6. Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Rogers and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1
R just heard that Frank Shakesphere was taking a trip to Beirut or someplace like that and has his doubts about whether this is a good move. They might think we have some sort of plan by sending Shakesphere.
[Page 17]HAK said he hadn’t thought about that. What happened was someone asked at the Cabinet meeting2 (K thought Haldeman) whether Shakesphere could go somewhere to meet the public affairs officials.
R felt that Shakesphere was fairly inexperienced and maybe it might be a better idea to send him to Europe or Latin America.
K thought Europe would be a good idea and would give him a chance to meet the people there.
K said he would be seeing the P on a minor matter at 4:30 and would bring it up. It would give the P a positive reason rather than negative for not sending S to the Middle East.
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, Kissinger Telephone Conversations, Chronological File, Box 1, February 1–11, 1969. No classification marking.↩
- Presumable reference to the February 7 Cabinet meeting, which took place in the White House Cabinet Room from 10:07 until 11:55 a.m. (Ibid., White House Central Files, President’s Daily Diary)↩