Conversation: 541-008
Prev: 541-007 Next: 541-009Start Date: Wednesday, July 21, 1971 9:15 PM
End Date: Wednesday, July 21, 1971 10:19 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Butterfield, Alexander P.; [Unknown person(s)]; Bull, Stephen B.; Colson, Charles W.; Kissinger, Henry A.Recording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 02:24:14
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 03:24:16
NARA Description:
On July 21, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, unknown person(s), Stephen B. Bull, Charles W. Colson, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:15 pm and 6:19 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 541-008 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 541-8
Date: July 21, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:15 pm and 6:19 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and Alexander P. Butterfield.
Items for the President's signature
Schedule
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[Agency Policy
[Duration: 6s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
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-July 22, 1971
-The President's meetings
Butterfield left at 5:28 pm.
John B. Connally
-Reaction to Vice Presidency possibility
-Comparison to Treasury Department situation
-White House staff structure
-National Security Council [NSC], Secret Service, Domestic Council
-Haldeman’s view
-Donald W. Riegle, Jr.’s comments
-Harper's magazine article by Richard Whelan
-Connally's handling of job
-Vice Presidency
17
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
Vice Presidency
-Speculation in the press
-Cabinet members
-Melvin R. Laird, William P. Rogers
-Spiro T. Agnew's possible resignation
-Perceptions
-Connally’s view
-Newsweek article Conv. No. 541-8 (cont.)
[An unknown person talked with the President at an unknown time between 5:22 pm and 6:19
pm]
[Conversation No. 451-8A]
[End of telephone conversation]
The President's schedule
-November 9, 1971 dinner
-Agnew
-Birthday
Agnew
-Possible resignation
-Haldeman’s view
-Bryce N. Harlow’s view
-Possible job
-Level of income
-General Motors
-Public relations
-Real estate
-Leslie Townes (“Bob”) Hope, Art Linkletter
Foreign relations
-The People Republic of China [PRC] initiative
-Hamilton Fish, Sr.
-Conservatives
-Broad support for the President
-John Birch Society
-William F. Knowland
-Taiwan
18
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
The President's schedule
-Robert H. Finch
-Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Paul W. McCracken
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Conv. No. 541-8 (cont.)
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[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 22s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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-Element of surprise in scheduling
-Baseball game
-Escort, transportation
-Press
-Trips to Florida
-Compared to Lyndon B. Johnson
-Preparations, arrangements
-Amount of prior notice
-Timing
-Compared to Camp David
-The President's trip to California
-News summary
-Perusal
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Haldeman's responsibility
-Types of news events
-John V. Lindsay's possible switch of party affiliation
-Possible press conference
-Briefing books
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Kissinger
-Possible questions on Vietnam, PRC
19
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-California trip
-Staff traveling with the President
-Kissinger
-Rose Mary Woods
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Conv. No. 541-8 (cont.)
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 2m 27s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
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-Press release of meeting with Connally July 21, 1971
-Topics of conversation
The PRC initiative
-Reaction
-John Kenneth Galbraith
-John W. Gardner (?)
-Cyrus R. Vance
-Kissinger
-The President's role
-Perceptions
-Leadership
-Compared to Dwight D. Eisenhower
Schedule
-Trip to California
20
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 17s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3 Conv. No. 541-8 (cont.)
**********************************************************************
-Staff
-Butterfield, Stephen B. Bull
-Baseball game
-The President's signing of autographs for children
-Young boy's comment
-The President's forthcoming trip to the PRC
PRC initiative
-Public knowledge of the PRC initiative
-News coverage
-Compared to Pentagon Papers
-Compared to trout fishing
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:22 pm.
Charles W. Colson to join meting
Bull left at an unknown time before 5:50 pm.
White House office space
The PRC initiative
-Impact on the public
-Comparison to Pentagon Papers as topic
-PRC isolation
-Public fascination
-Revolution
-Appeal to youth
-Handling
-Colson
21
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
Personnel
-William P. Rogers' conversation with Haldeman
-Frank Collins
-Robert White
-Herald-Tribune
-Work
-State Department Conv. No. 541-8 (cont.)
Kissinger and Colson entered at 5:50 pm.
Kissinger's meeting with Connally
-The PRC Initiative
-Vietnam war
-Memoranda
-Senior Review Group
-Staff member's attendance
-Charles E. Walker
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Minutes of meeting
PRC initiative
-Appeal to youth
-Colson and Finch's work
-Melville Stephens
-Previous meeting with the President and John M. O'Neill
-Assignment to deal with youth
-Youth reaction to the PRC initiative
-Probable settlement of the Vietnam war
-Appeal of innovation in foreign policy
-Responsibility for coordination of effort
-Finch
-Focus on other responsibilities
-Stephens
-Appeal to students
-High school, college levels
-Youths who are not in college
-Regions
-Appeal of issue
-Haldeman's daughter (Susan Haldeman)
-Stanford University
-London
22
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
-Professor Gordon Craig
-Student reaction
-Craig’s reaction
-Importance of the re-election of the President
-Henry Brandon's column in the Sunday Times of London
-Reaction
-Boldness of move, secrecy
-Leadership Conv. No. 541-8 (cont.)
-John F. Kennedy
-Dean G. Acheson's view
-Cuban missile crisis
-Compared to the President's handling of Cienfuegos
-Settlement
-Robert F. Kennedy, Anatoliy F. Dobrynin's
-Italy, Turkey
-Cuba
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-Delay in issuing statement in support of initiative
-Acheson’s letter to John F. Kennedy
-Effect of youth reaction
-Republicans
-Lack of reaction
-The President's meetings with Congressional leaders
-Focus on complaints about the economy
-Youth reaction
-Forthcoming election, 1972
-PRC initiative compared to the Glassboro Summit
-Aleksei N. Kosygin's visit to the the United Nations [UN]
-Nikita Khrushchev's previous visit
-The President's leadership
-Reaction
-Louis Harris
-Presidential leadership
-The President's image as the man of peace
-Strength of image
-Galbraith
-Democrats
-Focus on domestic issues
-Galbraith
-Cambodia, Laos
-Focus on Agnew
23
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
Youth
-Focus of effort
-The President's leadership
-The PRC initiative
-Press reaction
-PRC
-Forthcoming meetings
-Kissinger Conv. No. 541-8 (cont.)
-Chou En-lai
Haldeman and Colson left at 6:13 pm.
PRC initiative
-Connally
-Reaction
The Vietnam war
-Connally's comments
-The North Vietnamese
-The PRC initiative
-Reaction
-The President's image
-Cambodia, Laos
-July 26, 1971 meeting in Paris
-Prospects
-Timing
-The President's schedule
-California
-Timing of possible announcement
-Settlement
-Alternatives
-Paris Peace talks
-Forthcoming PRC trip by Kissinger
-October 1971 action
-The PRC
-Pham Van Dong
-Transcript of previous meeting
-Trend
-The PRC initiative
-US-Soviet Union [USSR] Summit
24
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)
Kissinger's Conversation with Dobrynin
-Visits by Cabinet members to USSR
-Maurice H. Stans
-[Forename unknown] Peterson
The President's action on the PRC
The President and Kissinger left at 6:19 pm. Conv. No. 541-8 (cont.)