D EPARTM E NT O F STA TE Washi ngton D C 20520 MEMORANDUM TO FROM April 13 1976 L - Mr Monroe Leigh L - Michael Sandler 11$' SUBJECT Press Briefing Concerning Pocantico Hills Attached are 1 the transcript of yesterday's press briefing and post-press briefing questions concerning the April 12 Safire column and 2 Tratner's press guidance prior to the briefing I call your attention to page 4 of the briefing transcript Two things are striking First we have for the first time an official acknowledgement that tapes were used to make transcripts of telephone conversations albeit the tapes were apparently destroyed after a transcript was made Second it is not clear what private papers were transferred to Pocantico Hills For example did they include the telephone conversation memoranda or other papers that r e late to the performance of government activities I am not sure the answer at the top of page 4 will end speculation by Safire or other me mbers of the press f DECLASSfuEif - - Authority rJJJD tf h EXCERP 1l'S J Rm-'l • rm TRANSCRIP'l' DAI DH IBFING DEPI Rrl'J• d NT _ r Ol 2'JIE 1 l'E _ April_ 12 1976 Q Do you have any statement on the movement by the Secrctc1ry fron the White House of files private files l Yes Henry I'd like to make two or three points 011 that You're asking a question in reference to the article by Mr Safire this morning Q Right A Pirr t all memoranda of c01iversation or other diplonmtic exchanges in which Sec Kissinger was involved as Asst to the ·Pr esident are now and have always been in the White Ilouse files There are no other memoranda of conversation or diplomatic exchanges Secondly this applies as well of course to rn0 moranda ot conversation with the Soviets Sp t i £j_c •• J 1• copies of all rnemoranda of conversation with Amb Dobrynin or other senior Soviet officials were sent to the President before being put into the White House files There are no other notes or documents on exchanges with the Soviets or indeed any other diplomatic exchanges with other governments Q John that doesn't entirely address the issue of the distribution of these things The memcons are kept according to the statement in the White House files and were shown to the President r Was there any limited distribution of relevant discussions d th Soviet officials for ex i mple to the Intelligence corn mmi ty I or to statutory member - of the HSC which would incl11dc thf Secretary of Defcnr- r ·c i I ' rn not able to c o beyond what I' vc r ti1 t cu on this f ub i __· Q -2- Could you ti e the question A I can take the question Q Is that statement cleared by the Secretary A Yes Q Could I add to that sir includihg also the Secretary of State before September 1973 ' Added to taken question A Noted Q Does your reference to memcons and documents also over tape recording s ·1 · A I'm really not able to go beyond iliat I've said After the briefing the spokesman responded to the following question Q Docs the statement cover tape recordings A Yes it doc3 in existence There are no tapen of telephone convcr utic s Any conversation of substance with l mb Dobrynin or any other senior diplomatic official was the subject of a memorandum to the President and would therefore be in the White House files After the briefing the spokesman was also asked the following question Q Did the Secretary move any of his files or records to Governor Rockefeller's estate at Pocantico Hills A Yes When the Secretary was considering resigning from the Government he moved his Harvard files and person papers covering the years before 1969 -- which he ha l brought down to Washingtom f ron-1 Boston during the student riots in 1969 - - plus some other personal papers to a vault at Governor Rockefeller's estate No document rncmorRnda or other records were re movcd from t H Wh i tc· II · - '· ' files • ·• -3- lvhen the Secretary later in the year decided ht would stay in the Government he moved all of those papers back to the White House ·Everything taken up to Governor Rockefeller's estate was returned in tJ1 e spr z ng · of 1973 when the documents ·were brought back to the White Bouse The Spokesman was subsequently a sked the following question Q What do you ·mean in saying When the Secretary was considering resigning from the governm1 ·mt 11 When did he consider doing so Can you elaborate A The Secretary had always thought that he would probably resign after the Vietnam war had ended Therefore he had decided to leave as soon as U S troops had left Vietnam and peace seemed well on the wav to being established However as Watergate developed he decided he could not leave In addition to the foregoing Ozzie Johnston of the Los Angeles Times asked the following questions and was gi the following replies Q Your statement on removal of the Secretary's papc from the White House indicates that they were II records and documents and personal papcrs--i e they were not Government docl ents officiQl etc This seems in conflict with what Woodwar Bernstein state in their book The Finals D Kissinger after being told that removal of from the White House contravened rcgul ti c DECLASSfflE l l Authority V Vf2 I I • -4- • i and storuge of classified documents outside government f cilities had the files returned to the White House This seems to suggest either thht his personal papers were classified or that the removal was not in fact limited to Harvard and personal papers Can you clarify A The Woodward and Bernstein book is factually inaccurate on this point The Secretary had brought the pa ers back on his m·m when it became clear he could not resign under Wat0r92 te condi-Lions Later he did talk to a lawye r about the-• general problem But his papers including the Harvard papers had already been brought back to the White House some time before his conversation with the lawyer Q In the Washington Post of March 27 1976 Mr Eagleburaer is quoted as confirming that the Secretary had stored srn e papers at the Rockefeller estate Why didn't he say then that i 11et e were µr i vo t I o pe ct A He did use the word private to the Post but the Post did not include that word in what it printed Q You have said that no tapes of telephone conversations exist and you have said previously that transcripts of the Secretary's telephone conversations while Assistant to the President are kept in the Department of State Can you go one step further and say what happened to the tapes from which the transcripts were made A As soon as a tape had been used to make a transcript of a telephone conversation it was destroyed And as we have said any conversation of substance with any senior diplomatic official was the subject of a memorandum to the President and would be in the White House files From first page of excerpt from daily briefing of 1 p il 12 concerning distribution to intellig·ence cornmuni ty ' SC Q DECLAS Authority V VQ IFifn - -J ' f' s -1 'ff • -5• 1 members Secretaries of Defense and State up to September 1973 of rnemoranda of conversation or of other diplomatic exchanges in which Secretary was involved as Assistant to the President A I am not going into a discuss·ion of · distribution DECLASS fiD»--- Authority NNo t f bl l I •· ' GUlUANCE -- ----- 213 C SAFIRE ON KISSINGER FILES f ________ - I 1 1 I I If SpoI- bsntan is asked about Safire article h¢ will ti -d c fc J c ·ing t • o points I 1 All 1nemoranda of conversation or otlier diplon atic · in which Secretary of State was invoi vcd aB - c • -·•J-•1 •- c •t· c - r·i lV ti •__ u •'-·c the President are nm·l and have ah1u ys been in the 1i C House files There are no oth0 r mernornnda of convert -- u - or diplomatic · changes 2 'rhis applies as well of course to memorand of con 'l'J _i on with the Soviets Specifically copies of all 1 1cfaDr 1n 1 of conversation with lnnbassador Dobrynin or at her senior -' '5 et the White House f ile s Tb ere are no other noteG or c oc t ic'n- s on exchang8s with the Soviets or indeed any other dipJ c · z ti c exchanges d th other governments 3 Q Did the Secret arv move any of his files or rcccr s to Governor Rockefeller's esto te at Pocantico Liills A Yes When the Secretnry was considering resigJ in f i O i the Government he moved his Harvnrd files 2 · nd rcn- 1 -- J_ papers covering the years before 1969 - which he h c1 brought dm·m to Washington from Boston during the - - tu t riots in 1969 - plus some other p0rsonal papers tc a vanl t nt Gov rnor nockcfcller I s estate files No doct r - nt Hhcn t hc f c rGtc 1 cy later in the ycQr c1cciC c lie DECLAs Authority IVNp fF iEn -r S° ------------- - l iU LJJl NC i _ SAFIRE ON KISSINGER FILES · -' - · - - _ i 1- -2 G ____ _____ 'I I If SpoI-- esnlan is asked about Safire article h will uc ke ing t '70 points 1 r c- 2 J c ·- All memoranda of conversation or otlicr diplor atic c - • c - in which Secretary of State was involved c1 Assh L in l to the Pre d dent are now 2 nd have ah·rnys been in the 1 i There are no oth0r men ornnda of convcr - - - House files or diplomatic r chQ ngcs 2 'rhis applies as well of couxse to mGmorc1ndc'i of con ·c- • · 10n ·1ith the Soviets Specifically copies of all 1 1cnic run t of conversation with l irJ assador Dobrynin or other senior · · _ _ _et nffi rd J s 'h7 P n sent 1 0 t hc P cesirler t hP-fon- h ing the ·ihi te House files rn t - n ·n There are no other notes or c ocr - J1 · s on excl1ang2B with the Soviets or indeed any other diplot t i c exchanges with other governments 3 Q Did the Secretary move any of his files or rcccrJs to Governor Rockefeller's estate at Pocantico l iills A Yes When the Secretm y was considering resigr ain f o i the Government he moved his Harvurd f ilcs 2 nd Fe s 1 J_ papers covering the years before 1969 - vhich he h d brought down to Washington f rom Boston during th - tu t riots in 1969 - plus some other personal papers tc a vault nt Gov rnor Tiockcfcller' s cntute · J cs f·1 i· cn T rh • 1 -c C No clocm c nt c• r- -1• J-_ - -cl 1t x - c 1 cy '-- i11 tl·1c 'Cc rr dcci c lie - · • • i II -2- 1i would stay in the Government he moved all of those House Everything taken up tb Governor Rockefellcrts estate was returned in the pring of 1973 when the documents were brought back to the White Bouse 4 Q rn1at about __telephone tra nscripts l1 s we have - already publicly indicated transcripts of the Secre ary's telephone conversations while he was Assistant to the President are held here in the Dcpart- 1ent of State