
                     -Use as editorial
                     -Mailing
                     -Statement in Senate
                     -Congressional statements
                -Arthur O. Sulzberger
                -Declassification of World War II and Korean War information
                -Contact with New York Times reporters
                     -Penalty
                     -Recognition at press conference
                -Scope of attack on Times
                -Legal situation
                     -Ehrlichman
                     -Grand jury
                     -Restraining order
                           -Status
                           -Options
                     -Judge's background
                     -Administration’s possible action
                     -Effect on Times
                     -Daniel Ellsberg case
                           -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] action
                                 -Arrest
                                 -Questioning
                           -Background
                     -[Elizabeth] Bentley investigations
                           -Problems
                           -Nathan Silvermaster
                           -John Abt
                           -Victor Perlo
                           -[Forename unknown] Goldberg
                           -Whittaker Chambers
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                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/08)



                       -Alger Hiss
                       -Hiss background
                -Morton H. Halperin background
                -Leslie H. Gelb background
     -Security efforts
          -Melvin R. Laird
          -Rogers
          -White House                                          Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
          -Henry A. Kissinger's role
                -Recent Times publication
                       -National Security Council [NSC] paper
                       -Algeria paper
                       -Vietnam paper
                             -Source
                -Haldeman and Kissinger’s Florida discussion

Drug statement
     -Media play
           -"Public enemy" lead
           -Dr. Jerome H. Jaffe's role
                 -Question and answer ability
                 -Leadership comment
                 -Background information
                       -President's expectation
                             -Focus of drug efforts
     -Allen J. Ellender point
           -Ehrlichman
           -Consolidation of drug programs
                 -Personnel
                       -George P. Shultz
                       -Arnold R. Weber
                       -Report to President
                 -Office of Economic Opportunity [OEO] role
                 -Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
                 -Reduction of inefficient personnel
                       -Haldeman and Shultz contact
           -Use of "coordination" term
     -State of drug fighting programs
           -Personnel changes
                 -White House control

Pentagon Papers
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                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
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          -Potential Barry M. Goldwater role
               -Rationale
                      -Justification of criticism of Johnson
               -Effect of story on President
                      -Color of statement
                            -"Aid and comfort to the enemy”
                            -”Stolen goods”
               -Comments on Johnson                                  Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)

Haldeman, Ziegler, and Colson left at 3:04 pm.

Clark MacGregor and Barry M. Goldwater entered at 3:04 pm; the White House photographer
was present at the beginning of meeting.
     Greetings

     Congressional action
         -Secretary of Defense housing report
               -Cloture movement
                     -John C. Stennis
                     -Goldwater history
                          -William Proxmire's role
                                -Supersonic Transport [SST]
         -President’s view
               -Enemies of U.S.
               -Efforts

     SST and the aircraft industry
          -Congressional action
                -Paris air show
          -Alternatives
                -US-German cooperation
                      -Willy Brandt
                            -Potential Northrup deal

[The president talked with Henry A. Kissinger at an unknown time after 3:04 pm]

[Conversation No. 524-27a]

     Brandt purchase of Northrup fighter
          -Money involved
               -Impact on California
          -SST possibilities
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                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
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           -D. Kenneth Rush

[End of telephone conversation]

     Aircraft development
          -German and French cooperation
                -Airbus role
                                                               Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
     SST
           -US and German cooperation
           -SST cancellation
           -US and German cooperation
                 -Quality of US plane
           -French air show
                 -US position
                 -Goldwater recollections
                      -Contacts with US businessmen
           -William M. Allen statement on Boeing
                 -Allen reception of Collier award
                      -Contact with Ed Ewell

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:04 pm.

     Refreshments

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:33 pm.

     SST
           -Boeing Vice President's statement
                -Resources necessary to reopen assembly line
           -General Electric decision
                -Action on engine
                      -Payment
           -Goldwater visit to "Concorde" factory
                -Willard F. Rockwell Jr. efforts
                      -Engine procurement
                            -Garret Corporation (?)
           -French technology
           -US technological position
           -Goldwater questions to Soviet engineer
                -[Unintelligible name] report
                -Proxmire
                                           38

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. 10/08)



      -US technological position
           -Life magazine story
           -Media statement by President
                 -Perception of common man
           -Benefits of depression
                 -Goldwater’s experiences

William A. Anders                                              Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
     -Future
          -Problems with bureaucrats
     -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
          -Personnel moves
                -Frederic V. Malek's role
                -National Aeronautic and Space Administration [NASA] position
     -Paper on aircraft industry
          -Comment to Goldwater
     -MacGregor's role
     -Domestic Council

SST
      -President's effort
      -Goldwater's effort
      -Stennis’ effort
            -Money fights
            -Armed Forces subcommittee
      -Soviet SST
            -Photographs
            -Compared to French aircraft
      -European view of US action
            -Goldwater’s recollections

Congress
    -Popular reaction
    -Recess
    -Draft resolution
         -Status
         -Prospects of action

Election
      -President's prospects
      -Vietnam situation
            -Prospects for negotiations
                                        39

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/08)



           -Status as an issue
           -New York Times articles

Pentagon Papers
     -Effect on administration
     -Effect on Republican party
     -College audiences' interest in Vietnam
                                                               Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
Economy
    -Stock market performance
    -Construction situation
         -California
               -Tax break
    -Employment
    -General economic improvement
         -Inventories
         -Construction
         -Wages
         -Unemployment
    -Employment
         -Age factors
         -California problems
               -Relationship to air industry
         -Pacific Northwest
         -Wichita, Kansas

Goldwater's efforts
    -SST
    -Defense

International affairs
      -Soviet Union and US Anti-ballistic missile [ABM] agreement
            -Need for offensive agreement
                  -Scope
      -Berlin Agreement
            -Bargaining
      -People’s Republic of China [PRC]
            -Sino-Soviet relations
            -Taiwan, Republic of China friendship with US
            -US strategy
            -PRC
                  -US national interest
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                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/08)



                           -Future relations with Soviet Union and PRC
          -Grain sales
               -American bottoms
               -Benefits for the American farmer
               -Soviet Union and PRC
          -Perception of President's stance on Communism
               -PRC
               -Trade                                               Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
               -Exchange with PRC
                     -Ping Pong
          -World War III potential matchups
               -Goldwater’s view
          -Revival of US-Chinese friendship
          -Japanese revival
               -President’s view
                     -Economy
                     -Military
               -Economic potential
                     -Size
                     -Arable land
          -German situation
               -Mark problems
               -Socialism
                     -Willy Brandt

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 3:04 pm.

     Schedule
          -National Security Council [NSC] meeting

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:33 pm.

     Defense
          -Message from Goldwater to NSC
          -NSC efforts
          -Goldwater's role
               -Vietnam
                    -Negotiation prospects
                           -Need for secrecy
                           -Prisoners of War [POWs]
                    -Survival of Vietnam
          -Role of war in 1972 election
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                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 10/08)



           -Democrat action
                 -Rationale
           -Letter from Dean Rusk to Goldwater
                 -War powers of President
                      -Dean G. Acheson
                      -Lyndon B. Johnson Library opening
                      -Alteration
                            -Constitutionality                   Conv. No. 524-27 (cont.)
           -Richard (“Dick”) Wilson column
                      -Media coverage

Bull entered at an unknown time after 3:04 pm.

     President's schedule

Goldwater, MacGregor, and Bull left at 3:33 pm.