Conversation No. 653-8

Date: January 24, 1972
Time: 11:04 am - 11:53 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

       Meeting with Kurt Waldheim
            -Kissinger’s schedule
                  -William L. Safire
            -Length

Waldheim, William P. Rogers, George H. W. Bush, and Emil (“Bus”) Mosbacher, Jr. entered at
11:05 am; the White House photographer and members of the press were present at the
beginning of the meeting.

       Introductions

       Seating arrangements

       The President’s previous meeting with Waldheim in 1956

       [Photograph session
            -[General conversation]

       Introductions
             -John Shannon [sp?]

       Shannon [sp?]
            -New York Times
                  -Los Angeles Times
                  -United Nations [UN] bureau
            -Wife
                  -Background
            -Visits to Bush

       UN
            -US support
                 -Rogers’s conversation with Waldheim
                                            16

                         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. 10/06)
                                                              Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


                  -US political problems
                  -Foreign aid issue
            -Non-peacekeeping functions
            -Peacekeeping functions
            -Financial concerns

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 11:05 am.

      Refreshment

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 11:21 am.

      Waldhein’s gratitude for meeting

      UN
            -Relations with US
            -Newspaper stories
            -World confidence
                  -US
                        -Newspapers
                  -Austria
                  -People’s Republic of China [PRC]
                  -Future crises
            -Influence of member nations
                  -US
                  -PRC
                  -Soviet Union
            -World confidence
                  -US public
            -Financial concerns
            -World confidence
                  -Importance
                  -The President’s foreign policy
                        -PRC
                        -India-Pakistan War
                              -UN vote
                              -UN role
            -Security Council
            -Financial concerns
                  -Payment of US dues
                        -Timing
                                                17

                              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                        Tape Subject Log
                                          (rev. 10/06)
                                                                     Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


                                 -US internal concerns
                                 -Installments

Kissinger left at 11:21 am.

                   -Peacekeeping debts
                         -Soviet union
                         -France
                         -Contributions from various countries
                         -Committee of fifteen
                   -Budget cuts
                         -Streamlining the secretariat
             -Peacekeeping
                   -India-Pakistan relations
                         -US policy
                         -Robert S. McNamara’s and Pierre-Paul Schweitzer
                               -Conversations with Waldheim
                         -McNamara’s and Schweitzer’s schedules
                         -Bangladesh
                               -Recognition
                         -Humanitarian relief
                         -US support
             -US support
                   -Contributions
                   -Use of veto
                   -Public opinion
             -Role
                   -Differences between great powers
                         -National interests
                   -Prevention of confrontations
                   -Publicity
                         -Failures
                               -Compared to successes
                                     -Henry C. Lodge’s statement
                   -Middle East
                   -Africa
             -Waldheim’s role
                   -Challenge
             -US support
                   -Finances
                   -Rogers
                                18

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                        Tape Subject Log
                          (rev. 10/06)
                                                     Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


      -The President
      -US ambassadors
      -Congress
            -Speeches
-PRC membership
      -Effect
            -Expansion and divisiveness
            -Soviet Union
            -US
-Neutrality
      -Great powers
      -US relations vis-à-vis Soviet Union and PRC
      -Broker role
PRC membership
      -Effect
-U Thant
      -US view
      -Departure
-Waldheim
      -Role
            -Leadership
            -US and international support
            -Speeches
                   -Compared with Thant
                   -Television
                         -Visibility
                   -Soviet Union and PRC reaction
                   -US reaction
                   -Rhodesia
-Financial concerns
      -US fiscal problems
            -July 1972 payment
-Waldheim
      -Leadership
      -Fairness
            -Relations with US
                   -International relations
                   -Compared with Thant
      -Pubic relations
      -Changes made
            -Bureaucracy
                                 19

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                         Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. 10/06)
                                                            Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


             -Finances
      -Relations with Bush
      -Tour of UN building
      -Edicts on streamlining
      -Television speeches
             -Effect in congress
      -View of the President’s comments
      -Leadership
      -Criticisms
             -Press
      -Talks with Bush
      -Edicts
-Possible meetings in other countries
      -Compared with US cabinet meetings across US
             -Los Angeles, New Orleans, Chicago
             -Impact
      -New York City identification as headquarters
      -Organization of African Unity [OAU], Geneva and Japan
      -World racial make-up
      -Security Council
             -Addis Ababa
                   -New York Times criticism
      -Olympic games
             -Competition for site
                   -Prestige
                   -Munich
                   -Compared with US cities’ competition for political conventions
      -Possible effects
      -Paris
             -Expense
      -Need for businesslike approach
             -Expense
                   -View of American public
      -Publicity of achievements
      -General assembly
             -Compared with Olympics
      -Dag Hammerskjold
             -Travel
      -India-Pakistan relations
             -Refugee aid
                   -Publicity
                                 20

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                         Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. 10/06)
                                                            Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


           -US aid
                -Amount
-Waldheim
     -Announcement
            -Opening ceremony
                   -Secretariat
-Middle East
     -Gunnar Jarring’s work
            -President Leopold S. Senghor of Senegal
            -President Moktar Ould Daddah of Mauritania
                   -Presidency of OAU
                   -Group of Ten
            -Senghor’s request
            -Daddah
            -Possible trip to Washington, DC
                   -Rogers
     -African concerns
            -Prestige
                   -Report
            -Jarring
                   -UN ambassador’s request
     -Rogers plan
     -Need to contact African heads of state
     -Rogers’s responsibility
     -Truce
     -Peace talks
     -Daddah
            -The President’s and Rogers’s schedule
     -Jarring
            -Africa
            -Rogers
     -Israel
            -Flexibility
     -Egypt
            -Prime Minister Aziz Sidky’s speech
            -Youth problems
                   -Anwar el-Sadat’s actions
                   -Riots at University of Cairo
            -Sidky
                   -Expertise in domestic issues, economy
                   -Education
                                        21

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/06)
                                                                 Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


                               -Harvard University, University of Oregon
                   -Military preparations
                   -Economy
                   -Possible war
             -Soviet Union
                   -India-Pakistan War
                   -Egypt
                         -Restraint
             -Sadat
                   -UN action
                         -Domestic pressure
             -Egypt
                   -Note
                         -Negotiations
             -Negotiations
                   -Possible US help
     -Bush
          -Confidence of the President and Rogers
          -Background
          -Liaison position
                 -Discretion
                 -The President and Rogers
     -US relationship with Waldheim
          -Balance between proximity and distance
     -Waldheim
          -Difficulty of position
          -Image
                 -Compared with Thant
                 -Importance
          -Bush
     -Leaks
          -Jack N. Anderson papers
                 -Concern of world
     -Bush and Rogers
     -US support
          -Hope for success
          -India-Pakistan relations

Elizabeth (Ritschel) Waldheim
      -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
            -Unknown Ambassador to Africa
                                             22

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                       Conv. No. 653-8 (cont.)


               -Location
                    -Blair House
               -Tours

Waldheim, et al. left at 11:53 am.