Conversation 742-006

TapeTape 742StartMonday, June 26, 1972 at 8:57 AMEndMonday, June 26, 1972 at 9:40 AMTape start time00:26:25Tape end time01:19:36ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.;  Bull, Stephen B.Recording deviceOval Office

Audio for this conversation has not yet been released by the National Archives.

On June 26, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:57 am to 9:40 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 742-006 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 742-6

Date: June 26, 1972
Time: 8:57 am - 9:40 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Kissinger's health

     Vietnamese military situation
          -North Vietnamese attack on Hue
               -Bombing
               -Quality of tank crews from North Vietnam
                    -News reports
                    -Intelligence information
          -South Vietnamese offensive
               -Kissinger’s view
               -Quang Tri
               -Army of the Republic of South Vietnam [ARVN]
                    -New reports
               -Gloria Emmett
                    -New York Times
                    -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
                    -Reporting

     Vietnam peace negotiations
          -Meeting schedule
          -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.'s trip
               -Length
               -Purpose
               -Nguyen Van Thieu
               -Ellsworth F. Bunker

                                       (rev. Feb-02)

    Gen. John D. Lavelle
         -Possible replacement
         -Defense Department report to Kissinger
         -Attacks on North Vietnamese targets
         -Term "Protective Reaction"
               -Signal to North Vietnamese
               -Bombing
         -Melvin R. Laird
         -The President's role
               -Kissinger’s view

    Press
         -Lavelle
         -International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
         -Watergate break-in
               -Bugging
               -Lawrence F. O'Brien, Jr.'s talk with Stewart J.O. Alsop
                     -George S. McGovern
         -Lavelle
               -The President’s view

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m         ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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    Washington Post article
        -Massive retaliation
             -McGovern and Dwight D. Eisenhower
             -Impact
             -Effect

                                        (rev. Feb-02)

                      -Kissinger’s view
                 -Jordan
                 -Vietnam
                 -Kissinger’s view
          -Intellectuals' opinion of defense policy

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 8:57 am.

     The President's schedule
          -Press conference
                -H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                -John D. Ehrlichman

Bull left at an unknown time before 9:40 am.

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 4s      ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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     Vietnam
          -McGovern's proposals
              -The President’s view
              -Kissinger’s view
              -Effect
              -Eisenhower's policy on Korea
              -Kissinger's conversation with Chou En-lai
                    -Korea
                         -Division
          -Administration's position in campaign
          -McGovern’s proposals
              -Hubert H. Humphrey
              -Defense spending

                                    (rev. Feb-02)

     -Administration actions
         -President’s statements
         -Negotiations
               -Effect of US election
               -Withdrawal date for US offer
               -McGovern
          -US election
               -Moscow
               -Peking
                    -Rationale
                    -George W. Ball's articles in New York Times
               -Moscow's view of election
                    -The President's conversation with Leonid I. Brezhnev
                           -Agriculture
                    -Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union [TASS] reports
                    -Statement by William P. Rogers

Kissinger's conversation with Alsop
     -The President
           -Alsop’s view
     -McGovern
           -Policies
     -The President's opponents
           -Liberals
           -Barry M. Goldwater
           -The President
           -Reaction to the President's re-election
                -Clark M. Clifford
                -Cyrus R. Vance
                -Ball

Vietnam
     -The President’s efforts
     -The President’s view
     -South Vietnamese military
           -Lam Son
           -Thieu
     -Larry Stern
     -Press
           -Time and Newsweek

                                    (rev. Feb-02)

                   -Vietnam War coverage

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 52s        ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8

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    Defense budget
        -Laird statements
              -The President’s view
              -Anti-Ballistic Missile [ABM] Treaty
              -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
              -Tactics
                    -Increase in program expenditures
                    -Kissinger’s view
                         -Timing
        -"Doves"
              -ABM Treaty
        -Previous briefing for Congressmen
        -ABM
              -The President’s statement
        -Laird

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 46s     ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10

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                                       (rev. Feb-02)

      Defense policy
          -The President’s efforts
                -Robert S. McNamara
          -Press
                -Katharine L. Graham

      Commonwealth Club speech by Rogers

      Kissinger's schedule
           -Possible television appearance
                 -The President’s view
                 -Marvin L. Kalb
                 -Prime time
                 -Today show
                 -Major network importance
                 -Length
                 -Timing

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 12
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 9s      ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 12

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      The President’s schedule
           -Henry Cabot Lodge
                -Kissinger
                -Possible appointment
                      -Ambassador to France
                          -Arthur K. Watson
                          -The President’s view

Kissinger left at 9:40 am.

                                        (rev. Feb-02)

No transcript is available for this conversation.