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Conversation: 653-008

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Start Date: 24-Jan-1972 11:04 AM

End Date: 24-Jan-1972 11:53 AM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Kissinger, Henry A.Waldheim, KurtRogers, William P.Bush, George H. W.Mosbacher, Emil, Jr. (Bus)White House photographer[Unknown person(s)]

Recording Device: Oval Office

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 01:21:03

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 02:08:40

653a.mp3

653b.mp3

NARA Description:

On January 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Kurt Waldheim, William P. Rogers, George H. W. Bush, Emil ("Bus") Mosbacher, Jr., White House photographer, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:04 am to 11:53 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 653-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 653-8

Date: January 24, 1972
Time: 11:04 am - 11:53 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

       Meeting with Kurt Waldheim
            -Kissinger’s schedule
                  -William L. Safire
            -Length

Waldheim, William P. Rogers, George H. W. Bush, and Emil (“Bus”) Mosbacher, Jr. entered at
11:05 am; the White House photographer and members of the press were present at the
beginning of the meeting.

       Introductions

       Seating arrangements

       The President’s previous meeting with Waldheim in 1956

       [Photograph session
            -[General conversation]

       Introductions
             -John Shannon [sp?]

       Shannon [sp?]
            -New York Times
                  -Los Angeles Times
                  -United Nations [UN] bureau
            -Wife
                  -Background
            -Visits to Bush

       UN
            -US support
                 -Rogers’s conversation with Waldheim
                                            16

                         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 10/06)
                                                              Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


                  -US political problems
                  -Foreign aid issue
            -Non-peacekeeping functions
            -Peacekeeping functions
            -Financial concerns

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 11:05 am.

      Refreshment

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 11:21 am.

      Waldhein’s gratitude for meeting

      UN
            -Relations with US
            -Newspaper stories
            -World confidence
                  -US
                        -Newspapers
                  -Austria
                  -People’s Republic of China [PRC]
                  -Future crises
            -Influence of member nations
                  -US
                  -PRC
                  -Soviet Union
            -World confidence
                  -US public
            -Financial concerns
            -World confidence
                  -Importance
                  -The President’s foreign policy
                        -PRC
                        -India-Pakistan War
                              -UN vote
                              -UN role
            -Security Council
            -Financial concerns
                  -Payment of US dues
                        -Timing
                                                17

                              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 10/06)
                                                                     Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


                                 -US internal concerns
                                 -Installments

Kissinger left at 11:21 am.

                   -Peacekeeping debts
                         -Soviet union
                         -France
                         -Contributions from various countries
                         -Committee of fifteen
                   -Budget cuts
                         -Streamlining the secretariat
             -Peacekeeping
                   -India-Pakistan relations
                         -US policy
                         -Robert S. McNamara’s and Pierre-Paul Schweitzer
                               -Conversations with Waldheim
                         -McNamara’s and Schweitzer’s schedules
                         -Bangladesh
                               -Recognition
                         -Humanitarian relief
                         -US support
             -US support
                   -Contributions
                   -Use of veto
                   -Public opinion
             -Role
                   -Differences between great powers
                         -National interests
                   -Prevention of confrontations
                   -Publicity
                         -Failures
                               -Compared to successes
                                     -Henry C. Lodge’s statement
                   -Middle East
                   -Africa
             -Waldheim’s role
                   -Challenge
             -US support
                   -Finances
                   -Rogers
                                18

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                        Tape Subject Log
                          (rev. 10/06)
                                                     Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


      -The President
      -US ambassadors
      -Congress
            -Speeches
-PRC membership
      -Effect
            -Expansion and divisiveness
            -Soviet Union
            -US
-Neutrality
      -Great powers
      -US relations vis-à-vis Soviet Union and PRC
      -Broker role
PRC membership
      -Effect
-U Thant
      -US view
      -Departure
-Waldheim
      -Role
            -Leadership
            -US and international support
            -Speeches
                   -Compared with Thant
                   -Television
                         -Visibility
                   -Soviet Union and PRC reaction
                   -US reaction
                   -Rhodesia
-Financial concerns
      -US fiscal problems
            -July 1972 payment
-Waldheim
      -Leadership
      -Fairness
            -Relations with US
                   -International relations
                   -Compared with Thant
      -Pubic relations
      -Changes made
            -Bureaucracy
                                 19

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                         Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. 10/06)
                                                            Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


             -Finances
      -Relations with Bush
      -Tour of UN building
      -Edicts on streamlining
      -Television speeches
             -Effect in congress
      -View of the President’s comments
      -Leadership
      -Criticisms
             -Press
      -Talks with Bush
      -Edicts
-Possible meetings in other countries
      -Compared with US cabinet meetings across US
             -Los Angeles, New Orleans, Chicago
             -Impact
      -New York City identification as headquarters
      -Organization of African Unity [OAU], Geneva and Japan
      -World racial make-up
      -Security Council
             -Addis Ababa
                   -New York Times criticism
      -Olympic games
             -Competition for site
                   -Prestige
                   -Munich
                   -Compared with US cities’ competition for political conventions
      -Possible effects
      -Paris
             -Expense
      -Need for businesslike approach
             -Expense
                   -View of American public
      -Publicity of achievements
      -General assembly
             -Compared with Olympics
      -Dag Hammerskjold
             -Travel
      -India-Pakistan relations
             -Refugee aid
                   -Publicity
                                 20

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                         Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. 10/06)
                                                            Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


           -US aid
                -Amount
-Waldheim
     -Announcement
            -Opening ceremony
                   -Secretariat
-Middle East
     -Gunnar Jarring’s work
            -President Leopold S. Senghor of Senegal
            -President Moktar Ould Daddah of Mauritania
                   -Presidency of OAU
                   -Group of Ten
            -Senghor’s request
            -Daddah
            -Possible trip to Washington, DC
                   -Rogers
     -African concerns
            -Prestige
                   -Report
            -Jarring
                   -UN ambassador’s request
     -Rogers plan
     -Need to contact African heads of state
     -Rogers’s responsibility
     -Truce
     -Peace talks
     -Daddah
            -The President’s and Rogers’s schedule
     -Jarring
            -Africa
            -Rogers
     -Israel
            -Flexibility
     -Egypt
            -Prime Minister Aziz Sidky’s speech
            -Youth problems
                   -Anwar el-Sadat’s actions
                   -Riots at University of Cairo
            -Sidky
                   -Expertise in domestic issues, economy
                   -Education
                                        21

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/06)
                                                                 Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


                               -Harvard University, University of Oregon
                   -Military preparations
                   -Economy
                   -Possible war
             -Soviet Union
                   -India-Pakistan War
                   -Egypt
                         -Restraint
             -Sadat
                   -UN action
                         -Domestic pressure
             -Egypt
                   -Note
                         -Negotiations
             -Negotiations
                   -Possible US help
     -Bush
          -Confidence of the President and Rogers
          -Background
          -Liaison position
                 -Discretion
                 -The President and Rogers
     -US relationship with Waldheim
          -Balance between proximity and distance
     -Waldheim
          -Difficulty of position
          -Image
                 -Compared with Thant
                 -Importance
          -Bush
     -Leaks
          -Jack N. Anderson papers
                 -Concern of world
     -Bush and Rogers
     -US support
          -Hope for success
          -India-Pakistan relations

Elizabeth (Ritschel) Waldheim
      -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
            -Unknown Ambassador to Africa
                                             22

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                       Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


               -Location
                    -Blair House
               -Tours

Waldheim, et al. left at 11:53 am.