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Conversation: 604-006

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Start Date: 27-Oct-1971 1:32 PM

End Date: 27-Oct-1971 3:45 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Kissinger, Henry A.Bull, Stephen B.Butterfield, Alexander P.Connally, John B.Ehrlichman, John D.Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Shultz, George P.Weinberger, Caspar W. ("Cap")

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:12:39

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:04:40

604a.mp3

NARA Description:

On October 27, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, Stephen B. Bull, Alexander P. Butterfield, John B. Connally, John D. Ehrlichman, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., George P. Shultz, and Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:32 pm and 3:45 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 604-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 604-6

Date: October 27, 1971
Time: Unknown between 1:32 pm and 3:45 pm
Location: Oval Office

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

     The President's schedule
          -Henry A. Kissinger

Haldeman left and Kissinger entered at 2:53 pm

     Kissinger's schedule
          -George P. Shultz
                -Defense Department budget
                      -John B. Connally
                      -Caspar W. Weinberger

     Defense Department budget
          -Authorization
               -Appropriation
          -Shultz
               -Preparation for forthcoming meeting

     United Nations [UN] vote on Taiwan expulsion
          -Assignment for Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
               -The President’s instructions
          -Great Britain
          -France
                                               4

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                               Conv. No. 604-6 (cont.)


          -Botswana
               -Kissinger’s view
               -South Africa
          -The President’s view
          -Effect on US policy
               -Surtax
                     -Shultz
                     -Connally
                     -Japan
                     -Canada
                     -Latin America
                     -Mexico

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 2:53 pm.

     The President's schedule
          -Connally

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:07 pm.

     UN vote on Taiwan’s expulsion
         -US policy
               -Peter G. Peterson

     Briefing for Connally
           -Okinawa
                 -Kissinger
           -Monetary situation
           -William H. Sullivan
                 -Vietnam
                 -Japan
                 -Kissinger’s view
                 -Participation
                       -Department of State
           -Talks with the Japanese
                 -Charles A. Meyer
                 -Sullivan
                 -State Department
           -Indonesia
                 -Military
                 -Francis J. Galbraith
                                               5

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                      Conv. No. 604-6 (cont.)


                -Sullivan
           -Vietnam
                -Ellsworth F. Bunker
           -Thailand
                -Leonard Unger
                      -Kissinger’s view
           -Meyer
                -Role in Japan
                      -Possible replacement
                -Monetary situation
                      -Arthur F. Burns
           -Okinawa
                -State Department
           -Kissinger's schedule
                -Briefing
           -Connally's schedule
                -Quadriad meeting
                -State Department
                      -Sullivan
           -Connally’s foreign trip
                -T.N.J. Suharto
                -Eisaku Sato
                -Sullivan
                -US Ambassador

     UN vote to expel Taiwan
         -White House response
         -George H. W. Bush
         -Ronald L. Ziegler
               -Rhetoric
               -People's Republic of China [PRC]
         -The President's attendance at previous UN session
               -Reception
                     -Secretary General
               -Possible future trip to UN

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 3:07 pm,

     The President's schedule

John B. Connally, John D. Ehrlichman, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., George P. Shultz, and Caspar W.
                                               6

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                     Conv. No. 604-6 (cont.)


Weinberger entered at 3:07 pm.

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 3:40 pm.

     Greetings

     The President's schedule
          -Shultz
               -Quadriad meeting

     Connally
         -Forthcoming foreign trip
         -The President’s conversation with Kissinger
              -Political briefing
         -Quadriad meeting

     UN ambassadors
         -Arthur Goldberg

     Unknown man
         -Kissinger

     Defense Department
          -Budget
               -Ziegler
               -Ehrlichman
               -Melvin R. Laird
               -Defense outlay
               -Joint review
                     -David Packard
               -Kissinger, Packard, Shultz
                     -Air defense system
               -National Security Council [NSC] staff, Office of Management and Budget
                     [OMB] staff
                     -Kissinger
                     -Defense outlay
                     -Foreign policy objectives
               -Laird
               -Projected sum
               -Outlay management
               -Effect on domestic economy
                              7

          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                     Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. 10/06)
                                                          Conv. No. 604-6 (cont.)


-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
      -Arms control negotiations
-Cuts
      -Air defense systems
-Kissinger’s view
      -Shultz
      -USSR
            -Strategic Concerns
                  -Anti-ballistic Missiles [ABM]
                  -Radar
-PRC
      -Forthcoming visit
-Laird
-Effect
      -Army
      -Air Force
      -The President’s view
            -Air defense system
            -USSR
                  -Aircraft
      -Size of Army and Navy
            -North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
-Strategic capabilities
      -Arms control negotiations
      -Missiles
            -Polaris and Minutemen missiles
      -USSR defense activities
      -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Popular confidence in defense program
-USSR
-PRC
-Arms talks
-Budget deficits
      -Taxes
      -Inflation
      -Congressional action
-American Conservatives
      -ABM
      -Michael J. Mansfield Amendment
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
-John F. Kennedy's allegations of "Missile Gap" in 1960
                           8

         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                   Tape Subject Log
                     (rev. 10/06)
                                                  Conv. No. 604-6 (cont.)


-Domestic opposition
     -Possible White House strategy
     -Soviets
     -Chinese
-Army and Marine Divisions
-Obligational authority
     -Amounts
-Navy
     -Ships
           -Effect on budget
     -Polaris
     -Undersea Long-range Missile System [ULMS] development
     -USSR
-Kissinger’s role
     -Strategic review
-Budget presentations
     -Navy
     -Air Force
     -Army
     -The President’s view
     -Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr.
           -Comments on Strategy
                  -Navy modernization
-Schedule
     -Delay in final decision
     -Connally's trip
-Obligational authority
     -Connally’s view
           -Programs
-Costs
     -Manpower
     -Strategic weapons
           -ABM
           -Polaris
     -The President's forthcoming meetings
           -Soviets
           -Chinese
     -Military base closings
-Connally’s view
     -Future
           -Strategic arms
                                                 9

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                      Conv. No. 604-6 (cont.)


                            -Economic issues
                      -Procurement programs
                            -Effect
                      -Manpower
                -The President’s decision
                      -Kissinger
                      -Shultz
                      -Weinberger
                -Contrast with social programs
                -Laird’s view
                -Kissinger
                      -Shultz
                -Intelligence community
                      -Quality
                            -The President’s view
                -Taxes
                -USSR
                      -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
                      -US-USSR Summit
                      -Military construction
                -Military outlays
                -Revenue sharing
                      -Taxes

     Kissinger's schedule
          -Forthcoming press conference
                -Timing

Connally, Ehrlichman, Shultz, Haig, Weinberger left at an unknown time before 3:45 pm.

          -Ziegler
          -Quadriad

     Connally
         -The President’s view
         -William P. Rogers
         -Spiro T. Agnew
         -Support for the President's policies

     UN vote to expel Taiwan
         -Administration's reaction
                                               10

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 10/06)
                                                                Conv. No. 604-6 (cont.)


           -Rogers's statement
                -PRC
           -Kissinger's recent itinerary
                -Well wishers for the President's trip to PRC
           -Barry M. Goldwater, Sr.
                -Conversation with Kissinger
           -Kissinger's forthcoming briefing
                -The President’s previous statement
                -Secretary of State's previous statement
                -Delegate behavior during UN vote
           -US diplomatic relations
                -Botswana
                       -Kissinger’s view
                -Spain
                -Italy
           -Ronald W. Reagan
                -Kissinger's forthcoming telephone call

The President and Kissinger left at 3:45 pm.