Richard M. Nixon’s Historic Trip to the U.S.S.R.: An Analysis of

Internal White House Documents

Maureen C. Minielli, Ph.D.

The City University of New York

New York, NY

July 2015

Rhetoric

Public Communication Presidential Rhetoric

CrisisRichard Nixon

Rhetorical Theory Rhetorical Criticism

Knowledge Fields

Argumentation Persuasion History Political Science

Linguistics Mediated

Communication Psychology Sociology

Conference Paper

Archival Research Summit Preparations Agreements and Issues Power and Control Conclusions, Limitations, & Future Research

Areas

Conference Paper

Summit PreparationsUS DelegationMedia PersonnelEarly May US military activities in Southeast

Asia

Conference Paper

Summit Agreements and IssuesSALTOpinions of SovietsUS-China-USSR Relationships

Conference Paper

Power and Control Control

Soviets & TransportationUS & Summit Agreement TimingUSSR/US & the Media

Domestic Political CapitalNixon & the upcoming Presidential electionSoviets & Equality with the US

Archival Research

Millions of documents available 25 used for paper Information Availability

Removed“Sanitized”Full

Haig Box 23

Garment Box 1

Ziegler Box 39

Flanigan Box 10

Flanigan Box 10

Quick Historical Review

Announces Visit to China July 1971 Announces Visit to the U.S.S.R. October

1971 Visits China February 1972 Visits the U.S.S.R. May 1972

Summit Preparations: Media Personnel US 250 Soviets 100 Final 160

100 journalists60 crew

Bypass Russian Embassy in Washington DC

Summit Preparations: Media Personnel The administration should pay attention to

which press would go to Moscow because “The plane might fill up with strangers. The

White House Press Corps is full of snobs, and if you have a bunch of strangers in their midst, it’s going to be hard on everybody. And, as you are aware, the President prefers to deal with familiar faces” (Whelihan for Ziegler, April 20, 1972).

Summit Agreements & Issues: USSR-China-US Relationships Soviets

Highly suspicious Suspect secret agreements

US National Interest World Peace

Advice Be straightforward

Ziegler, Box 36

Summit Agreements & Issues: USSR-China-US Relationships Soviet suspicions

Correct Wrong area

Triangulation (Minielli & Hazen 2013)

1969 - 1972 Issues Briefing Book

“The Soviets have little influence in Hanoi when it comes to basic issues of a settlement or military strategy.”

Power & Control: Brezhnev

20 April Memo – Using Soviet AirplanesNixon aides speculate

Soviets insist Nixon use Soviet plane

Would be nice to use Boeing 747Doubts Russians “will allow it to come over

because they don’t want to admit to its constituents that others have and can build planes that big”

Power & Control: Nixon

11 March Nixon Memo Kissinger Media coverage of the Summit

PPF, Box 3

Pappas, 2015

ConclusionsHistorical Research

Explains thoughts & actionsFills in gapsInsight how & why decisions

madeAdd to existing literature

Pappas, 2015

Paper LimitationsIncomplete Research

More to StudyLots of mundane memos

Unavailable DocumentsCensorship

Pappas, 2015

Future AreasCompare primary documents with

media accountsExtentAccuracy

Pappas, 2015

DropBoxBusiness CardEmail addressmminielli@Kingsborough.edu

Selected References

Department of State Briefing Memorandum. May 1972. Nixon to USSR 4 of 4. Ronald Ziegler,Box 36. Staff Member and Office Files. White House Special Files; Richard M.

NixonPapers; Richard M. Nixon Library, Yorba Linda, CA.

Memorandum for Henry Kissinger from the President. March 11, 1972. Memos-March 1972. Box 3. President’s Personal File. Staff Member and Office Files. White House SpecialFiles; Richard M. Nixon Papers; Richard M. Nixon Library, Yorba Linda, CA.

Bruce Whelihan Memorandum for Ron Ziegler. May 11, 1972. Phone Call to Tim Elbourne – 5/11/72. Plans. Soviet Summit, May 1972. Ronald Ziegler, Box 39. Staff Member and Office Files. White House Special Files; Richard M. Nixon Papers; Richard M. Nixon Library, Yorba Linda, CA

Bruce Whelihan Memorandum for Ron Ziegler. April 20, 1972. USSR trip – Press list. Press

Cont. Soviet Summit, May 1972. Ronald Ziegler, Box 39. Staff Member and Office

Files. White House Special Files; Richard M. Nixon Papers; Richard M. Nixon Library,

Yorba Linda, CA.

Thank You

Spasieba

Gracias

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Danke

Dankjewel