Conversation No. 309-1

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  12:00 pm - 1:37 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with John D. Ehrlichman.

Yeoman Charles E. Radford incident
-Robert O. Welander
-Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Talk with David R. Young, Jr.
	-Concern over quality of evidence
-Ehrlichman
-Meeting with Henry A. Kissinger and Haig
-Tape of Welander interview
-Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
	-Kissinger and Haig
		-Satisfaction with Moorer
-Backchannels
				-Kissinger monologue to Ehrlichman
					-Timing
-William P. Rogers
	-Moorer’s possible replacement
		-Praise for Moorer
-R. C. (“Hugh”) Robinson interview
	-Haig
-Melvin R. Laird
	-Previous conversation with the President
-John F. Kennedy administration
-Lyndon B. Johnson administration
-Time on Appropriations Committee

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  12s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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Radford incident
-Moorer
-Kissinger
-Haig
-Kissinger
	-Reactions
-State Department
-Leaks
			-Kissinger
-Rogers
-John F. Kennedy
	-Pakistan
-Kissinger’s style
-Rogers
	-Relationship with the President
-India-Pakistan War
	-Situation compared to Cuba by State Department
-Secretary of State
-Joseph F. Kraft
	-Kissinger
		-Conflict with Rogers

Rogers's press conference
-Bombing of North Vietnam

Kissinger entered at 12:15 pm.

	Ehrlichman
		-Water Quality Bill [?]
			-Discussed at a later date

Radford incident
-Moorer
-[Unintelligible]
-Briefcases
-Haig
-John N. Mitchell
-Moorer
-Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS] Liaison Office
-Background
	-David [?] Ginsberg
-Laird
-Haig
-Robinson
-Interrogation
-Ehrlichman
			-President’s displeasure with Radford incident
				-Amount of time
-JCS
-National Security Council [NSC]
-McGeorge Bundy
-Source
	-Use information
-Moorer resignation
-Decision
	-Potential risks
-Laird
-[Unintelligible]
-US public opinion
	-Complexity of Radford incident
		-Difficult to understand
-Wall Street Journal editorial
-Leaks within government
-Moorer
-Survival of military establishment
-Future for Radford

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Privacy]
[Duration:  5s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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-Pentagon
-Documents
-Jack N. Anderson
	-Unknown name
-Briefcase
-Moorer resignation
-Consideration
-Transfer of Radford
	-Under surveillance
-Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI]
-Mitchell
	-Talk with Ehrlichman
-Anderson
-Press coverage of Radford incident
-Concern
-Surveillance of Radford
	-Length of time
-Moorer
	-Proposed talk with Kissinger
-[Unintelligible]
	-President’s instructions to Ehrlichman
-John B. Connally's knowledge
-Spiro T. Agnew's knowledge
-Kissinger, Haig and Young
	-JCS
-Laird
-Mitchell
	-President’s instructions
		-Informing Laird
-JCS
-White House staff
	-Secretaries
		-Unknown person
-Laird’s General Counsel
-Richard G. Kleindienst
-Robert C. Mardian
-Anderson
-Laird
-Effect on administration
-Effect on the military
	-Potential damage
-Ehrlichman's call to Mitchell
-Laird's talk with Mitchell
-Laird
-Moorer
	-Kissinger’s attitude
-[Unintelligible]
-JCS
	-Johnson Administration
		-Historical significance
-Haig
-People’s Republic of China [PRC] trip

Kissinger's schedule
	-Timing

PRC and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] trips

Foreign policy

-Vietnam
-North Vietnamese
	-Actions
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope
	-Negotiations
		-Release of POWs

Busing (school cases)
-Justice and State Departments
-Solicitor General
-Mitchell
-Erwin N. Griswold
	-President’s forthcoming call to Griswold

Kissinger's schedule
	-New York

The President's schedule
	-Photo opportunities
	-Phone calls
		-Number

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Privacy]
[Duration:  1m 18s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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Kissinger left at 12:45 pm.

-Criticism of Kissinger
-Kissinger’s place in history
-Role in foreign policy
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Relations with Moorer
	-Suggested future cooperation
-John A. Scali
		-Work relationship

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 16
[Privacy]
[Duration:  7s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 16

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-Kissinger's relationship with Rogers
-Ehrlichman’s view
	-Rogers
	-Tensions with Kissinger
		-Differences
	-Press conference
		-Particular strengths and skill
	-State Department
		-Praise from the President
	-Kissinger's and Rogers's working relationship

Environmental legislation
-Treasury Department
-Connally
-Tax impact
-Ehrlichman to write to Connally
	-Need for Connally’s assistance
		-Presidential support
-Water Bill
-Progress in the House
-Veto
-Administration strategy
-George P. Shultz
-Budgetary implications
	-Potential problems
-Conference committee
	-Possible reservations by the President

Real estate taxation legislation
-Charles W. Colson, Richard A. Moore and Scali
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Connally
	-State of the Union Address
-Ehrlichman's talk with Connally
-McElroy Commission
-Ehrlichman's conversation with [Forename unknown] Walton
		-Ehrlichman meeting with William Baroody and other conservatives in education field
			-Timing
-Interest groups
-John W. Byrnes
-Colson
	-Real estate tax
-Neil H. McElroy
-Commission
-Real estate taxes
-Legislative proposal

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 12
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  32s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 12

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Ehrlichman's schedule
-California
	-President’s forthcoming meeting with Eisaku Sato

President's State of the Union Message
	-To be worked on in California

Value added tax
-Connally's reaction to
	-Kenneth R. Cole, Jr. [?]
-President’s view
	-Trade unions
	-President’s instructions
	-White House's reaction to
	-Elliot L. Richardson’s view
	-Connally to speak
		-Dick [Surname unknown]
	-President's State of the Union Message
	-Meeting with Connally
		-Apparent difficulties
		-Ehrlichman’s schedule
	-President's State of the Union Message
		-Amount of time to be worked on

Defense budget
	-President’s telephone list
-Unknown man
-Laird
	-Support for budget
-Shultz
-Laird
-Shultz
-Kissinger

Kissinger and Rogers
-Kissinger
	-Value to the administration
		-Concerns
-Rogers
-India-Pakistan War
-Kissinger
-Style and demeanor
-Laos
-India-Pakistan War
-Laos
	-Effect on public opinion
-Marquis Childs
-Kraft
-James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
	-“Kissinger’s world”
-Family and personal life
-Style on the job
	-Connally
		-Compared to other White House staffers
		-Family life
-Rogers
-Family life
-Press conference on India-Pakistan War
-News summary
-New York Times
-John F. Kennedy
		-Apparent lack of focus
-President's personnel management abilities
	-Time magazine
		-Previous interview with Ehrlichman
			-Shultz’s phone calls
-Kissinger's relations with Laird and Rogers
-Kissinger
-Kissinger's response during crisis
	-Style
		-Various political and domestic problems
		-National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
			-Rogers
			-Aspects of the President’s job
	-Israel
-Middle East
-Laos

Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope comments on release of POWs
-Haig
-Kissinger
	-Reactions

Moorer and incident with Radford
-Welander
	-Kissinger
-JCS

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 13
[Privacy]
[Duration:  34s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 13

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Kissinger
-Talk with the President
-Talk of leaving the Administration
-Intellectualism
	-Potential problems
		-President’s view
-Religion
-Universities
	-“Liberal intellectualism”
-Scientists
-Universe
-Relationship with President
	-President’s justification

President's signing the National Cancer Act of 1971
-News stories
	-Newspaper and television
-Edward M. Kennedy
-Audience
-John G. Schmitz[?]
	-Individual receiving pen from the President
-E. Kennedy
-President's remarks
-Money

Movie "Brian's Song"
-Channel 2
-American Broadcasting Corporation [ABC] show
-Gale E. Sayers and Brian Piccolo
-Cancer
-Race relations
-President's recommendation Ehrlichman and all White House staff see it
-Screening in the White House
-Ehrlichman's role
-Paul Fisher
	-Timing
-Ehrlichman’s schedule

Movie "French Connection"
-Police
-Drug traffic
-Compared to unknown movie
	-Realism

Kissinger's personality

Public reaction
-India-Pakistan War
-Georges J.R. Pompidou
-International monetary affairs
-Middle East
-US Jewish population
-Media coverage
		-India

Indira Gandhi's visit to US

Kissinger and Rogers
-PRC and Soviet trips
-William C. Sullivan
	-Sullivan’s remark to Kissinger
		-State Department
-Conflict between Kissinger and Rogers
-Rogers's reaction to the PRC trip
-PRC and Soviet trips compared
	-Significance

State Department
	-Department of Health, Education and Welfare [HEW]
-Leaks
-Staff during Democrat administrations

Government bureaucracy
-Liberals
-Conservatives
-Jews

Kissinger
-San Clemente
-Ehrlichman's talks with Kissinger

President's relations with his staff
-Socializing
-Kissinger
-Dinners
-Compared to Dwight D. Eisenhower's relations with his staff
	-Administration’s effort to promote goodwill
	-Praise from the President

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
[Privacy]
[Duration:  37s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9

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F. Donald Nixon
	-Ehrlichman’s previous conversation with Donald Nixon
-Christmas plans
-Activities
-European business connections
-Robert L. Vesco
	-Investors Overseas Services, Ltd. [IOS]
-Donald Nixon’s boss
	-[Forename unknown] Straub
-Meeting with Ehrlichman
-Donald Nixon’s move to Bahamas
	-Donald Nixon’s appeal
	-White House Connection
		-Efforts to see the President
-Vesco
-Jail
-Harry L. Sears
-Mitchell

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 14
[Privacy]
[Duration:   26s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 14

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  4m 30s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10

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President's schedule
-California
-Florida
-Eisaku Sato
	-Upcoming meeting

President's upcoming interview with Dan Rather

Radio message
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Story about Vietnam War
-Soldier

Christmas and New Year greetings

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 15
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  2m 17s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 15

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Kissinger

Cole
	-Oklahoma [?]

President's State of the Union message
-Raymond K. Price, Jr. and Ehrlichman

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 11
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  1m 40s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 11

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Ehrlichman left at 1:37 pm.

Conversation No. 309-2

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  1:37 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 17-4]

	Request for a call to George P. Shultz

Conversation No. 309-3

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  1:37 pm - 1:46 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with George P. Shultz.

[See Conversation No. 17-5; one item has been withdrawn from the conversation]

Conversation No. 309-4

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 1:46 pm and 1:48 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

Gen. James D. (“Don”) Hughes's wish to talk to the President on the phone
-Liberia

First Family Christmas photos
-Blue Room
-Ronald L. Ziegler and Constance M. Stuart
-Photo by wire services and Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins

	President’s instructions
	-Gen. Walter R. Tkach

Bull left at an unknown time before 1:48 pm.

Conversation No. 309-5

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 1:46 pm and 1:48 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 17-6]

	Request for a call to Gen. James D. (“Don”) Hughes

Conversation No. 309-6

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  1:48 pm - 1:49 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with Gen. James D. (“Don”) Hughes.

[See Conversation No. 17-7]

Conversation No. 309-7

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  1:49 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 17-8]

Conversation No. 309-8

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  1:50 pm - 1:51 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with Gen. James D. (“Don”) Hughes.

[See Conversation No. 17-9]

Conversation No. 309-9

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 1:51 pm and 1:56 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with the White House operator

[See Conversation No. 17-10]

	Request for a call to John W. Chancellor

Conversation No. 309-10

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  1:56 pm - 2:01 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with John W. Chancellor.

[See Conversation No. 17-11]

Conversation No. 309-11

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 2:01 pm and 2:06 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 17-12]

	Request for a call to Nelson A. Rockefeller

Conversation No. 309-12

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  2:06 pm - 2:12 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with Nelson A. Rockefeller.

[See Conversation No. 17-13; one item has been withdrawn from the conversation]

Conversation No. 309-13

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 2:12 pm and 2:16 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 17-14]

	Request for a call to Ronald W. Reagan

Conversation No. 309-14

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 2:12 pm and 2:16 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President met with Manolo Sanchez.

Letters
-Out box

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 2:16 pm.

Conversation No. 309-15

Date:  December 24, 1971
Time:  2:16 pm - 2:21 pm
Location:  Executive Office Building

The President talked with Ronald W. Reagan.

[See Conversation No. 17-15; one item has been withdrawn from the conversation]