278. Conversation Between President Nixon and the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Tapes, Conversation 538–4. No classification marking. The editors transcribed the portions of the tape recording printed here specifically for this volume. According to the President’s Daily Diary, Nixon met Haig in the Oval Office on July 6 from 9:10 to 9:25 a.m. (Ibid., White House Central Files)

279. Conversation Between President Nixon and the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Tapes, Conversation 538–13. No classification marking. The editors transcribed the portion of the tape recording printed here specifically for this volume. According to the President’s Daily Diary, Nixon met Haig in the Oval Office on July 6 from 11:26 to 11:45 a.m. The two men left the White House at 12:20 p.m., EDT, and, after a stop in Kansas City, Missouri for a briefing of Midwestern media representatives, arrived in San Clemente at 6:46 p.m., PDT. (Ibid., White House Central Files)

280. Backchannel Message From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) in New Delhi

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 432, Backchannel Files, Very Sensitive Trip Cables. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. On Haig’s behalf, Kennedy initialed the message, which was sent from the White House at 1:04 p.m.

281. Backchannel Message From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 432, Backchannel Files, Very Sensitive Trip Cables. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Haig was in San Clemente. The message was received at the White House at 2:14 a.m. and relayed to San Clemente. The “messenger” in the text is Dobrynin. Kissinger described the message in his memoirs as follows: “I cabled Haig that Vorontsov’s note had its advantages. We could now complete the summits in our preferred order. The Soviet Union would find it more difficult to accuse us of bad faith in our opening to Peking (not a decisive factor, but helpful). And if the Soviets still wanted to go ahead with a Moscow summit—as I thought probable—it would take place in circumstances where the balance of interest was more visible.” (Kissinger, White House Years, p. 835)

282. Backchannel Message From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) in New Delhi

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 432, Backchannel Files, Very Sensitive Trip Cables. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The copy printed here is the draft as approved for transmission. The message number is handwritten. According to a handwritten note on another copy, it was sent at 2:35 p.m. (Ibid.) Haig used the following pseudonyms in the text: the “leader” is Nixon, the “messenger” is Dobrynin, and the “proponent” is Rogers.

283. Editorial Note

284. Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and the Soviet Ambassador (Dobrynin)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, Kissinger Telephone Conversation Transcripts, Box 27, Dobrynin File. No classification marking. Kissinger was in San Clemente; Dobrynin was in Washington at the White House. For their memoir accounts, see Kissinger, White House Years, p. 835, and Dobrynin, In Confidence, pp. 226–227.

285. Oral Note From President Nixon to the Soviet Leadership

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 492, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, 1971, Vol. 7 [part 2]. No classification marking. Kissinger made several handwritten corrections on a draft of the note (ibid.); substantive changes are noted below. According to Kissinger: “On July 15, about forty-five minutes before the announcement [at 10 p.m.] of my trip to Peking, we sent a message to the Soviet leaders through Vorontsov.” (Kissinger, White House Years, p. 835) Marginalia on the original, however, indicate that it was “handed to Amb D by Col Kennedy 9:45 p.m., 7/15/71.” See also Document 284.

286. Background Press Briefing by the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 499, President’s Trip Files, Reaction to China Initiative, Press, Misc., July 1971 [Part 2]. No classification marking. Excerpts from the briefing are also printed in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume I, Foundations of Foreign Policy, 1969–1972, Document 93.