Conversation No. 667-1

Date:  February 8, 1972
Time:  10:25 am - 12:20 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and Alexander P. Butterfield.

Environmental program message, February 8, 1972
	-President’s signature
		-Pens as gifts
	-Upcoming photograph opportunity
		-John C. Whitaker
		-Pens

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 11:00 am.
 
The President’s schedule
	-Congressional leaders and cabinet meeting
		-William P. Rogers
-John B. Connally
-Hugh Scott
-Connally
-Scott
-Rogers
	-Effectiveness
		-Reaction
-Scott
	-Rhetoric
-Duration
-Elliot L. Richardson
	-Compromise
-Earl L. Butz
-Dock strike

Butz
-Helping the President
-Farming
	-Butz’s position
		-Support of farmers
-Clifford M. Hardin
	-Compared to Butz
-Food prices
	-Wholesale and retail
-Beef
-Hamburger

The President’s schedule
-Connally

-Robert S. McNamara
-Peter M. Flanigan
	-Attendance at upcoming meeting 
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Flanigan

The President’s speech, February 7, 1972
-New York Times
-The President’s view
-Drafting
	-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
	-Audience for speech

	Speech writing
		-Price
			-Douglas L. Hallett
		-University of Nebraska speech
		-Patrick J. Buchanan
-News coverage
	-University of Nebraska speech
-Audience for February 7, 1972 speech
-The President’s work on Vietnam peace proposal speech, January 25, 1972
	-Kissinger draft
		-Length
		-Style
-Cheer lines
		-Frequency of speeches
-Price
-William L. Safire
	-Style of speeches
-Improvements

Connally
-Memorandum to the President  about Value-added tax [VAT]
	-Flanigan and Haldeman
-John D. Ehrlichman’s reply
-Memorandum
	-Treasury Department

	Instructions for Haldeman to meet with Connally and Kissinger
-Connally
-Scheduling
-White House
-President’s instructions on handling
	-Letters
	-Ehrlichman
	-George P. Shultz
	-Kissinger
	-Flanigan
-Schedule
	-Ability to accomplish work
	-Meetings with ambassadors
	-Congressmen
	-William P. Pannell
	-Example
		-Ambasador from Mauritania
	-Ehrlichman
	-Handling
	-Kissinger
	-Letters to Rogers and Melvin R. Laird
	-Telephone
	-Letters
	-Discretion
	-Copy of Ehrlichman memorandum to Haldeman
-Possible talk with Ehrlichman

The President’s schedule
-Center for Voluntary Action
-Dinner
-Awards
-Awardees
-Eunice (Kennedy) Shriver
	-Presentation
-Bipartisan leaders meeting
	-Butterfield
-Ronald L. Ziegler
	-Armed Services Committee
	-Foreign Relations Committee
	-Appropriations Committee
-Foreign policy draft
-Safire
-Length
-Speeches
	-February 7, 1972
	-Quality
-Meeting
	-Political interests involved

Connally
	-Involvement with the 1990 Conference
-Maurice H. Stans

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:25 am.

-1990 Conference program
-Call from Connally’s office

Bull left at an unknown time before 11:00 am.

-Economics

Speeches
	-Possible alternative
	-Writers
-Price
	-Previous conversation with Haldeman
		-PRC
-The President’s preparation
	-Amount of time
-Writers

-Computers
-Speechwriting
	-Amount of work involved
	-Understanding

Connally
-Activism

Bull [?] entered and left at an unknown time before 11:00 am.

-Panels
-Luncheons
-James D. Hodgson
-Lunch
-Scheduling
	-Attendance

Speeches
	-Scheduling
	-Suggestions from Haldeman
	-Dictation
	-Drafts
	-Critiques
		-Amount of time
	-Price
	-Outline
	-Draft
		-State of the Union address 
	-Talking points
	-Reading
	-State of the Union
	-Reading
	-Lyndon B. Johnson
	-Harry S. Truman
	-Dwight D. Eisenhower
	-Franklin D. Roosevelt
	-Speechwriters
	-Television
	-Radio
		-Comparisons to the President
	-The President
	-New York Times

Bull entered at an unknown time after between 10:25 am.

Request that  Ziegler come to the Oval Office

Bull left at an unknown time before 11:00 am.

	Speeches
		-Planning

-Text
-Preparation
-Cameras
-Prepared text
	-Importance

Ziegler entered at 11:00 am.

-February 7, 1972 speech
	-Press coverage 
-Television
-Advanced text
	-Benefits
-Live coverage
			-Preferred times

Scheduling
-Preferences
	-Time of day
	-Television
		-Advantages and disadvantages
	-Radio
	-Newspapers
	-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS] and the Today show
	-Radio
		-Possible impact

Scott
-Post leadership briefing
-Dock strike
	-Losses in 1972
-Vietnam
-Foreign policy
-Alternatives
			-President’s 1960 platform statement
				-Statistics
			-Vietnam
				-Casualties
		-Age
-Rogers
-Loyalty
	
	Ziegler’s schedule
		-Environmental message
		-William D. Ruckelshaus and Russell E. Train

Messages
-Suggestions from the President
-Length of time
	-Number of words
		-Desired length
			-Teleprompter
-Dinners
-Messages
-Dinners
-Length

Speeches
	-Speechwriting
		-Idiom
-State of the Union address
-February 7, 1972 speech
	-PRC
-Price

-Speechwriting compared with advertising
	-Intricacies
		-Scott
-Gerald R. Ford
	-Speechwriting style
	-Safire [?]
-L. Richard Guylay memorandum
-Scott

	Haldeman’s statement on Today show	
		-Main story on the major networks

Leaders meeting
-Kissinger
	-Previous conversation with Ziegler
-Manila conference, 1966
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Negotiations
-Unilateral declaration
-Senators
-Columnists
-Haldeman’s statement
	-Reaction by leaders

Haldeman’s statement
-Robert D. Novak
			-Edmund S. Muskie
				-Vietnam policy
			-Ziegler’s view
		-Democrats
		-Polls
		-Reaction of Nancy Ziegler’s mother
-McCarthyism
			-“Average” radio listener

The President’s background

Harry S. Dent
	-President’s relationship with the press
		-South

Leaders meeting
		-Press briefing

	Media relations
-National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
-Muskie story
	-Timing
-Press
-Conferences
	-Today show
		-Haldeman’s comments
		-Haldeman’s comments
	-Reporters
	-Press corps
	-Opposition to the President
		-Allen S. Drury
			-Washington Star
		-Differences discussed
			-Strategy
				-Fairness from the administration
					-Methods used by the press
			-1960
				-Herbert G. Klein’s view
			-Media bias
			-Press confrences	
				-Lyndon B. Johnson
				-John F. Kennedy
					-Number of press conferences
-Cabinet meeting
-Role of Press secretary

-Questions and answers
					-Ziegler
			-Timing
			-Location

	Leaders meeting
		-Jack F. Kemp
		-William A. Steiger
		-William E. Brock, III
		-Steiger
		-Brock

	Haldeman’s statement
		-Response from Democrats
			-Unknown person
-Cameras
-Rogers
-Statements
-Impressions on country
-News
-Critics
-Vietnam
-Communism
-Joseph C. Kraft
-South Vietnam
-George S. McGovern
-Communism
-Possible ceasefire
	-Ziegler’s view

Vietnam
-Democrats
-Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu
-Prisoners of War [POW’s]
	-Strategy
-Negotiations
-Communists
-South Vietnam
-Thieu
	-Haldeman’s statement
-Presidential responsibilities
	-Criticism of the President
	-Support for the President
-Ceasefire

-Public opinion
-Thieu
-Muskie
	-Statement
		-Joseph W. Alsop
-Settlement
	-Public sentiment
-Election
-Presidential responsibilities
-Public reaction
-Media coverage
-Criticism

Ziegler left at 11:32 am.

Dent

	Media relations
		-Connally
		-National mood
	-Muskie
-Possible program

Issues
	-President’s schedule
		-Ability to take on new challenges
-PRC
-Moscow
	-Upcoming visits
-Vietnam war
-Unemployment
-Rate
	-Desired rate
-Budgets
-Economy
-California
	-Unemployment rate
		-Robert H. Finch
			-Haldeman
			-Schedule

Connally
-Talk with Ehrlichman
	-Ehrlichman’s location
-Schedule
	-Experience as governor

The President’s schedule
-Ambassadors
-Vice President
-Kissinger
-Rogers
-Abilities
	-Compared to Kissinger
		-Leaders meeting
			-Kissinger
			-Rogers
			-Haldeman

	Rogers
		-Defense of the President	
			-Compared to Kissinger
			-Ziegler’s view

	Kissinger
		-Press briefings
-Television
-Knowledge
-John A. Scali
-The President’s speech
-Press conference
			-Kissinger’s approach
-1972 election
-Rogers’s statement
	-Substance
-The President
-Rogers
			-Media
				-Superficiality

Political leaders
-Congress
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Ronald W. Reagan
-Belief in simplification
	-Effectiveness
-Kissinger’s effectiveness
	-Knowledge
-1969
	-Spokesman
	-Briefings

	-Rogers
	-Scali
- Effectiveness as a briefer
	-Ehrlichman 
-White House spokesman
-Cabinet officers
	-Competition
-Rogers
-Laird
			-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
			-Peace proposal
-Kissinger’s trips to Paris
	-Rogers
			-Dobrynin
			-Chou en-Lai
				-Dialogue
				-Chinese
					-Kissinger’s intelligence
					-Chou en-Lai
						-Relationship with Kissinger

Butterfield entered at an unknown time after 11:32 am.

Inquiry about request for Butterfield’s presence

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 11:55 am.
	
	Media relations
-Briefing system
-Changes
-White House staff

-Cabinet
-Kissinger
-British Broadcasting Company [BBC]
-Special
-Eve of PRC trip
-British press
	-Potential stories
-Barbara Walters
-Interview
-Today show
-BBC
-Possible advantages
-Congress
-American networks
-Interview
-Return from PRC
-Poor Richard’s Club
-Philadelphia
-Audience
	-Influence

Kissinger entered at 11:55 am.

PRC trip
	-Briefing book
-Chinese
-Chou En-Lai
	-Previous conversation with Kissinger
-Position

Haldeman left at 11:56 am.

-Reading material for the President
-Kissinger
-Memoranda
-Briefing book
-The President’s schedule
-PRC position
-The President’s position
-Recommendations
-Chou En-Lai
-Kissinger
-Briefing book

South Asia
-Robert S. McNamara
	-Kissinger’s location
-India and Pakistan
	-Kissinger’s previous conversation with Connally and Rogers
-Humanitarian relief
	-Pakistan
		-Bangladesh
-Briefing paper
-India
	-Possible US aid
-Trip
	-Purpose
-India
	-Haldeman
-Edward M. Kennedy
-Robert F. Kennedy’s son
-Joan Kennedy
	-Upcoming visit
-Reception
-Kissinger
	-Upcoming lunch with Indian ambassador [Lakshmi Kant Jha]
		-Timing
		-Aid
-Edward Kennedy’s upcoming visit to India
-India
	-Congressional votes

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  44s  ]

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Leaders meeting
-Scott
-Speech
-The President’s speech
-Manila Conference,1966
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Negotiations
-Unilateral statement
	-President’s role

Democrats
	-George S. McGovern
	-Scott’s opinion
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
	-Possible reaction

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[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  2m 7s  ]

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Algeria
-Gen. Charles A.J.M. De Gaulle
-Radicals
-France
-US
-Timing
	-Number of years
-Opposition on right

Vietnam
-South Vietnam
-Communists
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Dinner attendance at British embassy
-Arthur Goldberg statement
-Muskie
-Democrats
-Stewart J.O. Alsop
-Muskie
-North Vietnamese
	-News summary
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
	-Possible deal
		-Upcoming presidential election
-Dobrynin
-Talk with Kissinger
-EC-121 shootdown [April 1969]
-Cambodia
-Laos
-Offensive
	-Effect
		-Negotiations
-Negotiations
-Bombing
-Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
	-Timing
-Military affairs
	-Possible stories from Pentagon
-Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]

Reorganization
	-Second term tasks
-State Department 
-Defense Department personnel
-Moorer
	-Previous conversation with the President
-Arthur W. Radford
-Moorer
-Gen. William C. Westmoreland retirement
	-Timing
-Haig
-Kissinger’s recommendation to the President
-Vice Chief of Staff
-Qualifications
-Kenneth E. Belieu
	-Upcoming conversation with Kissinger
-Loyalty
-PRC and USSR trips
-Moorer retirement
-Chairman of JCS
	-Haig’s possible future

Vietnam
-Bombing
-Targets
		-Military thinking
-Military art
-World Wars I and II
-Winston L. Churchill
-Korean War
-Civilian efforts
-Korean War
-Gen. Douglas MacArthur
-Inchon landings
-Japan
-Wake Island
-Yalu River
-Bombing
	-Status
		-Weather
	-Targets
	-Sorties
	-Carriers
	-B-52s, A1s, F4s
	-Timing
	-South Vietnam
-North Vietnam attacks on South Vietnam
	-Timing
		-PRC trip
	-US advantages
		-Expectations
		-Communication
-Lam Son operation
	-Kissinger’s opinion
		-Air power
			-B-52s
-US
	-Experience in warfare
-Logistics
-MacArthur
	-Strategy
-Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.
	-Tactics
-German commanders
	-Comparisons
-World War I
	-France
	-Casualties
	-First Battle of the Marne
	-Verdun
	-[Battle of the Somme]
	-Austria
-Italy
-Balkans
-MacArthur
-Patton
-Bombing
	-Article
-US Military
	-Compared to German military
-Cambodia
-Laos
-Bombing
	-North Vietnam
-Mining
-Bombing
-Withdrawal
	-Leonid I. Brezhnev letter

Kissinger left at 12:20 pm.

													Conversation No. 667-4

Date: February 8, 1972
Time: Unknown between 12:20 pm and 5:13 pm
Location: Oval Office

Unknown people met.

[Unintelligible]

The unknown people left at an unknown time before 5:13 pm.

Conversation No. 667-2

Date:  February 8, 1972
Time:  Unknown between 12:20 pm and 5:13 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull and Manolo Sanchez.

Microphone
	-Location

Work with unknown person

Sanchez and Bull left at an unknown time before 5:13 pm.

Conversation No. 667-3

Date:  February 8, 1972
Time:  5:13 pm - 5:19 pm
Location:  Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

The President’s schedule
	-Florida
		-John B. Connally
		-Fishing

Connally [?]
-Memorandum about Value-Added Tax [VAT]
-John D. Ehrlichman
-White House staff
			-The President’s alleged comments about VAT

Haldeman’s interview on Today show
	-Ronald L. Ziegler
	-Handling
-John A. Scali
-Possible questions for the President
	-Ziegler
-Kissinger

Leadership briefing
	-Hugh Scott and Gerald R. Ford
-Haldeman’s comments on Today
-Accusation at opponents of administration policy in Vietnam
-Scott’s reaction
-Context
-Press
			-Press
				-Kissinger
				-Ziegler
			-Public reaction
				-Telegrams

Stephen B. Bull entered and left at an unknown time between 5:13 pm and 5:15 pm.

	The President’s schedule

	Haldeman’s comments on Today
-Public opinion
	-John A. (“Jack”) Mulcahy
-Possible statement by the President
	-Ziegler

Memorial service
-Llewellyn E. (“Tommy”) Thompson, Jr.
-The President’s attendance
-Attendance
	-William P. Rogers
	-Military aide
-Wreath

Rose Mary Woods entered at 5:15 pm.

The President’s schedule
-Thompson memorial service
	-Wreath
		-Canada
			-Henry A. Kissinger
			-Possible effect of cancellation
				-Pierre E. Trudeau

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration:  3s  ]
[Subject: Canada]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 5:15 pm.

	Executive Office Building [EOB]
		-Briefcase
		-Books

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 5:19 pm

Schedule

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 5:19 pm

The President’s schedule
	-Gen. Walter R. Tkach [?]
		-Forthcoming talk with Woods

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Privacy]
[Duration:  16s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration:  28s  ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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Woods left at 5:19 pm.

													Conversation No. 667-5

Date: February 8, 1972
Time: Unknown between 5:19 pm and 11:59 pm
Location: Oval Office

Stephen B. Bull met with unknown people [Secret Service agents].

[Unintelligible]

An agent talked with an unknown person at an unknown time after 5:19 pm. 

[Conversation No. 667-5A]

[Unintelligible]

[End of telephone conversation]

[Unintelligible]

[The recording was cut-off at an unknown time before 11:59 pm.]