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On July 1, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, Henry A. Kissinger [?], and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:45 am to 9:52 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 534-002 of the White House Tapes. Topics include: The President met with H.R. ("Bob") Haldeman. The Pentagon Papers case - Haldeman's conversation with Elliot L. Richardson - The Eastern "establishment" - The President's experiences with the Alger Hiss case - Contrast between Hiss' and Whitaker Chambers' background - Richardson conversation about Charles M. Cooke, Jr. (?) - Melvin R. Laird - Ellsworth F. Bunker cables shown to Daniel Ellsberg - Jimmy Doyle of the Washington Star - William P. Rogers - Investigation of cable leak - Cooke's admission of showing cable to Ellsberg - Ellsberg's departure from the Rand Corporation - Cooke - Access to cable from unnamed woman in the State Department - Richardson's June 30, 1971 conversation with Cooke - Perception of Cooke's role - Cooke's position with the federal government - Henry A. Kissinger - Frank [Surname unintelligible] - Conversation overheard at Los Angeles Rams football game in October 1970 - Plans to leak documents via unnamed persons from Kissinger's staff at the White House News story about the Turkish opium ban The President's appearance at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's [FBI] academy - Defense of J. Edgar Hoover Howard K. Smith - Commentary on "The Establishment" - New York Times - The President as anti- Establishment figure Pentagon Papers case - Action against anti- Administration conspiracy - John D. Ehrlichman - Charles W. Colson - The President's schedule - Leaking of stories about opponents - The New York Times - John F. Kennedy - Feasibility and timing of statement by the President - President's view - Suppression - Possible action - Ehrlichman's recommendation - Ellsberg's legal status - Ehrlichman's forthcoming conversation with Colson - Kissinger - Ehrlichman's views - Haldeman's forthcoming meeting with Ehrlichman, Colson, Richard A. Moore, John A. Scali, Ronald L. Ziegler - Kissinger - Declassification of government documents - Kissinger - Ehrlichman - Laird - John N. Mitchell - Laird - FBI - Handling of case by someone for the White House - Tom C. Huston - Richard V. Allen - Henry E. Peterson - Comparison to the President's involvement in the Hiss case - Leaks - Hoover - Mitchell - Ehrlichman - Orchestration of effort to leak information - Purposes - Declassification - Political benefits - Vietnam - Distraction from current issues - Focus on previous administrations - Type of person needed to handle the case - John C. Whitaker - Qualities required - Huston - Presidential involvement - Cooke - Tran Ngoc Chau - Future White House contact - Freeze against the Washington Post and the New York Times - Continuation - Backgrounders, off- The- Record, personal - George P. Shultz - Access restriction to on- The- Record appearances in presence of other reporters - Leonard Garment, William L. Safire, Raymond K. Price, Jr. Unemployment statistics - The President's conversation with Colson - Adjustments - Shultz - Seasonal adjustments - June statistics - Colson - The President's instructions on handling story - ABC news - Scali Opium agreement with Turkey, June 30, 1971 The FBI - The President's appearance at academy - Hoover - Repression issue - Mitchell's attitude - Passing nature of issue The Supreme Court - Justices - Need to change - Hugo L. Black, Thurgood Marshall, William J. Brennan, Byron R. White Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 8:45 am The President's schedule - Request - Kissinger Bull left at an unknown time before 9:18 am [The President talked with an unknown person (Kissinger?) at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 9:18 am] [Conversation No. 534-2A] Schedule [End of telephone conversation] The President's schedule - Meeting request by Ehrlichman Bicentennial speech - John K. Andrews, Jr. - Use of the President's previous statement - Speech language - Number of television networks scheduled to broadcast speech Kissinger entered at 9:18 am. The Vietnam war - Vietnamese - Negotiations - Press report - May 31, 1971 proposal The Pentagon Papers case - California - Incident at October 1970 Los Angeles Rams game - Member of Business Executives for Peace - Plans by unknown member of Kissinger's staff - Alleged plan to quit staff and leak information about the war Haldeman left at 9:18 am - Release of classified information - NSC control - Contingency plans - Laos- Cambodia contingency plans - Haiphong Harbor - Cooke - Richardson - Comparison to the Hiss case - Relations with Ellsberg - Rand Corporation - Case of Chau in South Vietnam - Secret cables - Nguyen Van Thieu - Publication of cables by Doyle - Washington Star - Rogers - Concern - Investigation of Rand Corporation - Ellsberg - Richardson's defense of Cooke - Security- Clearances - Need- To- Know rule - Kissinger's staff -[First name not known] Davis - May 14, 1969 incident An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 8:45 am Accidental summons - Haldeman The unknown man left at an unknown time before 9:23 am The Pentagon Papers case - Davis - Alleged leak of embargoed speech to journalist - Ellsberg Haldeman entered at 9:23 am The Pentagon Papers case - Ellsberg - Distinction between holding security clearance and need- To- Know principle - Chau case - Cooke, Ellsberg, Bunker - Handling of classified information - Richardson - Need for individual to be assigned to work with the President on the case - Ehrlichman - Ehrlichman, John W. Dean, III - Comparison to Hiss case - Ethics and lawyers - The Manson case - Mitchell - New York Times - White House publications efforts - Brookings Institute safe - Break- In - Blame - Cooke - Alexander M. Haig, Jr. - Bunker - Chau case - Cables from Bunker - The President's message to Ambassador Bunker - Washington Star story Brookings Institution - Break- In Vietnam war - Negotiations - Public reaction - Press - Conditions - Prisoners of War [POWs] - Ceasefire - Possible public statement - Bunker's knowledge of negotiations - David K.E. Bruce - Timing - Kissinger's schedule - Proposal - POWs - POW wives - Report from Bruce - Possible public release of proposal - Release of POWs - Ceasefire - Conditions The Pentagon papers case - Leaks - National Security Council [NSC] staff - Investigation - Haig - Wiretapping - Issue of trust in the White House - Haldeman, Ehrlichman - Leaks - NSC staff - Liberals - Theft of classified documents - Mitchell - Reaction - Repression - The Hiss case comparison - Tom Clark - Justice Department - Nixon's efforts - Use of leaks to get Hiss - Newspaper stories contrasted with legal action in court - Grand jury -[Forename unknown] Murphy - Hoover - Ellsberg case - Declassification - Ehrlichman - Opposition to Laird plan - President's role - White House efforts - Cuban missile crisis - Conspiracy - Leaking of information - Cooke - Role - Rand Corporation - Ellsberg - Chau case - Bunker - Cables - Cooke - Ellsberg - Leak - Leak by White House - Conspiracy - Other administration's involvement - Cooke - Richardson's handling of case - Status - Leaks to press about involvement The President talked to Haldeman at unknown time between 9:28 am and 9:52 am. Cooke - Removal - Richardson - Leaks to the press - Colson [End of telephone conversation] Haig entered at 9:39 am. - NSC staff - Allegations about two unknown staff members - Leaking of documents against the Vietnam War - Security of materials - Kissinger and the NSC staff - Executive Office Building [EOB] - Intellectuals - Eastern schools - University of California, Berkeley Vietnam War - Negotiations - Ziegler - POWs - Haig's conversation with William C. Sullivan - North Vietnamese conditions - Thieu's Regime - Handling - Sullivan - Ziegler Haig left at 9:45 am. Foreign relations - Briefing book - Public information - Changes in section about negotiations - The People's Republic of China [PRC] - The President's conversations with Nicolae Ceausescu and Andrei Gromyko - Tone and style - Stance - Philosophical angle - Chou En- Lai's statements - Analysis - Kissinger's future conversation with Chou En- Lai - The President's perceptions of the world - The President's conversations with communist leaders - Unnamed Greek revolutionary -1947 Meeting - Nikita Khrushchev - Anastas Mikoyan - Frol Koslov - Fidel Castro - Nature of conversations - Opening Statement - Flexibility - Thought processes of foreign communists compared to current US revolutionaries Telephone Call from William P. Rogers to Kissinger Kissinger left at 9:52 am. Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Bull, Stephen B.; Kissinger, Henry A.; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.