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Conversation: 868-018

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Start Date: 3-Mar-1973 2:45 PM

End Date: 3-Mar-1973 3:27 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Sanchez, Manolo

Recording Device: Oval Office

868-018b.mp3

868-018a.mp3

NARA Description:

On March 3, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:45 pm to 3:27 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 868-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 868-18

Date: March 3, 1973
Time: 2:45 pm – 3:27 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman at 2:45 pm.

       Press
               -Radio address
                    -Subject
                          -Crime
                    -Dates

       President's schedule
             -Trip to California
             -Baseball game
                    -President's attendance
                    -Pittsburgh
                    -Roberto Clemente
                    -President's appearance at opener
                           -Timing
                           -Benefits
                                      -52-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                               Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. June-2010)
                                                      Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


      -Trip to California
            -Return for baseball game
      -Easter
            -Trip to Florida
                  -Congressional recess
                         -Senate
                         -House
                  -Time off
                  -Loose schedule
      -Baseball game
            -Trip to Pittsburgh
                  -Overnight stay
            -Stop in Chicago
            -Return to Washington
                  -Trip to Pittsburgh

George P. Shultz's trip to Europe

President's schedule
      -Meeting on international monetary matters
      -Need for time off
      -Interruptions

George H. W. Bush
     -Lunch at Alibi Club
           -Number of members
     -Alibi Club
           Clubhouse
           -Meal
     -Luncheon
           -Guests
                 -Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
                 -William P. Clements, Jr.
                 -Potter Stewart
                 -Pat Wilson
                 -William E. Brock, III
                 -Clarence J. (“Bud”) Brown
                 -Gillespie V. (“Sonny”) Montgomery
                 -Frank E. Fitzsimmons
                                      -53-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                              Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. June-2010)
                                                    Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


           -Spiro T. Agnew
           -President's experiences as Vice President
           -Value
                 -Talk
                 -Level of intelligence
           -Moorer's talk
                 -Talk on Prisoners of war [POWs]
                 -Credit to President on Vietnam peace settlement and POW return
                 -May 8, 1972 decision
                 -December 1972 bombing
                 -Criticism of press
                 -Use of B-52s
                        -Reasons
                              -Precision
                              -Speed
                              -Devastation
                        -Effectiveness
                 -POWs
           -Value of luncheon
                 -Maurice H. Stans, Henry Crown
           -Cross section of guests

December 1972 bombing
    -Compared to May 8, 1972 decision
          -Difficulty of decision
                -Support for President
                -Public expectations
          -Number of flights
                -President’s desire to continue
    -Moorer's talk
          -Effectiveness
                -North Vietnam’s air defenses
    -Air Force morale
          -Victory
                -Settlement

Personnel appointments
     -Backlog of vacancies
           -Number
                                       -54-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. June-2010)
                                                          Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


                  -Executive level
     -Difficulties
     -Lists of candidates
     -Lower levels
           -Difficultly filling
           -Italian-Americans
           -Polish-Americans
           -Quotas
                  -Italian, Polish, Mexican-Americans
     -Frederic V. Malek
           -Managers
           -Ethnics

Henry A. Kissinger
     -Articles by Joseph C. Kraft and Hugh S. Sidey
           -Conciliatory attitudes toward President
                 -Reasons
                       -Favor
                       -Success of President's policies

Press Corps
      -Public consensus
      -William F. Buckley, Jr.
      -Other journalists

Reorganizations
     -John A. Volpe
     -Peter G. Peterson
           -Problems
     -Lower levels
           -Problems
           -Loyalists
     -Pat Wilson
           -Talk with Bush's brother
                 -Xerox Company
                       -Reputation as Democrats

Second administration
     -"Compassion gap"
                                      -55-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. June-2010)
                                                    Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


            -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger [?]
            -Perceptions
            -Robert H. Finch
            -Elliot L. Richardson

Flag at half mast

White House social affairs
     -Dinners
          -White House Correspondents
          -Radio correspondents
                 -Scheduling
                 -Advantages
                       -Compared to Correspondents dinner
          -Gridiron
                 -Richard (“Dick”) Wilson
                 -President's support
                       -President’s appearance
                              -Compared to 1962, 1963
                 -Bush
                       -Appearance
                       -Sense of humor
                 -George S. McGovern
                       -Jokes
                              -Hollywood writers
                              -Viciousness
                              -Voice quality
     -Evening at White House
          -Rose Mary Woods
                 -Meeting with Haldeman
                       -Rowan and Martin
                              -Paul W. Keyes

President's schedule
      -Burden
      -Bills before Congress
             -Administration losses
                  -Democrats
                                              -56-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. June-2010)
                                                           Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


       John D. Ehrlichman
            -Congressional relations
            -William E. Timmons

       White House social affairs
            -Evening at White House
                  -Scheduling
            -State dinner for Guilio Andreotti’s visit

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 2:45 pm.

       President to Executive Office Building [EOB]

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:27 pm.

       White House social affairs
            -Diplomatic reception
                    -William P. Rogers
                          -Dinner in March
                                -Dress
                    -Dress
                    -Scheduling
                        -April
                        -Rogers’s reception
                        -Fall
                        -September
                        -Weather
                  -Dean of Diplomatic Corps, Rogers’s knowledge
                  -Rogers dinner
                        -White House staff
                        -Cabinet officers
                  -Evenings at White House
                  -Scheduling
                  -Invitations
                        -Finance people
                        -Young people
             -Church services
                    -Scheduling
             -POW function
                                -57-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                         Tape Subject Log
                          (rev. June-2010)
                                                Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)


        -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
               -Outside function suggestion
        -Dinner
        -Reception
               -Meeting with President
               -Entertainment
                     -Boston Pops
                     -Variety show
                     -Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope
                     -Celebrities
               -Bands, dancing
               -Tents
        -Dinner on terrace
        -Reception at White House
        -Number of guests
               -Congress members
                    -Invitations
               -Celebrities
                     -Loyalists
                     -Cary Grant
                     -Richard (“Red”) Skelton
       -Jane Fonda
              -POWs
      -Receiving line
             -Photographs
             -Mementoes
                   -Cuff links
                   -Pins
      -Gifts
      -Place cards
      -Matches
-Early start
      -Diplomatic reception delay
-Number of events
      -1973 compared with 1974
-Evening at the White House, church services
-Publicity
-Early Start
      -Burst
                                                 -58-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. June-2010)
                                                            Conversation No. 868-18 (cont’d)



Haldeman left at 3:27 pm.