Date: December 29, 1972

Time: 12:13 pm – 12:37 pm

Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[See Conversation No. 237-22]

Vietnam War

-Cessation of US bombing north of 20 Parallel

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-Announcement

-Press relations

-US bombing

-Demonstration

-Dean Francis B. Sayre

-White House

-Administration response

-Infiltration

-Demeanor

-Liberals

-Colson’s viewing on television [TV]

-Establishment

-Attire

-American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS]

-Press conference

-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS] special, December 28, 1972

-Tone

-Charles Collingwood

-Comments on breakdown of negotiations

-Henry A. Kissinger

-Ambiguities

-Options

-Resumption of negotiations

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US bombing of North Vietnam

-December 28, 1972

-Plane losses

-Sorties

-Targets

-Effect

-Effect

-Damage

-Recovery

-Compared to World War II

-Japan

-Soviet Union

-Germany

-Britain

-France

-Damage

-Communists

-Recovery

-Cessation north of 20 Parallel

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-Report from Saigon

-Washington Post

-The President’s meeting with Colson

-Washington Star

-Washington Post articles

-US bombing of North Vietnam north of 20 Parallel

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-Effect

-Damage

-B-52s

-Hanoi

-Civilians

-Reports from Saigon

-Washington Star

-Announcement

-Gerald L. Warren

-Tone

-Negotiations

-North Vietnam

-Public relations [PR]

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-US bombing

-Effect on negotiations

-Liberals’ view

-Pressure on US

-Liberals’ view

-Necessity

-Negotiations

-Liberals’ view

-Effect

-Public opinion

-“Nixon’s done it again”

-New Majority, “Hawks”

-North Vietnam

-White House

-Possible op-ed article in New York Times

-Television [TV]

-Letters

-Telephone calls

-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision

-Collingwood

-Commentary

-Paper [“Things They Would Like to Forget”]

-Distribution

-Congress, editors, broadcasters, opinion leaders

-Effect

-Criticism

-Herbert G. Klein

-“Nixon’s done it again”

-Effect

-Possible op-ed article in New York Times

-J. Anthony Lukas [?]

-John A. Scali

-Possible meeting with Colson

-Kissinger’s concern

-The President’s relationship with Kissinger

-Kissinger’s conversation with journalists

-US bombing of North Vietnam north of 20 Parallel

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-The President’s decision

-William P. Rogers’s schedule

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-Melvin R. Laird’s schedule

-Reaction of White House staff

-Scali

-Victory for the President

-Ability as “salesman”

-Meeting with Colson

-Timing

-Secrecy

-PR

-Liberals’ view

-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision

-People’s Republic of China [PRC]

-“Nixon’s done it again”

-Pressures on US

-Credibility

-Resumption of negotiations

-Instruction for Colson

-Scali

-Timing

-Announcement

-“No comment” instruction

-Warren

-Compared to Ronald L. Ziegler

-Kissinger

-PR

-Scali

-Leaks

-Ambassadorship to United Nations [UN]

-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s view

-Ambassadorship to UN

-Daniel L. Schorr

-Judgment on announcement

-Background

-White House

-Resumption of negotiations

-North Vietnam

-Deep background

-Unknown person

-Bernard and Marvin L. Kalb

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-Howard K. Smith

-Stewart M. Hensley

-Leaks

-Resumption of negotiations

-Tone

-“Serious”

-Instruction for Colson

-Labor leaders

-Congressional relations

-William E. Timmons

-Telephone call to leaders

-Kissinger’s calls to leaders

-Negotiations

-John C. Stennis

-F. Edward Hebert

-Gerald R. Ford

-Barry M. Goldwater

-Hugh Scott

-PR

-Labor leaders

-Statements

-Negotiations

-Breakdown

-Liberals’ view

-1972 election

-[Arnold] Eric Sevareid

-Telephone calls

-Dan Rather

-Harry Reasoner

-Effect

-Commentators

-Colson’s call to Scali

-Colson’s call to the President

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Tape Subject Log

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