Conversation No. 450-26

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 6:56 am and 8:58 am
Location:  Unknown

Unknown people met
[It appears that a meeting already in progress in a room near the Oval Office was recorded by the Oval Office recording system]

Corporation for Public Broadcasting
-Cost of living increase
-Congressional committees

Recording was cut off at an unknown time before 8:58 am

Conversation No. 450-1

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 7:56 am and 8:58 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield

White House taping system
-Operation
-Purpose
-Cabinet Room
-Butterfield
-Operation
-Monitoring
-Knowledge of system
-H. R. (ABob@) Haldeman
-The President
-Secret Service

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 8:58 am

Conversation No. 450-2

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 7:56 am and 8:58 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with an unknown man

Schedule
-Melvin R. Laird
-Cabinet meeting

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 8:58 am

Conversation No. 450-3

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  8:58 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President talked with the White House operator

Call to Mrs. B. Everett Jordan

Conversation No. 450-4

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 8:58 am and 9:17 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with an unknown man

Schedule

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 9:17 am

Conversation No. 450-5

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  9:17 am - 9:19 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President talked with Mrs. B. Everett Jordan

B. Everett Jordan
-Health

Conversation No. 450-6

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 9:19 am and 9:35 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with an unknown man [Stephen B. Bull?]

Schedule
-Lieutenant General Vernon A. Walters
-William P. Rogers
-George W. Wilson

The unknown man [Bull?] left at an unknown time before 9:35 am

Conversation No. 450-7

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 9:19 am and 9:35 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with an unknown man [Stephen B. Bull?]

Schedule

The unknown man [Bull?] left at an unknown time before 9:35 am

Conversation No. 450-8

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  9:35 am - 10:10 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Lieutenant General Vernon A. Walters

Greetings

******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration:  29m 30s  ]

SPAIN

Marjorie P. Acker entered at 9:45 am

Acker left at 10:00 am

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

******************************************************************************

Lam Son
-Walters= view
-Ho Chi Minh Trail
-South Vietnamese Army
-Background
-Bombing

Walters= future
-Possible assignments
-White House
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]

-Richard M. Helms
-Army
-CIA

[General conversation]

Walters left at 10:10 am

Conversation No. 450-9

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 10:10 am and 10:28 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with an unknown woman

Schedule

The unknown woman left at an unknown time before 10:28 am

Conversation No. 450-10

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  10:28 am - 10:49 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (ABob@) Haldeman; an unknown man [Alexander P. Butterfield?] was present at the beginning of the meeting

Previous Cabinet meeting
-Melvin R. Laird
-Briefing
-Duration
-Compared to Henry A. Kissinger
-William P. Rogers
-Butterfield
-Role

-Instructions for future
-Length of meeting
-Carl Wallace
-John B. Connally
-Length of meeting
-Problems
-Number of people at meeting
-Reduction
-William L. Safire
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-Rank of attendees
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Attendance of subordinate
-Robert J. Brown
-Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
-Role in future scheduling
-Impact
-George P. Shultz
-Caspar W. (ACap@) Weinberger
-George H. W. Bush
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Cole
-Need for reduction
-Problems
-Key staff participation
-Future meetings
-Compared to other staff meetings
-National Security Council [NSC] meetings
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Price
-Safire
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Speech writers
-John K. Andrews, Jr. [?]
-Dr. Edward E. David, Jr.
-Peter G. Peterson
-Richard M. Helms
-Robert J. Dole
-Paul W. McCracken
-Clark MacGregor
-William E. Timmons
-Herbert G. Klein
-Safire

-Weinberger
-Budget
-Key White House staff
-Instructions for future meetings
-Attendance
-Agnew
-Limitations
-Bush

Files
-President
-Haldeman
-Content
-Tape records
-Use

White House taping system
-Knowledge of

The unknown man [Butterfield?] left at an unknown time before 10:49 am; Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:28 am

Schedule

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:49 am

Medal of Honor ceremony

Press conferences
-Preparation
-Staff responsibilities
-Frequency
-Television press conferences
-Advantages and disadvantages
-Questions

European trip
-Robert H. Finch and Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Wives
-List of attendees
-Travel arrangements
-Air Force planes
-Use by Ehrlichman and Shultz

-Agnew
-Use
-Wives of party
-President=s policy
-Haldeman

Schedule
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Haldeman
-Leonard Garment [?]
-Content of State of World message [?]
-Congress
-Timmons
-Walter Scheel
-Staff meeting tomorrow
-Ehrlichman
-Shultz
-State of World message
-Arrangements
-Timing
-Weekly schedule
-Events
-Quadriad meeting
-News summaries
-Delivery to President
-Weekends
-Newport, Rhode Island event

Haldeman left at 10:49 am

Conversation No. 450-11

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  10:49 am - 11:03 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger

Dinner for Jean Monnet
-Telegram from the President

-Impact
-Kissinger=s schedule

******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration:  3m 49s  ]

CIENFUEGOS

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

******************************************************************************

The President=s meeting with Lieutenant General Vernon A. Walters
-Kissinger follow-up
-President=s instructions
-Robert C. Hill
-Message from the President to General Francisco Franco
-Walters= report back to the President

President=s press conference on February 17, 1971
-Vietnam
-North Vietnamese troops
-Location and number
-Cienfuegos
-Anti-ballistic missiles
-Safeguard
-Melvin R. Laird announcement
-President=s decision

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-Multiple Independently-Targeted Reentry Vehicle [MIRV]
-SS-9
-Intelligence estimates
-Technology
-Effect on United States-Soviet negotiations
-New Soviet efforts

-SS-9 slowdown
-Kissinger=s belief
-Public comments by the President
-United States= arms control position
-Public comments by the President
-Anti-ballistic Missile [ABM]
-Arms limitation
-Offensive/defensive weapons link
-Future SALT negotiations
-Vienna
-Kissinger=s recommendation

Schedule
-Press conference
-Foreign policy report to Congress
-Kissinger

Vietnam
-Troop activities
-Lam Son operation
-South Vietnamese Army
-Enemy resistance
-Artillery
-Press accounts

Kissinger left at 11:03 am

Conversation No. 450-12

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 11:03 am and 11:04 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with an unknown man [Stephen B. Bull?]

Schedule
-Barber shop
-George P. Shultz

The President and the unknown man [Bull?] left at 11:04 am

Conversation No. 450-13

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 11:04 am and 11:24 am
Location:  Oval Office

Unknown people [Secret Service] met

The President=s location

The unknown people [Secret Service] left at an unknown time before 11:24 am

Conversation No. 450-14

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  Unknown after 11:24 am until 12:12 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with John D. Ehrlichman and George P. Shultz
[Recording begins while the conversation is in progress]

Monetary policy
-Balance of payments problems
-American Enterprise Institute statement
-Past crises
-News summaries
-Henry A. Kissinger role
-Foreign policy
-International monetary system
-President=s view
-Price of gold
-Need for competent handling
-Peter G. Peterson
-Role
-International monetary policy

-White House position
-Quotas
-Peterson
-Committees
-William P. Rogers
-Shultz
-Peter M. Flanigan=s role
-Lockheed
-Rolls Royce
-John B. Connally
-Role
-David Packard
-Laotian Special Action group
-Kissinger
-Council of Economic Advisors
-Peterson=s role
-Connally
-Shultz
-Troika
-Access to the President
-Quadriad
-[Forename unknown] Parker
-Peterson
-Paul A. Volcker

Budget preparations
-1972 State of the Union message
-Preparation
-Departments and agencies
-Ehrlichman
-Timing
-Tax reform
-Connally
-Shultz=s efforts
-Defense budget
-Possible problem
-Additional funding
-United States-Soviet Union relations
-Timing
-Effect on Vietnam withdrawal

Public Works projects
-Public relations
-Administration efforts
-Editorials
-Letters
-Budgetary problems
-Funding
-John C. Whitaker study
-Allocation of resources

[General conversation]

Ehrlichman and Shultz left at 12:12 pm

Conversation No. 450-15

Date:  February 16, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 12:12 pm and 12:13 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull

Schedule

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:13 pm

Conversation No. 450-16

Date:  February 16, 1971 [?]
Time:  Unknown between 12:12 pm and 12:13 pm [?]
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with an unknown woman

Gift list
-Kenneth M. Crosby
-Robert H. Abplanalp

The unknown woman left at an unknown time before 12:13 pm

Conversation No. 450-17

Date:  February 16, 1971 [?]
Time:  12:13 pm - 12:16 pm [?]
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (ABob@) Haldeman

Unknown person from California
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Schedule

The President and Haldeman left at 12:16 pm

Conversation No. 450-18

Date:  February 16, 1971 [?]
Time:  Unknown between 12:16 pm and 11:59 pm [?]
Location:  Oval Office

Unknown people [Secret Service] met

The President=s location

The unknown people [Secret Service] left at an unknown time before 11:59 pm

Conversation No. 450-19

Date:  February 17, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 12:00 am and 4:04 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler

Forthcoming press conference
-Timing

Ziegler left at an unknown time before 4:04 pm

Conversation No. 450-20

Date:  February 17, 1971
Time:  4:04 pm - 4:51 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with unknown members of the press

[General conversation]
-Set-up

[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation appears in Public Papers of the Presidents, Richard M. Nixon, 1971, pp. 158-169]

[End of transcribed portion]

Format of press conference
-Suggestions
-Future press conferences
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Location
-Networks

Anecdote

[General conversation/Unintelligible]

White House intern
-Educational background

The unknown members of the press left at 4:51 pm

Conversation No. 450-21

Date:  February 17, 1971
Time:  4:52 pm - 5:24 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Walter Scheel, William P. Rogers, and Henry A. Kissinger; the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting

Introductions

Refreshments

Europe
-President=s position
-Questions regarding Europe
-President=s previous press conference
-Foreign policy report to Congress
-Rogers role
-Melvin R. Laird=s role
-Rogers negotiations
-East/West relations
-Middle East
-Other areas of concern
-Compared to Europe
-President=s press conference
-Southeast Asia

Germany
-US-German relations
-Germany-Eastern Europe relations
-US position
-National Security Council [NSC] meetings
-Content
-Berlin negotiations

-Bonn/Moscow negotiations
-Forthcoming German elections
-Berlin problem
-Status
-German position
-Western allies
-Soviet Union
-Position on Berlin
-Status
-German position
-Goals
-Concessions
-Berlin=s situation
-Isolation
-President=s view
-Efforts
-German position
-Western allies
-Warsaw Pact

Gifts

Scheel left at 5:19 pm

Scheel=s comments
-Follow-up discussion
-German policies
-German political situation

Rogers left at 5:22 pm

-Berlin negotiations
-Soviet tactics
-President=s view

******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Privacy]
[Duration:  6s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

******************************************************************************

President=s press conference
-The President=s handling
-Vietnam
-President=s comments
-Cuban question
-Kissinger=s view

******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration:  8s  ]

CUBA

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

******************************************************************************

-Television use
-Effect on positions
-Paris negotiations
-Vietnam
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-Laos
-American press

Kissinger left at 5:24 pm

Conversation No. 450-22

Date:  February 17, 1971
Time:  5:25 pm - 5:26 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler

Previous press conference
-Laos
-Integration
-North Vietnam

******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Privacy]
[Duration:  28s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

******************************************************************************

Ziegler left at 5:26 pm

Conversation No. 450-23

Date:  February 17, 1971
Time:  5:26 pm - 5:53 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with John D. Ehrlichman and Daniel J. Evans; the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting

Supersonic Transport [SST]
-President=s position
-Impact on economy
-Importance
-Administration efforts

Hanford nuclear reactor
-Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
-Funding
-George P. Shultz
-Status
-Evans= meeting with Donald B. Rice
-Evans= concerns
-Seattle power supply
-OMB decision
-Evans= efforts
-Funding
-Effect in Washington state
-Funding
-Evans= view
-Employment
-Future developments
-Administration efforts
-Caspar W. (ACap@) Weinberger
-Budget

Revenue sharing
-Administration=s position
-Importance to people
-Importance to local and state government
-Problems
-Benefits
-Federal bureaucracy
-Increases in local debt
-Opposition by establishment
-Welfare reform
-Effect
-Administration=s efforts

******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  2m 9s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

******************************************************************************

Evans left at an unknown time before 5:53 pm

Health insurance
-Health maintenance organizations [HMO]
-The Vice President=s position
-Edgar F. Kaiser
-President=s position
-Kaiser Permanente Plan
-Focus

Appointments
-Law Enforcement Assistance Administration [LEAA]
-Myles J. Ambrose
-John N. Mitchell=s view
-Richard G. Kleindienst
-John B. Connally
-Jerris Leonard
-David Norman
-Peter M. Flanigan
-Work effectiveness
-Efforts
-Role
-William P. Rogers
-Michael Collins
-Air and Space Museum
-Judgeship for unknown men
-Wallace H. Johnson
-Thomas J. Dodd
-Kleindienst
-Dr. James R. Schlesinger
-Rogers C. B. Morton=s view

-Ambassadorial positions
-Flanigan
-John W. Rollins
-Frank J. Shakespeare
-Fred J. Russell
-Qualifications

Revenue sharing
-Administration efforts
-Democrats
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Conversation with Ehrlichman
-Legislation
-Possible conversation with President

Previous press conference
-Domestic policy

Revenue sharing
-Administration=s position
-Clark R. Mollenhoff
-Public support

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:26 pm

Schedule
-Dr. W. Kenneth Riland
-Instructions
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Rose Mary Woods

Bull left at an unknown time before 5:53 pm

Farm policy
-Robert J. Dole
-Efforts
-White House gala
-Compared to White House Labor dinner
-Possible program
-Public relations
-Film
-Hyde Park
-Possible appointment

-Importance of farmers and farm vote
-Dole
-Support for President
-Staff assignment
-John C. Whitaker
-Dole

Wage and price controls
-Shultz
-Cost of Living Council [COLC] action
-Herbert Stein
-Administration position
-Wage controls
-Construction
-John T. Dunlop
-George W. Romney
-James M. Hutton, III
-Businessmen

Schedule

Media
-Los Angeles Times

Ehrlichman left at 5:53 pm

Conversation No. 450-24

Date:  February 17, 1971
Time:  5:53 pm - 5:59 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Dwight L. Chapin

Schedule

Signatures

Chapin left at 5:59 pm

Conversation No. 450-25

Date:  February 17, 1971
Time:  6:20 pm - 6:32 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (ABob@) Haldeman

Schedule
-Arrangements for greeting foreign dignitary
-Locations
-The President=s comments
-[Thomas] Woodrow Wilson Foundation speech

Robert J. Dole

Access to the President
-Henry A. Kissinger

Press conference
-Value
-Conduct
-Press
-Clark R. Mollenhoff
-Friends versus enemies
-Kansas City Star
******************************************************************************

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

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

******************************************************************************

Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 6:21 pm

White House gifts
-Type
-Robert H. Abplanalp

-Harry L. (ABing@) Crosby [?]
-Type
-Glasses
-Press
-Abplanalp
-List

Press conference
-Format
-Preparation
-Benefit
-Use of television
-Reporters= comments
-Follow-up
-Use of film
-Format
-Preparation
-Value

Schedule
-Woodrow Wilson Foundation
-Remarks by the President
-Preparation

Press conference
-Coverage by media
-Thomas E. Jarriel
-Air time
-Coverage by media
-Length
-Use of notes
-Use of transcript
-Format
-News stories
-Laos
-Integration
-Israel
-Construction industry
-Format
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Benefits
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Media perception

-Peter Lisagor
-Los Angeles Times intern

Haldeman and Ziegler left at 6:32 pm