Conversation: 800-002
Prev: 800-001 Next: 800-003Start Date: Monday, October 16, 1972 9:03 PM
End Date: Monday, October 16, 1972 9:26 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Hearst, William R.; White House operator; [Unknown person(s)]; Galvin, Robert W.; Hayden, Martin S.Recording Device: Oval Office
NARA Description:
On October 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., William R. Hearst, White House operator, unknown person(s), Robert W. Galvin, and Martin S. Hayden met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:03 pm to 5:26 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 800-002 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 800-2
Date: October 16, 1972
Time: 5:03 pm - 5:26 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
Vietnam negotiations
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Possible proposals
-The President’s proposal
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Possible meeting with the President
-Midway Island
-Possible interpretation
The President talked with William R. Hearst between 5:04 pm and 5:08 pm.
[Conversation No. 800-2A]
[See Conversation No. 31-75]
[End of telephone conversation]
Vietnam negotiations
-Thieu
2
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)
-Possible meeting with the President
-1972 election
-San Clemente
-Western White House
The White House operator talked with the President at an unknown time between 5:08 pm and
5:14 pm.
[Conversation No. 800-2B]
[See Conversation No. 31-76]
The President conferred with Haig.
Vietnam negotiations
-Thieu
[End of conferral]
[End of telephone conversation]
Vietnam negotiations
-Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-Haig’s view.
-Role with Thieu
-Kissinger compared to Abrams
-Thieu
-Kissinger
-The President’s letter to Abrams
-Haig’s previous conversation with Abrams
-South Vietnam
-US support
-Limitations
-Riots aboard US naval vessels
An unknown person entered and left at an unknown time between 5:08 pm and 5:14 pm.
Refreshment
Vietnam negotiations
-Navy and Air Force
-Length of deployments
3
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)
-Timing of possible settlement announcement
-Haig’s view
-Kissinger’s schedule
-Meetings with Thieu
-Thieu’s possible modification of the agreement
-Return to Washington
Possible additional negotiations in Paris
-1972 election
-H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Possible collapse of settlement
-Thieu's possible reaction to proposal
-Haig’s view
-South Vietnamese bureaucracy
-Possible modifications of the agreement
-North Vietnamese reaction
-Possible settlement
-Political aspects compared to security aspects
-The President’s view
-Viability of South Vietnam
The President talked with Robert W. Galvin between 5:14 pm and 5:16 pm.
[Conversation No. 800-2C]
[See Conversation No. 31-77; one item has been withdrawn]
[End of telephone conversation]
Vietnam negotiations
-Possible settlement
-Thieu
-Prisoners of war [POWs] wives
The President talked with Martin S. Hayden between 5:16 pm and 5:21 pm.
[Conversation No. 800-2D]
[See Conversation No. 31-78]
[End of telephone conversation]
Vietnam negotiations
4
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)
-Possible settlement
-Thieu
-Possible meeting with the President
-Kissinger
-Haig’s view
-Thieu’s enthusiastic support of the settlement
-The President’s possible meeting with Thieu
-Need for Thieu’s support of the settlement
-Possible collapse of settlement
-1972 election
-Subsequent settlement
-Possible ultimatum to Thieu
-The President's May 8, 1972 decision
-Bombing and mining
-Effect on North Vietnamese
-POW wives
-The President's recent meeting with the National League of Families of
American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
-The President’s pledge not to abandon the POW’s
-The President’s pledge to prevent imposition of communist government
on South Vietnam
-Betrayal of allies
-POW’s, missing in action [MIA’s]
-The President’s pledge not to rely on goodwill of North Vietnamese to
release POW’s
-George S. McGovern
-Abrams
-Role as advocate
-The President’s previous meeting with Abrams
-Haig’s view
-Haig’s forthcoming meeting with Abrams
-Abrams’s key role in the settlement
-Kissinger
-Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Forthcoming meetings with Thieu
-Thieu’s possible acceptance of settlement
-The President as an ally of Thieu
-Thieu’s possible rejection of settlement
The President’s loss of confidence in Thieu
Haig left at 5:26 pm.
5
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)