Conversation: 658-031
Prev: 658-030 Next: 658-032Start Date: 27-Jan-1972 3:13 PM
End Date: 27-Jan-1972 3:46 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.; [Unknown person(s)]; Butterfield, Alexander P.;Recording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 04:50:36
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 05:23:47
NARA Description:
On January 27, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:13 pm to 3:46 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 658-031 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 658-31
Date: January 27, 1972
Time: 3:13 pm - 3:46 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.
Kissinger’s meeting with newsmen
-Procedure of Vietnam peace talks
-Kissinger’s trips
-The President’s involvement
-Reports
-Instructions
-Media-created impression
The President’s schedule
-Camp David
Unknown person entered at an unknown time after 3:13 pm.
Refreshment
52
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 558-31(cont.)
Unknown person left at an unknown time before 3:28 pm.
The President’s involvement in Vietnam negotiations
-Physical effects
-State of the Union address, peace proposal speech, January 25, 1972
-Dynamics of creation
-Media interests
-The President telephone conversation with Meany
-George Meany briefing by Kissinger
-Details of negotiations
-The President’s forthcoming trip to People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Soviet Union
-The President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
-Critics of negotiations
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Michael J. Mansfield
-Responses
-Advocacy of surrender
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Charles W. Colson’s rebuttal
-Communism in South Vietnam
-Colson’s rebuttal
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew’s rebuttal
-Public opinion
-The President’s recent talk with John N. Mitchell
-Congress
-News media
-The President’s peace proposal speech
-Quality
-Delivery
-Impact
-Kissinger briefing
-Impact
Kissinger’s briefings
-Contrasted with the President’s peace proposal speech
-Meany
******************************************************************************
53
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 558-31(cont.)
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 22s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
******************************************************************************
Administration accomplishments
-PRC trip
-Soviet Union trip
-Prestige
-Compared to previous presidents
-Soviet grain deal
-Consistency
-Aggressive rebuttal
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Accepting criticism
-Abuse of President by opponents
-Peace
-Dan Rather
-Bureaucracy
Vietnam
-Attack by Senators
-Edward M. Kennedy
-John F. Kennedy
-Ngo Dinh Diem
-Edward Kennedy’s 1968 peace plan
-Wooster, Ohio
-Details
-Vietnamization
-Overthrow of Nguyen Van Thieu government
-Recent peace proposal speech
-Reference to overthrow
-Recent congressional leadership meeting
-North Vietnamese position
-Attack by opponents
-Overthrow
54
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 558-31(cont.)
-Ceasefire
-North Vietnamese desires
-Negotiating points
Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 3:28 pm.
Schedule
Butterfield left at 3:30 pm.
Vietnam negotiations
-Significance
-The President’s recent talk with Kissinger
-Historical context
-British prime ministers
-Theodore Roosevelt
-Panama Canal
-World War II
-[Franklin D. Roosevelt]
-Morality
-The President’s experience
-Pacific
-Rome
-New York
-V-J Day
-London Times
-Compared to Washington Post
-Television
US-relations with the PRC and Soviet Union
-Significance
-Soviet fears
-US détente with the PRC
-Kissinger view
-The President’s possible talk with Chou En-Lai
-Return trip to the PRC
-Soviet summit
-Timing
Vietnam
-The President’s peace proposal speech
55
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 558-31(cont.)
-Lack of national unity
-The President’s part in negotiations
-Post-election strategy
-Bombing
The President’s schedule
-National Security Council [NSC]
-Kissinger schedule
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] meeting
-Melvin R. Laird orders
-January 31, 1972
-Announcement
Vietnam
-Kissinger’s forthcoming talk with Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
-Mitchell
-Verification panel meeting
-Pentagon Papers
-Jack N. Anderson papers
-Laird
-Story on bombing targets
-Laird
-Haldeman
-Accuracy
-Military targets
-Bombing period
-Bureaucracy
Nixon presidency
-Critics
-Haldeman’s role
-White House staff
-Period since July 1971
-Response
-US public
-Legitimacy
-Intellectuals attack
-Hugh S. Sidey
-Talk with Kissinger
-The President’s background
-Nicholas P. Thimmesch
56
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 558-31(cont.)
-The President’s background
-Whittier
-Kissinger’s background
-Germany
-Kissinger’s talk with Sidey
-Robert F. Kennedy
-Robert Kennedy
-Reasons
-The President’s independence
-Irrelevance of intellectuals
-New York Times
-Washington Post
-Voice of American people
-Democrat prospects
-Kissinger’s conversation with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-1972, 1976 elections
-Foreign policy comprehension
-Domestic policy
-India-Pakistan War
-PRC
-Soviet Union
-Bangladesh
-Intellectuals
-Liberals
-Kissinger’s friends
-Blindness
-College campuses
-Harvard University
-University of California
-Whittier College
-Dangers to nation
-The President’s view
-George C. Wallace
-Danger on left
-India
-North Vietnam
-Communists
-Opponents
-Accusation of critics
-Involvement in Asia
-Agha Muhommad Yahya Khan
57
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 558-31(cont.)
-The President’s Vietnam peace proposal speech
-Fitness to rule
-The President’s conversation with Richard M. Scammon
-Kissinger
The President’s conversation with Scammon
-Administration opponents
-US responsibilities
-PRC
-Criticism of US
-Europe
-West Germany
-Great Britain
-West Germany
-Geography
-Philosophical differences
-War
-Communism
-As a system
-Soviet people
-Chinese people
-Japanese people
-German people
-US leadership
-Critics of policy
-Intellectuals
-Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis
-Manner
-Lack of courage
-Compared to Meany
-Business, college presidents
-Democrat leadership
-Possible consequences
The President’s opponents
-Awareness of the President’s view
-Barry M. Goldwater
-The President’s point of view
-Training
The President’s schedule
58
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 558-31(cont.)
Kissinger’s relations with news media
-Magazines
-William L. Safire
-John A. Scali
-Story of negotiations
Vietnam
-Negotiations
-Prospects
-The President’s talk with Mansfield
-North Vietnam
-Soviet Union trip
-US military
-Bombing
-Air Force
-Navy
-Success
Kissinger left at 3:46 pm.