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Conversation 184-012

TapeTape 184StartMonday, December 18, 1972 at 12:28 PMEndMonday, December 18, 1972 at 12:30 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.Recording deviceCamp David Study Desk
AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the tactical implementation and operational pace of an ongoing bombing campaign, specifically addressing the frequency and targeting of strikes. The conversation centers on maintaining operational intensity and ensuring military effectiveness, with the President explicitly instructing Kissinger to persist with the current offensive strategy. They assess the technical challenges of target selection and the implications of potential collateral damage in populated areas.

Vietnam WarOperation Linebacker IIMilitary StrategyBombing CampaignsHenry Kissinger
AudioNARA Description

On December 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:28 pm to 12:30 pm. The Camp David Study Desk taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 184-012 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 184-12 (cont’d)
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Because that next race, we won't get a report after about two.
Oh, I see.
That's not going over the target.
I'm just, I'm listening.
Oh, is that the new one here?
That's the second one.
There's three of them.
Yeah, I got it.
That's the third one.
They'll be at five o'clock tonight.
Yeah.
I was just asking the balance of the time.
Then what they do is they do it in, uh, in our configuration.
And then they go back to back here.
I think it's time to keep up 100 for three days and then they'll go down to about 50.
Oh, it's gonna be, it's gonna be, it's gonna be, it's gonna be, it's gonna be, it's gonna be, it's gonna be, it's gonna be,
They probably didn't tie it together.
They didn't get the wood in there.
We just don't want them to drop it on the toolbox.
We want them to hit something.
But they must be having a lot of fun.
The other guy hit something just to make sure that they may make it to the populated area in which case it would be gorgeous.
They're working on it.
That always happens.
Well, the target could be far enough away so that they have some options.
We always go the other way, far enough away or not.
And we've improved in populated areas throughout the war.
And we've just got to take the lead on it.
But it's going to be, it's going to be enough.
And I'm not, I'm not going to give up any of this.
Right.
Because I totally agree with you.
Once you get tired, you can't look back either.
So, keep right on it.
Okay.
Right.
Thank you very much.
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