Nixon White House Tapes › Topic
Nixon Tapes on Joint Chiefs of Staff
23 conversations · frequently with Nixon, Kissinger, Haig, Moorer
President Nixon initiates a phone call through the White House operator to reach Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This brief interaction serves as the administrative bridge to facilitate a direct communication between the President and his top military advisor. No further substantive discussion occurs during this operator-assisted exchange.
President Nixon consulted with the White House operator to facilitate a telephonic connection with Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The interaction was brief and served solely as an administrative coordination to reach the military leader. No substantive policy matters or further developments were captured in this exchange.
President Nixon consulted with the White House operator to facilitate a telephone connection with Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This brief interaction served as the administrative precursor to an urgent discussion regarding military or national security matters involving the Admiral. No further details of the substance of the conversation were recorded beyond the successful initiation of the call.
Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and staff members met in the Cabinet Room to finalize logistics and seating arrangements for an upcoming briefing involving the President, Vice President, and senior military officials. The participants debated the placement of briefing materials and chairs to ensure that both the President and Vice President could effectively view documents and presentations. Haig finalized the seating chart for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other officials to facilitate a smooth, orderly exchange of information during the planned session.
President Nixon met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Vice President Agnew, and key defense officials to review the military’s fiscal year 1973 budget and strategic posture. The Joint Chiefs presented briefings on the shifting global military balance, particularly the expansion of Soviet strategic and conventional forces, and argued that current fiscal constraints threatened the effectiveness of the Nixon Doctrine. The President emphasized the need to build a compelling public and congressional case for defense requirements to counter an anti-military climate, while acknowledging the severe domestic fiscal pressures he faced.
President Nixon and Treasury Secretary John Connally discussed the status of ongoing economic pressures and Connally's travel plans. Nixon emphasized the importance of consulting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding military budget allocations before finalizing the administration's fiscal planning. Both parties agreed that Connally should proceed with his scheduled trip, as he remained easily reachable by telephone to manage economic developments.
President Nixon and Secretary of the Treasury John Connally discussed the implementation schedule for a major economic policy plan, confirming the intent to proceed with their original timeline rather than accelerating it. The participants touched upon administrative logistics and the necessity of coordinating with the Joint Chiefs regarding budget preparations. They concluded the brief exchange by finalizing travel plans and affirming their commitment to the established strategic agenda.
President Nixon met with John Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman, and John Ehrlichman to discuss a serious security breach involving a Navy yeoman who was systematically stealing and duplicating classified documents from the National Security Council (NSC) for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The participants determined that the yeoman had been acting under the instruction of military superiors, specifically Admirals Robinson and Welander, to funnel sensitive foreign policy information to the Pentagon. To address this compromise without triggering a public scandal or a damaging confrontation with the military establishment, they decided to move the military liaison office out of the NSC, replace it with a new security officer, and have the officials involved reassigned.
Following a formal ceremony in the Oval Office to recognize the commissions of new Supreme Court Justices Lewis F. Powell, Jr. and William H. Rehnquist, President Nixon transitioned into a private session with his staff. The discussion focused on national security concerns, specifically the ongoing investigation into intelligence leaks involving Navy Yeoman Charles E. Radford, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Henry Kissinger. Nixon and his advisors resolved to neutralize the threat posed by Radford by utilizing the legal pressure of potential criminal prosecution to ensure his silence, while simultaneously using the incident as a pretext to restructure security operations within the Joint Chiefs and the National Security Council.
President Nixon met with H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman to discuss a serious security breach involving a yeoman who leaked classified information to columnist Jack Anderson. The participants addressed the existence of an unauthorized channel between the National Security Council staff and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which allowed for the improper dissemination of internal decision-making documents. Nixon directed his staff to shut down this channel and strategy was discussed regarding how to handle the leaker and potentially confront Anderson, while carefully avoiding direct involvement from Henry Kissinger in the ongoing investigation.
President Nixon initiates a brief request for the White House operator to connect him with Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This administrative interaction serves as a precursor to a formal consultation between the President and the nation's top military official. No substantive policy discussions occur during this brief call-placement sequence.
President Nixon met with Rose Mary Woods and Alexander P. Butterfield to discuss administrative matters, including the handling of a specific letter and a speech draft. Following Butterfield’s departure, Stephen B. Bull joined the President to review scheduling arrangements regarding meetings with Vice President Spiro Agnew, a Joint Chiefs of Staff representative, and George Romney. The brief session focused on managing the President's immediate office workflows and upcoming appointments.
President Nixon, Admiral Thomas Moorer, and Henry Kissinger met to discuss the necessity of maintaining direct communication channels between the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, notwithstanding bureaucratic concerns from the Department of Defense. Nixon emphasized his constitutional duty as Commander-in-Chief and expressed frustration with constraints following the Charles Radford security leak incident involving columnist Jack Anderson. The President instructed Kissinger and General Alexander Haig to manage potential friction with the Secretary of Defense to ensure the military leadership could continue to report directly to him.
President Nixon initiates a brief telephone call through the White House operator to contact Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The primary purpose of the communication is to establish a direct line to the Admiral for official consultation. No further substantive discussion occurs during this short segment, as the operator processes the request.
President Nixon directs the White House operator to place a telephone call to Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, then serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The brief interaction serves as a routine administrative request to facilitate communication between the President and military leadership. No further substantive discussion occurs during this exchange.
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss internal administrative friction regarding ongoing arms control negotiations with the Soviet Union, specifically targeting the obstructionist behavior of Gerard C. Smith. Kissinger reports that Smith is attempting to undermine the inclusion of submarine provisions in the potential treaty, a move the Joint Chiefs of Staff strongly oppose. Nixon and Kissinger affirm their decision to proceed with a public statement on the progress of these negotiations to ensure they receive credit and to prevent the Soviets from controlling the narrative via leaks.
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss tactical concerns regarding a forthcoming meeting with an individual identified as Jerry and the navigation of diplomatic or military agreements. The conversation focuses on potential friction points with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the strategic distribution of credit for ongoing negotiations. They ultimately weigh the risks of withholding information or specific elements of an agreement to maintain control over the policy process.
Henry Kissinger contacts the White House operator to facilitate an urgent communication with Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This administrative call serves as the necessary step to bridge a secure line for high-level military consultations. The primary action item is the immediate placement of the call to the Admiral to address time-sensitive defense or strategic matters.
Henry A. Kissinger requested that the White House operator connect him with Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This administrative coordination served as a precursor to a substantive discussion between the two officials. The conversation was limited to the initiation of this secure communication channel.
President Nixon and Alexander Haig coordinated an upcoming meeting involving General Robert E. Cushman, Jr. and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The pair discussed the ongoing, difficult Vietnam peace negotiations, emphasizing the necessity of maintaining a firm stance against South Vietnamese resistance to ensure progress before the January 3 deadline. Nixon instructed Haig to monitor Henry Kissinger’s efforts during their forthcoming mission to Paris to ensure the negotiations remained on track.
President Nixon met with his senior military and national security leadership, including Henry Kissinger, Melvin Laird, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to align the administration on the status and defense of pending Vietnam peace negotiations. The discussion focused on the current terms of the settlement agreement, the importance of maintaining public and congressional support, and the necessity of contingency planning should North Vietnam violate the terms. Nixon emphasized that the agreement was the best obtainable outcome and instructed his team to present a unified, positive front while preparing for potential retaliatory actions if the cease-fire collapsed.
President Nixon met with Ronald Ziegler and General Brent Scowcroft to coordinate an upcoming visit to the Pentagon for lunch with Secretary Elliot Richardson and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The primary objective of the visit was to receive a status report on returning prisoners of war (POWs) and to determine how to formally recognize their service. Additionally, the President intended to use the meeting as a strategic opportunity to bolster military morale and acknowledge the contributions of the service secretaries and the military leadership.
President Nixon contacted the White House operator to facilitate a telephone connection with Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This brief interaction served solely as a logistical request to initiate a high-level consultation with the nation's top military official. No substantive policy matters were discussed during this specific exchange with the operator.