Conversation: 534-002
Prev: 534-001 Next: 534-003Start Date: 1-Jul-1971 8:45 AM
End Date: 1-Jul-1971 9:52 AM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Bull, Stephen B.; Kissinger, Henry A.; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.;Recording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:04:58
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:10:44
NARA Description:
On July 1, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, Henry A. Kissinger [?], and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:45 am to 9:52 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 534-002 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 534-2
Date: July 1, 1971
Time: 8:45 am - 9:52 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
2
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
The Pentagon Papers case
-Haldeman's conversation with Elliot L. Richardson
-The Eastern “establishment”
-The President's experiences with the Alger Hiss case
-Contrast between Hiss' and Whitaker Chambers' background
-Richardson conversation about Charles M. Cooke, Jr. (?)
-Melvin R. Laird
-Ellsworth F. Bunker cables shown to Daniel Ellsberg Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
-Jimmy Doyle of the Washington Star
-William P. Rogers
-Investigation of cable leak
-Cooke's admission of showing cable to Ellsberg
-Ellsberg's departure from the Rand Corporation
-Cooke
-Access to cable from unnamed woman in the State Department
-Richardson's June 30, 1971 conversation with Cooke
-Perception of Cooke's role
-Cooke's position with the federal government
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Frank [Surname unintelligible]
-Conversation overheard at Los Angeles Rams football game in October 1970
-Plans to leak documents via unnamed persons from Kissinger's staff at
the White House
News story about the Turkish opium ban
The President's appearance at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's [FBI] academy
-Defense of J. Edgar Hoover
Howard K. Smith
-Commentary on "The Establishment"
-New York Times
-The President as anti-establishment figure
Pentagon Papers case
-Action against anti-administration conspiracy
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Charles W. Colson
-The President's schedule
-Leaking of stories about opponents
-The New York Times
-John F. Kennedy
3
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Feasibility and timing of statement by the President
-President’s view
-Suppression
-Possible action
-Ehrlichman's recommendation
-Ellsberg's legal status
-Ehrlichman’s forthcoming conversation with Colson
-Kissinger Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
-Ehrlichman’s views
-Haldeman’s forthcoming meeting with Ehrlichman, Colson, Richard A. Moore,
John A. Scali, Ronald L. Ziegler
-Kissinger
-Declassification of government documents
-Kissinger
-Ehrlichman
-Laird
-John N. Mitchell
-Laird
-FBI
-Handling of case by someone for the White House
-Tom C. Huston
-Richard V. Allen
-Henry E. Peterson
-Comparison to the President's involvement in the Hiss case
-Leaks
-Hoover
-Mitchell
-Ehrlichman
-Orchestration of effort to leak information
-Purposes
-Declassification
-Political benefits
-Vietnam
-Distraction from current issues
-Focus on previous administrations
-Type of person needed to handle the case
-John C. Whitaker
-Qualities required
-Huston
-Presidential involvement
-Cooke
-Tran Ngoc Chau
4
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Future White House contact
-Freeze against the Washington Post and the New York Times
-Continuation
-Backgrounders, off-the-record, personal
-George P. Shultz
-Access restriction to on-the-record appearances in presence of other reporters
-Leonard Garment, William L. Safire, Raymond K. Price, Jr.
Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
Unemployment statistics
-The President's conversation with Colson
-Adjustments
-Shultz
-Seasonal adjustments
-June statistics
-Colson
-The President's instructions on handling story
-ABC news
-Scali
Opium agreement with Turkey, June 30, 1971
The FBI
-The President's appearance at academy
-Hoover
-Repression issue
-Mitchell's attitude
-Passing nature of issue
The Supreme Court
-Justices
-Need to change
-Hugo L. Black, Thurgood Marshall, William J. Brennan, Byron R. White
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 8:45 am
The President's schedule
-Request
-Kissinger
Bull left at an unknown time before 9:18 am
[The President talked with an unknown person (Kissinger?) at an unknown time between 8:45
5
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
am and 9:18 am]
[Conversation No. 534-2A]
Schedule
[End of telephone conversation]
The President's schedule Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
-Meeting request by Ehrlichman
Bicentennial speech
-John K. Andrews, Jr.
-Use of the President's previous statement
-Speech language
-Number of television networks scheduled to broadcast speech
Kissinger entered at 9:18 am.
The Vietnam war
-Vietnamese
-Negotiations
-Press report
-May 31, 1971 proposal
The Pentagon Papers case
-California
-Incident at October 1970 Los Angeles Rams game
-Member of Business Executives for Peace
-Plans by unknown member of Kissinger's staff
-Alleged plan to quit staff and leak information about the war
Haldeman left at 9:18 am
-Release of classified information
-NSC control
-Contingency plans
-Laos-Cambodia contingency plans
-Haiphong Harbor
-Cooke
-Richardson
-Comparison to the Hiss case
-Relations with Ellsberg
6
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Rand Corporation
-Case of Chau in South Vietnam
-Secret cables
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Publication of cables by Doyle
-Washington Star
-Rogers
-Concern Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
-Investigation of Rand Corporation
-Ellsberg
-Richardson's defense of Cooke
-Security-clearances
-Need-to-know rule
-Kissinger's staff
-[First name not known] Davis
-May 14, 1969 incident
An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 8:45 am
Accidental summons
-Haldeman
The unknown man left at an unknown time before 9:23 am
The Pentagon Papers case
-Davis
-Alleged leak of embargoed speech to journalist
-Ellsberg
Haldeman entered at 9:23 am
The Pentagon Papers case
-Ellsberg
-Distinction between holding security clearance and need-to-know principle
-Chau case
-Cooke, Ellsberg, Bunker
-Handling of classified information
-Richardson
-Need for individual to be assigned to work with the President on the case
-Ehrlichman
-Ehrlichman, John W. Dean, III
-Comparison to Hiss case
7
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Ethics and lawyers
-The Manson case
-Mitchell
-New York Times
-White House publications efforts
-Brookings Institute safe
-Break-in
-Blame Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
-Cooke
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Bunker
-Chau case
-Cables from Bunker
-The President’s message to Ambassador Bunker
-Washington Star story
Brookings Institution
-Break-in
Vietnam war
-Negotiations
-Public reaction
-Press
-Conditions
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-Ceasefire
-Possible public statement
-Bunker’s knowledge of negotiations
-David K.E. Bruce
-Timing
-Kissinger’s schedule
-Proposal
-POWs
-POW wives
-Report from Bruce
-Possible public release of proposal
-Release of POWs
-Ceasefire
-Conditions
The Pentagon papers case
-Leaks
8
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-National Security Council [NSC] staff
-Investigation
-Haig
-Wiretapping
-Issue of trust in the White House
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Leaks
-NSC staff Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
-Liberals
-Theft of classified documents
-Mitchell
-Reaction
-Repression
-The Hiss case comparison
-Tom Clark
-Justice Department
-Nixon’s efforts
-Use of leaks to get Hiss
-Newspaper stories contrasted with legal action in court
-Grand jury
-[Forename unknown] Murphy
-Hoover
-Ellsberg case
-Declassification
-Ehrlichman
-Opposition to Laird plan
-President’s role
-White House efforts
-Cuban missile crisis
-Conspiracy
-Leaking of information
-Cooke
-Role
-Rand Corporation
-Ellsberg
-Chau case
-Bunker
-Cables
-Cooke
-Ellsberg
-Leak
9
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Leak by White House
-Conspiracy
-Other administration’s involvement
-Cooke
-Richardson’s handling of case
-Status
-Leaks to press about involvement
The President talked to Haldeman at unknown time between 9:28 am andConv.
9:52 am.
No. 534-2 (cont.)
Cooke
-Removal
-Richardson
-Leaks to the press
-Colson
[End of telephone conversation]
Haig entered at 9:39 am.
-NSC staff
-Allegations about two unknown staff members
-Leaking of documents against the Vietnam War
-Security of materials
-Kissinger and the NSC staff
-Executive Office Building [EOB]
-Intellectuals
-Eastern schools
-University of California, Berkeley
Vietnam War
-Negotiations
-Ziegler
-POWs
-Haig's conversation with William C. Sullivan
-North Vietnamese conditions
-Thieu's Regime
-Handling
-Sullivan
-Ziegler
Haig left at 9:45 am.
10
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
Foreign relations
-Briefing book
-Public information
-Changes in section about negotiations
-The People's Republic of China [PRC]
-The President's conversations with Nicolae Ceausescu and Andrei
Gromyko
-Tone and style Conv. No. 534-2 (cont.)
-Stance
-Philosophical angle
-Chou En-lai's statements
-Analysis
-Kissinger’s future conversation with Chou En-lai
-The President's perceptions of the world
-The President's conversations with communist leaders
-Unnamed Greek revolutionary
-1947 Meeting
-Nikita Khrushchev
-Anastas Mikoyan
-Frol Koslov
-Fidel Castro
-Nature of conversations
-Opening Statement
-Flexibility
-Thought processes of foreign communists compared to current US
revolutionaries
Telephone Call from William P. Rogers to Kissinger
Kissinger left at 9:52 am