Conversation No. 526-2

Date: June 18, 1971
Time: 8:45 am - 9:38 am
Location: Oval Office

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

     Pentagon Papers
          -Upcoming statement by President
          -Content of written message
          -Patrick J. Buchanan
          -Public relations
                -Support for war
          -Content of message to National Security Council [NSC]
          -Content of message to be submitted by staff
          -Preparation
                -Effect of consensus
                -Need for chief writer
                      -Buchanan
                            -Role for press conferences
          -Media memorandum
                -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                -John D. Ehrlichman
          -Content
                -Need for confidentiality in negotiations
                -Declassification
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                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/08)




Awarding of honorary degrees
    -President Leopold Sedar Senghor of Senegal
          -Reflection on "Today's" schools
                -Harvard University
                -University of California at Los Angeles [UCLA]
          -Accomplishments of Sedar Senghor
    -Haldeman’s experience on Board of Regents of UCLA
          -Role of recipients
    -Value of honorary degrees
    -Senghor accomplishments
          -Compared to some US mayors
          -Size of Senegal
    -Heads of Black African states
          -Haldeman’s view
          -Attractiveness as honorary degree candidates
    -Honorary degrees

Pentagon Papers
     -Statement by President
           -Efficacy
           -Nixon administration role in Vietnam
           -Ehrlichman
           -Bombing halt
           -Request for Henry A. Kissinger and Haldeman meeting
           -Consequences
           -Administration strategy
           -Two issues
                 -Relationship of content to administration’s policy
                 -Seriousness of security breach
           -Need for clear focus of administration strategy
                 -William E. Timmons
           -Support for administration
                 -Among publishers
                       -James S. Copley
                 -Carl T. Curtis opposition
                       -Rationale
                 -Barry M. Goldwater
                 -Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor
                       -Promotion
                 -Gale W. McGee
           -Congressional strategy
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                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                             Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. 10/08)



           -Timmons
           -Relationship to Alger Hiss case
           -Potential headlines
           -President's support during Hiss case
-Issues
      -Attack on New York Times
           -Kissinger statement
           -Ronald L. Ziegler                                Conv. No. 526-2 (cont.)
           -Use of Kissinger on Rochester trip
                  -Hypothetical attack on liberals
                        -Joseph McCarthy
-Statement by President
      -Content
      -Impact
      -Constraints due to court case
      -Use of national television
           -Nature of audience
      -Herbert G. Klein
           -Position of press
           -Freedom of press
           -Klein and Ehrlichman role
           -Impact of statement concluding a briefing
                  -Domestic emphasis
           -Domestic policy
           -Comparison with Birmingham remarks
           -Use of national audience
      -Personal letter to editors and television producers
           -World War II classified documents
           -Korean classified documents
      -Washington Post story
           -Dwight D. Eisenhower [?]
           -Source
                  -Implication
           -Post use of Pentagon Papers
      -Administration reaction to use of documents
      -Klein’s outlook
      -Use of Kissinger
           -Effect on Senators or Congressmen
           -Air Force One
                  -Possible comments
      -Timing of fight with Times
      -Effect of court decisions
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          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                     Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. 10/08)



-Charles W. Colson
-Use in Congress
-McGee
-Image of White House action
-Political impact of Times story
      -Involvement of Democratic Presidents
            -John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
            -Franklin D. Roosevelt                    Conv. No. 526-2 (cont.)
            -Harry S. Truman
-Confidential advice
      -Effect on current negotiations
            -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
            -Middle East
            -Berlin negotiations
-Weighing of good story against US interests
-Rationale for statement
-Report of President's statement
-Robert J. Dole statement
      -Content
-Political nature of the battle
-Dole statement
      -Content
            -Partisan play by Democrats
                  -Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
                  -Hubert H. Humphrey
-Humphrey statement
-Johnson
-Dole statement
      -Effect on Johnson
-Opposition to Vietnam War
-Robert H. Finch
      -Return from Chicago
      -Views
-Freedom of the press
-President’s relationship with the Times
      -Future relationship
      -George P. Shultz
      -Times reaction
      -Peter Lisagor reaction
      -Restriction of Times
            -Coverage
      -John F. Kennedy
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                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/08)



                       -Herald Tribune subscription
                 -Subtlety of attack
                       -Comparison with Spiro T. Agnew attacks
           -Timing of Presidential statement
                 -Relation to judicial process
     -Daniel Ellsberg story
           -Current play
           -Ellsberg disappearance                               Conv. No. 526-2 (cont.)
           -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] visit
           -Leak of Kissinger recollections
                 -Ellsberg actions in Vietnam
           -Kissinger and Ellsberg visits
                 -Santa Monica Outlook story
                       -Source
           -Kissinger’s view
                 -Leslie H. Gelb
                 -Ellsberg
     -Kissinger backgrounder on Air Force One
     -Ehrlichman outline for statement
     -Haldeman and Ehrlichman meeting
     -Timing of statements by President
           -Relation to court case
     -Dole statement
           -Response to order from President
           -Partisan political impression
     -Press reaction to administration response
     -Press reaction to lack of response
     -Ehrlichman
     -Kissinger backgrounder
           -Possible comments
           -Timing
                 -Florida trip
                 -Air Force One to Rochester

Drug policy
     -Drug policy statement
           -Media play
     -Dr. Jerome H. Jaffe
           -Organization
     -Personnel moves
           -Shultz report
           -Allen J. Ellender
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                               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 10/08)



                 -Hospital staffing
                 -Early Jaffe moves
                      -Hospital closing
                             -Effect
                 -Shultz's report
     Vietnam
          -Coverage of casualties
               -Walter Cronkite statement                           Conv. No. 526-2 (cont.)
               -Other reporters' statements
          -Coverage of anti-war amendments in Congress
               -Wording of reports

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 9:28 am.

     Schedule
          -Letters
          -Memorandums

Butterfield left at 9:31 am.

           -Arrival of President Senghor of Senegal

     Pentagon Papers
          -Kissinger backgrounder
               -Benefits of statement

     President Senghor

     Pentagon Papers
          -Kissinger backgrounder
               -Ehrlichman
                     -Notification of press

     President's schedule

     Pentagon Papers
          -Effect on administration
               -Reaction by administration
          -Administration response
               -Dwight L. Chapin
               -Humphrey
               -Dole attack
                                                 7

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 10/08)



                -Kissinger's role

Haldeman left at 9:38 am.