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Conversation: 628-016

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Start Date: 2-Dec-1971 3:05 PM

End Date: 2-Dec-1971 4:53 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Meir, GoldaWhite House photographerSanchez, ManoloKissinger, Henry A.Rabin, Yitzhak

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 03:30:18

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 05:18:10

628a.mp3

628b.mp3

628c.mp3

NARA Description:

On December 2, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Golda Meir, White House photographer, Manolo Sanchez, Henry A. Kissinger, and Yitzhak Rabin met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:05 pm to 4:53 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 628-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 628-16

Date: December 2, 1971
Time: 3:05 pm - 4:53 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Golda Meir; the White House photographer and members of the press
were present at the beginning of the meeting.

     Greetings

     Photograph

[General conversation]

[Unintelligible]
                                              33

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                        Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


     Meir’s schedule
          -Henry A. Kissinger and Yitzhak Rabin
                -Frank discussions with Meir

     Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
         -Relations with Israel
         -US and Israel
               -Strategy
         -Meir's talk with Kissinger

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:05 pm.

     Refreshment

     Rabin

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:13 pm.

     US and Israel relations
          -Rabin and Kissinger
          -Kissinger
                -Relations with Israel
                      -William F. (“Billy”) Graham’s call to the President
                            -Timing
                                 -Concern by Graham
                -American Jews
          -William P. Rogers

Kissinger and Rabin entered at 3:13 pm.

     Kissinger and Anatoliy F. Dobrynin communications

     Map room
         -Dwight D. Eisenhower
              -World War II
                   -Maps
                        -Robert Taylor [?]
                   -Franklin D. Roosevelt

     US and Israel relations
          -Possible leaks
                                    34

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                            Tape Subject Log
                              (rev. 10/06)
                                                              Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


-Less then confident feelings between US and Israel
      -Issues
            -Payments [?]
-The President's trip to the USSR
-Issues
      -Aircraft
            -Presidential responsibility
            -Joseph J. Sisco
                  -Working out technical aspects
-Congress
-Kissinger's meeting with Meir
      -Unknown person
-Sisco and Rabin meeting
      -Instructions to Sisco
            -Time limit
            -Rogers
-Negotiations
      -Leonid I. Brezhnev
            -Future negotiations
      -State Department
      -Political program
      -Sisco
      -Kissinger's meeting with the President
      -Sisco
            -Instructions
            -Kissinger and Dobrynin communications
                  -Airplanes
                        -Dinner
                              -Kissinger’s recommendation
                                   -Rogers
            -President’s schedule
                  -Signing of memorandum
            -Talk with Kissinger
            -USSR
            -Phantoms
                  -Separate understanding
                        -Working out the details with Rabin
                  -USSR
                        -US attempts to maintain balance
                  -Politics
                  -Backgrounders
                              35

          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                      Tape Subject Log
                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                       Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


                   -Ronald L. Ziegler
                         -Under the President’s instructions
                   -Kissinger
            -Balance
-President’s advice to Meir
      -Sisco/Rabin meetings
      -Pressure
      -Politics
            -Rogers
                   -Kissinger’s forthcoming conversations with Rogers
            -Agreement
-President’s schedule
      -Sisco/Rabin meetings
      -Rogers
      -Protocols
            -Brezhnev and Anwar el-Sadat
-President’s view
      -Delivery of planes
      -Political side
            -Planning
                   -Continuance of frank talks
      -Monthly rate
      -Rabin/Sisco/Kissinger agreement
      -Dates of deliveries
      -Presidential decisions
            -Political side
                   -Need for US discussion
                   -Israeli/Egyptian agreement
                         -State Department
                   -Linkage with the Phantoms
                   -US commitment to balance
                   -USSR
            -Delivery schedule
                   -Proposed date of arrival
-President’s view
      -Speculation on Israel’s future
-Sadat
      -Possibility of negotiations
            -US interests
-Political settlement
      -Balance
                             36

          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                     Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. 10/06)
                                                      Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


            -Mediterranean
            -Middle East
            -USSR
                  -Prospects for peace
      -Progress
-Attempts
      -President’s view
            -Meir’s response
-Pressure
      -Communication with the President
            -Rabin
-Meir’s outlook
      -Ceasefire
            -Rabin
      -Attrition
      -Compromise
            -Possible Israeli concessions [?]
      -Egyptians
            -Sadat
            -Procedures
-Egyptians
      -“The Rogers Plan”
            -International borders
                  -United Nations [UN]
                        -People’s Republic of China [PRC]
                              -Unknown person
                                   -Negotiations with Israel [?]
                              -Trade matters
                              -Andrei A. Gromyko's talk with Chou En-lai
                              -USSR
                                   -Alliance with the Arabs
                                         -Moscow
                                              -Money to Vietnam and Egypt
                                                    -Amount
                                         -Brezhnev
                                              -Mao Tse-tung [?]
-Israeli perspective
      -World view
            -Suez agreement
            -Pressure
            -War
                             37

          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                     Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. 10/06)
                                                     Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


                 -Past conflicts
           -1957
           -Golan heights
           -Israeli position
           -1957
                 -UN
                       -Gaza Strip
           -Promises
                 -Egyptians
           -Freedom in negotiations
           -Military
                 -Level of strength
-US agreement on 1969 border policy
-Potential US diplomatic problem
     -Kissinger’s conversation wit unknown Prime Minister
     -USSR
     -Gromyko
           -Talk with the President
           -Rogers
     -Military action
     -Brezhnev
     -State Department
           -Unknown Prime Minister
                 -Kissinger’s instructions to Meir and Rabin
     -[Unintelligible]
-Ceasefire
     -Possible scenarios
           -Egypt and USSR
     -Kissinger
     -USSR
           -Potential escalation of tensions between the US and USSR
           -Concerns
                 -Subsidies in the Middle East
           -Unknown situation
                 -USSR
                       -Jordan crisis
                       -1967 war
-Meeting in may
-Meir's Skill
     -“Two track operation”
           -Negotiations
                             38

          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                     Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. 10/06)
                                                     Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


-1967 war
-Diplomatic reasonableness
      -Request from the President
-US
      -Security
-Two tracks of negotiations
-USSR summit
      -Discussions
            -US attempt to work out negotiations
      -Suez Canal
      -Arabs
            -Attempt to quell tensions
-Israeli cabinet
-USSR
      -Egypt’s inability to negotiate with the USSR [?]
-Interim period
-US-Israel negotiations
      -Pressure-free
-Kissinger’s proposal
      -General statement
            -Timing
      -Kissinger’s conversation with unknown Prime Minister
      -Talk with Dobrynin
            -Status of US actions
            -Egyptians
            -Timing
            -Gromyko
            -Rogers
                  -Talk with the President
            -USSR
                  -Trust
            -Previous US-USSR discussions
                  -Dobrynin
            -Brezhnev
                  -Previous discussions
            -The President/Meir meeting
            -The President's talk with Gromyko
            -Potential settlement
            -Meir and Rabin
                  -Elections [?]
-The President's talk with Meir
                             39

          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                     Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. 10/06)
                                                 Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


      -Kissinger
-Kissinger's talk with Dobrynin
      -Possible stand by the President
      -Dobrynin talk with Meir [?]
-Dobynin
      -Possible meeting
            -Timing
-[Unintelligible]
-Kissinger’s view
      -Dobrynin
            -Moscow
            -Egyptians
                  -Prepared to talk
            -Negotiations
            -Kissinger’s view
            -The President's talk with Gromyko
                  -Reductions [?]
-Egypt
      -Possible opening of dialogue
-Syria
-USSR
-US-USSR relations
      -Possible uncomfortableness from Israel
-Kissinger-Rabin talks
      -Status of world situation
-USSR
      -Clark MacGregor [?]
-State Department
      -Proposed action
-Dobrynin
      -US options
      -UN
      -USSR
            -Negotiations
            -Gromyko
-Sisco [?]
-USSR
      -[Unintelligible]
      -Exploratory talks [?]
-Rabin-Kissinger meeting
-[Unintelligible]
                               40

          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                       Tape Subject Log
                         (rev. 10/06)
                                                       Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


-Israeli army
      -Figures
-State Department
-The survival of Israel
-Rabin
-USSR
      -Possibility of war
             -Finances
-USSR
      -Potential breakthrough in negotiations
-Kissinger’s forthcoming conversation with Rabin
-[Unintelligible]
-Rogers
-Rabin
-[Unintelligible]
-Report from unknown person
-Mecca [?]
-Israeli situation
      -Meir’s view on the situation
-US position
      -Security
      -Possibility for tough discussions with Israel
-Kissinger
      -USSR
             -Negotiations
-Dobrynin
      -Talk with Kissinger
             -Timing
             -US position
                   -Related to the USSR
-Deadlock
      -Negotiations
             -Egypt
-State Department
-Moscow
-[Unintelligible]
-Golan Heights [?]
      -Military equipment
             -Request for Meir [?]
                   -Vietnam
                        -Rabin [?]
                                               41

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                         Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. 10/06)
                                                                   Conv. No. 628-16 (cont.)


                 -Credibility
                       -Lack of credit
                 -Arabs
                       -Vietnam
                             -Laos comparison
                                  -Risky proposition
                 -USSR
                 -President’s view
                 -Balance of power in the Mediterranean and Europe
                       -Result
                 -USSR
                       -US position concerning the USSR
                             -Possible catalyst for negotiations
                 -Meir
                       -PRC and USSR
                             -Possible negotiations [?]
                 -Arabs
                       -Control
                             -Egypt
                                  -Concern by Meir
                 -Kissinger’s previous meeting with an unknown woman
                 -President’s view
                 -Dobrynin
                 -Kissinger
                 -Closing remarks

The President, et al. left at 4:53 pm.