Date: December 5, 1972
Time: 2:00 pm – unknown before 3:00 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
The President’s schedule
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)
Press relations
-Colson’s conversation with Patrick J. Buchanan
-Monographs
-“Things They Would Like to Forget”
-Purpose
-Eastern elite
-Administration supporters
-Columnists
-Editorial writers
-Buchanan
-New York Times
-Administration supporters
-Editors
-Congressmen
-Senators
-Republican National Committeemen
-1972 campaign
-News summaries
-The President’s reading
-Life
-Letters
-“Soc et tuum”
-Photographs
-Joe Scherschel
-Wisconsin
-Time
-Colson
-Washington Post article, December 5, 1972
-John A. Scali
-Tone
-Interview with Patricia Ann (Hughes) Colson
-Sally Quinn
-Margaret Pearson
-Colson’s conversation with Scali
-William S. Paley
-Meeting with Clay T. (“Tom”) Whitehead
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)
1972 election
-Victory margin
-Percentages
-Reporting
-Deadline
-Percentages
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 2:05 pm.
Press relations
-Colson
-Washington Post article
-Tone
-Scali
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
1972 election
-Victory margin
-Percentages
-Compared to Lyndon B. Johnson
-Reporting
-Missing states
-John B. Connally
-Wire services
-Press relations
-Jim Schurz
-Votes
-Certification
-Secretary of States
-Count
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)
*****************************************************************
Vietnam negotiations
-Henry A. Kissinger’s message
-Colson’s reading
-Breakdown
-Kissinger’s recommendation
-The President’s possible television [TV] appearance
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-US-Soviet Union summit
-US foreign relations
-1972 election
-Second term
-The President’s view
-1972 election
-Kissinger’s possible statement
-Explanation of details
-Kissinger’s return
-Report to the President
-Kissinger’s possible statement
-Untelevised
-Attribution
-Duration
-Questions and answers [Q&A]
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Public relations [PR]
-Reescalation of war
-US bombing of North Vietnam
-Kissinger’s possible statement
-“Snag”
-North Vietnam
-Translation problems
-US military action
-North Vietnam’s statements
-Colson’s view
-1972 election
-Economy
-Christmas
-Playoffs
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)
-Retail sales
-Second term
-“Peace is at hand”
-US-Soviet Union summit
-Kissinger’s return [from Moscow]
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-Cancellation
-The President’s recommended TV appearance
-John B. Connally’s view
-Victory in Vietnam
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-US bombing and mining of North Vietnam
-North Vietnam’s offensive
-Kissinger’s return from Paris
-Translation problems
-North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam
-US action
-US bombing of North Vietnam
-Pace
-B-52s
-Nuclear option
-Cambodia
-Kissinger’s message
-Settlement agreement
-Cease-fire
-Confession of failure
-Kissinger’s message
-Vietnamization
-Government of Vietnam [GVN]
-US withdrawal
-Military settlement
-Hanoi
-Prisoners of War [POWs] return
-US military action
-Offer
-South Vietnam
-Communist domination
-Self-defense
-POWs
-Cessation of US bombing of North Vietnam
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)
-US withdrawal
-Effect on South Vietnam
-George S. McGovern’s position
-Settlement agreement
-US allies
-POWs
-US withdrawal
-Honor
-Cambodia
-Administration supporters and opponents
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-Administration opponents and supporters
-US action
-Kissinger’s missions
-Failure
-Kissinger’s messages
-Nguyen Van Thieu, North Vietnam
-PR and Congressional relations
-US bombing and mining of North Vietnam
-Duration
-Settlement agreement
-PR and Congressional relations
-Cost
-Budget
-The President’s meeting with George P. Shultz and John D.
Ehrlichman
-Breakdown
-North Vietnam’s position
-The President’s message to Thieu
-Continuation of war
-Congressional relations
-Infiltration of Thieu’s government
-Settlement agreement
-Kissinger
-Bargaining tool
-Delay
-POWs
-Reparations
-Congressional relations
-Thieu
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)
-The President’s possible TV appearance
-Kissinger’s recommendations
-The President’s possible TV appearance
-The President’s November 3, 1969 speech
-US troop level
-Honor
-Vietnamization
-Kissinger
-Failure
-Resignation
-The President’s trips to the People’s Republic of
China [PRC] and Soviet Union
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s view
-The President’s credibility
-Compared to Kissinger’s credibility
-The President’s address, `Look to the Future”
-Timing
-1972 election
-Details
-Coalition government
-North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam
-Right
-US military action
-PR
-“Hawks”
-Bombing of dikes, destruction of Hanoi
-Honor
-Haldeman’s view
-Settlement agreement
-US withdrawal
-POWs
-South Vietnam’s self-determination
-US bombing of North Vietnam
-Pace, location
-PR
-Story
-Jo Anne (Horton) Haldeman
-20 Parallel
th
-Hanoi
-18 or 19 Parallel
th th
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)
-Kissinger’s view
-North Vietnam’s military
-20 Parallel
th
-Iowans
-Timing
-1972 election
-Kissinger’s possible statement
-Kissinger’s emotions
-The President’s possible efforts
-Sarah Bernhardt
-Alternatives
-William P. Rogers
-Ziegler
-Rogers
-Relationship with
Kissinger
-Format
-Exposition, Q&A
-Duration
-Kissinger’s briefings
-Efforts to “dazzle”
-Length of comments
-Effect
-Kissinger’s resignation
-Career
-Haig
-Col. Richard T. Kennedy
-Messenger role
-Kissinger
Second term reorganization
-Kissinger’s resignation
-Timing
-India-Pakistan War
An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 2:05 pm.
Refusal of offer
The unknown person left at an unknown time before 3:00 pm.
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)
Vietnam negotiations
-Advice
-Haldeman’s possible conversation with Rogers
-Rogers’s schedule
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
-Connally
-[David] Kenneth Rush
-Melvin R. Laird
-Schedule
-NATO
-Connally
-Meeting with the President
-Rush
-Reading of Kissinger’s messages
-Rogers
-PR
-Rush
-Ziegler
-“Hawks”
-Ehrlichman
-Ziegler
-Breakdown
-Kissinger’s possible statement
-Kissinger’s return from Paris
-Resumption of talks
-Timing
-North Vietnam
-US bombing of North Vietnam
-Duration
-Settlement agreement
Honorable peace
-North Vietnam
-PR
-Credibility
-Daniel Yankelovich
-Dovishness
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-Settlement agreement
-Kissinger’s and the President’s views
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-08)
-Kissinger’s recommendations
-Kissinger’s return from Paris
-Report to the President
-The President’s possible TV appearance
-US action
-US military action
-Duration
-POWs
-Right
-Left
-McGovern’s position
-R. Sargent Shriver
-POWs
-POWs
-PR
-US surrender
-Cessation of US mining and bombing, US military and economic aid to South
Vietnam
-Effect on South Vietnam’s survival
-POWs
-North Vietnam
-US economic aid
-PR
-Communists
-Settlement agreement
-Vietnamization
-North Vietnam’s position
-Bargaining tool
-POWs
-US aid to Hanoi
-Congressional relations
-Settlement agreement
-October 8, 1972 agreement
-South Vietnam
-Settlement agreement
-McGovern’s or allies’ possible role
-Delay
-Congressional relations
[This recording was cut off at an unknown time before 3:00 p.m.]