519–7

Conversation No. 519-7

Date: June 14, 1971
Time: 12:26 pm - 1:09 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with William P. Rogers

General Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s efforts

Pentagon Papers
-Administration comment
-Reflection on government employees
-Presidential integrity
-New York Times’ responsibility
-Brookings Institution role
-Leslie H. Gelb
-Melvin R. Laird press conference

Haig entered at 12:27 pm

-Content
-”McNamara Study” question
-Relevance to current situation
-Brookings Institution role
-Gelb
-Haig call to Walt W. Rostow
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Implications for Johnson
-Reason for call
-Haig’s previous call to Rostow
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Daniel Ellsberg
-Background
-International Security Affairs [ISA] [?]
-Research and Development [RAND] Corporation
-Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT]
-Access to study
-Gelb role
-Morton H. Halperin role Conv. No. 519-6 (cont.)
-[Name unintelligible]
-Background
-Ellsberg
-John F. Kennedy role in Vietnam
-Effect on Johnson
-Dwight D. Eisenhower role
-”Limited risk” policy
-Kennedy view of Eisenhower policy
-Speech on Laos
-Eisenhower policy of noninvolvement
-Lebanon
-Possible questions
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Administration review of Vietnam policy
-State Department copy of study
-Gelb
-Theodore L. Eliot, Jr.
-Access
-Administration response
-Study of Vietnam problem
-Laird
-Department of Defense [DOD]
-Response to New York Times story
-Other media
-Noninvolvement
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration: 28s ]


PENTAGON PAPERS Conv. No. 519-7 (cont.)


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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-Relation to Alger Hiss case
-Congressional role
-Comment on substance of leak
-Awareness of study
-Stance on publication of material
-Feelings of press corps
-Concern with disclosure
-Comment on substance
-Further study
-Liberal action
-Rostow
-Johnson supporters

Ziegler entered at 12:37 pm

-Administration response
-Expression of concern regarding publication
-Precedent
-Investigation
-DOD
-Laird request for Justice Department investigation
-Expression of concern
-White House awareness of study
-Issue
-President’s action regarding Vietnam
-Use of material
-Focus on President’s policy
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Nature of report
-Completion
-Focus on President’s policy
-Harm done to Prisoners of War [POWs]
-Clark M. Clifford
-POWs
-Dealing with governments
-Use of channels Conv. No. 519-7 (cont.)
-Rogers’ press conference
-Clarification of earlier Laird statement
-Clifford
-Xuan Thuy
-Dr. David K. E. Bruce
-US combat role in Vietnam
-Casualties
-Laird statements
-Thuy
-Defense of withdrawal operations
-Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction [MBFR]
-Navy concerns
-Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Previous questions
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
-Rogers’ meeting with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-MBFR negotiations
-George S. McGovern-Mark O. Hatfield effort
-George D. Aiken’s comment
-Democratic effort to take credit
-President’s efforts
-McGeorge Bundy call to Henry A. Kissinger
-Executive and Congressional responsibility
-Past Congressional actions
-Goals of Democrats
-Rogers’ reference to Aiken’s remark
-Bipartisanship regarding safety of troops and POWs
-Casualties
-Gratitude for bipartisanship
-President’s memorandum regarding Soviet Union
-Brezhnev, Aleksei N. Kosygin, Nikolai V. Podgorny statements
-US response
-Intent
-Comparison to Jewish Defense League
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Brezhnev speech
-Content
-Benefits of US reaction
-Effect on NATO Allies
-Effect on general relations
-Arms limitations negotiations
-Prospects
-Focus of speech Conv. No. 519-7 (cont.)
-Intent
-US response
-Intent of President’s memorandum
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Ziegler’s handling of press
-Administration stand on Pentagon Papers
-President’s actions
-National Security Council [NSC]
-Number of studies done
-President’s new policy
-Content
-President’s awareness of study
-Nature of President’s policy reevaluation
-Policies of past administrations
-Nature
-Results
-President’s study of policies
-Extent of participation
-Use of facts
-Study as one opinion
-President’s policy changes
-Reference to Johnson
-Publishing of classified information
-DOD comment
-President’s policy
-Success
-State Department studies
-Extent

Ziegler left at 1:00 pm

Personnel matters
-Bruce
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Robert F. Ellsworth
-Departure
-Replacement
-Douglas MacArthur, II
-MacArthur replacement
-Joseph M. Luns
-Second-in-command
-NATO Conv. No. 519-7 (cont.)
-Bruce
-Foy D. Kohler
-Schedule for departure
-NATO Impact
-Peter M. Flanigan
-MacArthur
-Willy Brandt [?]
-Bureaucratic skill
-Ellsworth
-Bruce


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[National Security]
[Duration: 46s ]


GREAT BRITAIN


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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


President’s travel schedule
-General Nguyen Van Thieu
-Scheduling
-Talk to Ellsworth F. Bunker
-Combat situation
-Bunker preparations
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/08)



-Combat situation
-Laos
-Defense tactics
-Offensive action
-Wilbur D. Mills
-US role
-South Vietnamese role
-Kissinger Conv. No. 519-7 (cont.)
-Laird
-Thieu
-Forthcoming meeting
-Criticism
-Bunker assessment
-Desire for meeting
-Delays
-McGovern-Hatfield complications

Wedding pictures
-Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins’ skill
-Film clips
-White House Signal Corps unit

Rogers’ press conference
-Questions
-President’s schedule

Rogers and Haig left at 1:09 pm