Conversation No. 539-1

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  10:00 am - 10:11 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with John C. Stennis, F. Edward Hébert, William P. Rogers, William E. Timmons, Clark MacGregor, Kenneth E. BeLieu, and Henry A. Kissinger
[Recording begins while the conversation is in progress]

US foreign policy
-The People=s Republic of China [PRC]
-Congressional action
-Perception of restriction of the President

Vietnam War
-Cease fire, troop withdrawal
-Prisoner of war [POW] issue
-Effect of Congressional action
-Michael J. (AMike@) Mansfield
-Stance
-US goals
-Number of US military casualties
-POW return
-Effect of Congressional action
-On the President
-On a possible settlement
-House, Senate votes
-Mansfield
-Possible effect of PRC trip on attitude
-Strategy
-Limitation on the President=s freedom of action

General conversation

The President, et al. left at 10:11 am

Conversation No. 539-2

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 10:11 am and 10:13 am
Location:  Oval Office

H. R. (ABob@) Haldeman [?] met with Alexander P. Butterfield [?]

[Unintelligible]

The President entered at an unknown time after 10:11 am

White House furnishings

The President, et al. left at an unknown time before 10:13 am

Conversation No. 539-3

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 10:14 am and 11:12 am
Location:  Oval Office

Unknown men [Secret Service] met

The President
-Location
-Cabinet Room
-Schedule

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Agency Policy]
[Duration:  47m 55s  ]

[An unknown person talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 10:14 am and 11:12 am]

[Conversation No. 539-3A]

[End of telephone conversation]

[An unknown person talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 10:14 am and 11:12 am]

[Conversation No. 539-3B]

[End of telephone conversation]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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Recording was cut off at an unknown time before 11:12 am

Conversation No. 539-4

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 11:12 am and 11:18 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President talked with an unknown person

Schedule

Conversation No. 539-5

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 11:12 am and 11:18 am
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with an unknown person

Item for the President=s Old Executive Office Building office

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 11:18 am

Conversation No. 539-6

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  11:18 am - 11:37 am
Location:  Oval Office

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

Meeting
-Rogers C. B. Morton

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  55s  ]

Henry A. Kissinger entered at 11:19 am

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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The US initiative towards the People=s Republic of China [PRC]
-William P. Rogers= role
-Media coverage
-Briefing book
-Media coverage
-The President=s role
-Kissinger=s role
-Rogers
-The State Department
-Public perceptions
-Newsweek article, Time article
-Tone
-Presidential role
-Covers of magazines
-The President, Chou En-lai, Kissinger
-Columnists
-Hugh S. Sidey
-Public statement by the Soviet ambassador to Indonesia
-Briefing for White House staff
-President=s role
-Request for meeting
-Kissinger=s role
-Secrecy in negotiation
-President=s role

Schedule
-Kissinger

White House staff briefing
-Leak of story
-James B. (AScotty@) Reston story

Meeting with Congressional leaders
-J. William Fulbright
-Rogers= role
-John C. Stennis= comment to Kissinger
-Michael J. (AMike@) Mansfield
-Mansfield Amendment
-Rogers
-Vietnam War settlement
-Release of prisoners of war [POWs], cease fire
-Self-determination

Schedule
-Kissinger

Kissinger left at 11:29 am

David M. Kennedy
-Use of airplane
-Payment
-Rogers
-State Department
-Comparison with the President=s 1967 world travel

John B. Connally
-Schedule

The President=s schedule
-The Bohemian Grove
-Possible visit

Polls
-George H. Gallup
-Edward M. (ATed@) Kennedy
-Comparison to Louis Harris= poll
-Presidential approval poll
-Effect of Pentagon Papers case
-Gallup
-Poll results
-Potomac Associates
-John W. Gardner comparison
-Vietnam War settlement issue
-Timing of polls
-News impact
-The President=s television appearance

Cabinet
-Support for administration
-John A. Volpe
-George W. Romney
-Walter J. Hickel

Congress
-Appropriations Committee
-Scheduling

Schedule
-Clark R. Mollenhoff
-Bureau Chief
-Richard (ADick@) Wilson

The PRC initiative
-Kissinger
-Rogers= role
-Media coverage
-The President
-Kissinger
-Newsweek

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  32s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at an unknown time after 11:29 am

Schedule
-Kissinger=s briefing in the Roosevelt Room

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 11:37 am

[Haldeman talked to an unknown person at an unknown time between 11:29 am and 11:37 am]

[Conversation No. 539-6A]

Instructions for Kissinger

[End of telephone conversation]

The President and Haldeman left at 11:37 am

Conversation No. 539-7

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  11:58 am - 12:08 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler

The People=s Republic of China [PRC] initiative
-Briefing of Congressional leaders and Cabinet
-President=s role
-Henry A. Kissinger=s role
-Reaction by other countries
-William P. Rogers
-Briefings
-Speculation
-Expression of views
-Taiwan issue
-Vietnam War
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Knowledge
-Wire service report
-Kissinger

Agnew
-Statements made in Madrid, Spain
-Comments about African Blacks
-Slavery
-US Black leaders
-Domestic, foreign impact
-Ralph Abernathy

US-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] relations
-General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Kissinger
-Summit possibility
-The President=s stance

Taiwan issue
-Perceptions

Cover photographs
-Use by magazines
-The President

Foreign relations
-The PRC, Vietnam
-Democratic response
-J. William Fulbright
-Michael J. (AMike@) Mansfield

Congressional leaders meeting

Ziegler left at 12:08 pm

Conversation No. 539-8

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull

Staff meeting
-Schedule
-Henry A. Kissinger

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:48 pm

Conversation No. 539-9

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull

[Music box plays AHail to the Chief@]

Staff meeting
-Schedule
-John D. Ehrlichman

Children
-John [Surname unknown]
-Music box
-Visits to the Oval Office
-Gifts

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:48 pm

Conversation No. 539-10

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull

Copies of Time, Newsweek
-Thelma C. (Ryan) (APat@) Nixon

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:48 pm

Conversation No. 539-11

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull

The barber=s schedule

Bull left at an unknown time after 12:48 pm

Conversation No. 539-12

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 12:08 pm and 1:08 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President dictated a memorandum to Henry A. Kissinger

The US-People=s Republic of China [PRC] initiative
-Kissinger=s press briefing
-Content

[End of dictation]

Kissinger entered at 12:48 pm

Kissinger=s schedule
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-John B. Connally
-The press
-July 20, 1971
-Meeting with conservatives

The PRC initiative
-Staff meeting
-Patrick J. Buchanan

-Press story
-The PRC=s stance
-North Vietnam
-News magazines
-Coverage
-Knowledge
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, William P. Rogers
-Call from Joseph W. Alsop
-State Department knowledge
-Comparison to Cambodian action
-Future handling of announcements
-Possible Soviet summit
-The President=s visit to Perino=s Restaurant
-Press coverage
-Effect of announcement
-Memorandum for Kissinger=s briefing
-The President
-Meeting in Lincoln Sitting Room
-The President, Kissinger

Kissinger left at 12:55 pm

The President dictated a memorandum to Kissinger at an unknown time between 12:55 pm and 1:08 pm

The PRC initiative
-Kissinger=s press briefing
-Content

[The President played back a portion of the dictation]

[End of dictation]

[This dictation continues on Conversation No. 539-13]

Conversation No. 539-13

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  Unknown between 12:55 pm and 1:08 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President dictated a memorandum to Henry A. Kissinger

[This is a continuation of Conversation No. 539-12]

The People=s Republic of China [PRC] initiative
-Kissinger=s press briefing
-Content

Conversation No. 539-14

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  1:08 pm - 1:21 pm
Location:  Oval Office

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

The People=s Republic of China [PRC] initiative
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Briefing
-Cabinet
-Memorandum
-Kissinger
-John A. Scali
-Chou En-lai
-Cabinet
-Staff briefing
-Confidentiality
-The press
-Reason for briefing
-Kissinger
-Comparison to Cambodia, Laos
-Rogers C. B. Morton
-Leaks
-News magazines

-Coverage
-Kissinger
-State Department, William P. Rogers
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, Melvin R. Laird
-Marshall Green
-President=s role

John B. Connally
-Forthcoming meeting with the President
-Previous meeting with Haldeman
-Schedule
-July 19, 1971 meeting
-Forthcoming Congressional testimony
-Kissinger=s briefing
-Perceptions on Cabinet role
-Possible departure from the Cabinet
-Management style
-State Department
-Council [of Economic Advisors?]
-George P. Shultz
-Compared to David M. Kennedy

Cabinet members
-Relations with the President
-John A. Volpe
-John D. Ehrlichman
-George W. Romney

Connally
-Schedule
-Forthcoming Congressional testimony
-Time of meeting with the President

Schedule
-Ehrlichman=s request to see the President
-Appropriations Committee
-Domestic issues
-Ehrlichman=s perception of meetings
-Congressional leaders meeting
-Peter H. Dominick
-Clark MacGregor
-Connally

The President and Haldeman left at 1:21 pm

Conversation No. 539-15

Date:  July 19, 1971
Time:  1:21 pm - 1:22 pm
Location:  Oval Office

An unknown man [Secret Service] entered

The President=s location
-Executive Office Building

Recording was cut off at 1:22 pm