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Conversation: 866-016

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Start Date: 1-Mar-1973 12:41 PM

End Date: 1-Mar-1973 1:06 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Ziegler, Ronald L.Kissinger, Henry A.

Recording Device: Oval Office

866-016.mp3

NARA Description:

On March 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:41 pm to 1:06 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 866-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 866-16

Date: March 1, 1973
Time: 12:41 pm – 1:06 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

       Press briefing
                                                -33-

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                          Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. May-2010)
                                                                Conversation No. 866-16 (cont’d)


               -Subjects of discussion from meeting with Golda Meir
                     -US aid
                     -Security
                     -Negotiations

               -President's meetings with Hussein Ibn Talal [King of Jordan], Hafez Ismail
                     -Nature of talks
                            -Future negotiations

       Middle East negotiations
            -Settlement prospects
            -Israel’s negotiating style
                   -Egypt

       President's press conference
             -Scheduling

Henry A. Kissinger entered at 12:44 pm.

       Press briefing
             -Questions on president's meetings with Ismail and Meir
                    -Frankness
                    -US policy
                          -Talks with various parties
                    -Nature of settlement
                    -US talks with parties
                          -Egypt
                                -Public channel
                                -Direct talks
             -Timing
             -Reporters from Israel

Ziegler left at 12:49 pm.

       Meeting with Meir
            -Difficulty
            -William P. Rogers meeting with Egyptians
                  -Israel’s knowledge

       Egypt
                                        -34-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. May-2010)
                                                         Conversation No. 866-16 (cont’d)


     -Acceptance of Meir’s proposal
            Israel’s withdrawal
            -Joseph J. Sisco
            -Suez Canal
                   -Egyptian police, military
     -Interim agreement
            -Fuzzy language
                   -General principles
            -Sisco proposals
                   -Procedures for talks
     -Conversations with Kissinger
            -General principles
            -Private channel
     -Desire for US involvement
            -Ismail
                   -Egypt’s position
            -Pressure on Israel

Meeting with Meir
     -President’s negotiating style
           -Compared with John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
           -Airplanes
           -Linkage
           -Meir’s negotiating
           -Kennedy’s foreign policy knowledge
           -Johnson’s interest in foreign policy
                 -Johnson’s crudeness

Emigration of Soviet Jews
     -Kissinger talks with Jacob K. Javits and Jackson
     -American Jewish community
           -Exit permits
     -Soviet treatment of Jews
           -US foreign policy interest
           -Gas chambers
           -Humanitarian concern
           -War
           -Right of emigration
                  -Indians
                  -Parsis
                                    -35-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                             Tape Subject Log
                              (rev. May-2010)
                                                     Conversation No. 866-16 (cont’d)


     -Jackson
           -Contributions
           -Jews
           -1976 campaign
     -Javits
           -Congress
                 -Anti-Semitism
                 -Anti-Communists
                 -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]

US-USSR relations
    -Most Favored Nation [MFN] status for USSR
    -Brezhnev
          -Dealings with President
    -US advantage
          -Vietnam settlement
          -Middle East
          -Europe
          -Berlin settlement
    -Soviet gains
          -MFN
          -Gas deal
          -Nuclear treaty

USSR weapons build-up
    -Intelligence
    -Richardson
    -Strategic arms balance
           -SALT
           -President’s role
                 -US strategic programs
                 -Clements, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer,
                       -Richardson
    -SALT
           -Negotiations
           -Gerald C. Smith
           -U. Alexis Johnson
           -Military proposals
                 -Expense
                 -SS-9, SS-11 missiles
                                          -36-

                 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. May-2010)
                                                        Conversation No. 866-16 (cont’d)



******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[NATIONAL SECURITY]
[DURATION: 1M 14S]

      MISSILES

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
******************************************************************************


      US-USSR relations
          -National Security Council [NSC]
          -Scholars
                -Foreign policy expertise
                      -SALT
                            -1972 agreement
                            -Future agreements
                                  -Necessity
          -Compared with John F. Kennedy [?], Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert S. McNamara
          -Meetings with scholars
                -Support for SALT
                -Camp David
                -Scientists
                -Zbigiew Brzezinski
                -Marshall Shulman
                      -NSC group

     Prisoners of War [POWs] issue
           -Press
           -President's policy
                 -Firmness
                 -International Conference on Vietnam
                 -Mines
                        -Private talks
                 -Compared to John F. Kennedy
           -Public impact of return from Vietnam
                 -Support for President
                 -Press reports
                                             -37-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. May-2010)
                                                              Conversation No. 866-16 (cont’d)



       Arab-Israeli negotiations
            -State Department’s role
                   -Sisco
                         -Talk with Kissinger and President
                               -Timing
                               -Kissinger
                                     -Verification meeting
                         -US policy
                               -New approach

Kissinger left at 1:06 pm.