Nixon, Kennedy & Williams on Nicaragua relief and Disaster management

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He holds up remarkably well.

His schedule has been a real killer.

Sixteen hours a day.

He mostly keeps the same schedule.

So they meet sort of midnight, 11, 1 o'clock, on top of the day's operational activity.

How are you?

I'm safe.

Happy birthday, sir.

Yeah, thank you.

That's it.

That's very impressive.

So if you would sit here.

All right, sir.

All right, we'll put the picture here.

I have the picture so that I know you handed the report to me and then you go out and talk about it.

All right, Mr. President.

And get back to the rest of the briefing.

All right.

Happy birthday.

I thank you.

Those roses over there, I will never apologize to staff.

We always want to give a gift, and I said never.

I just don't believe that staff should be imposed or honored by giving up $5 that they otherwise could spend for refreshments.

So what they do every year is to give me a rose for each year.

So there's 60 red roses there.

I've been thinking, though, that it's not going to be very expensive for us, so I thought, oh, $60 is enough.

But at $64, can a Rosa's cost a lot of money?

Can I buy this at Rosa's today?

$60 in there.

So I'm going to take them over to the house tonight.

You look very nice, Mr. President.

Hey.

How old are you in the morning?

Fifty-two.

Gee, when I was fifty-two, I was quite old then.

You know, there are many unsung heroes in our country.

We need, naturally, the ones that make the news, the camp officers and the people that are involved in the controversy, the White House staff and so on and so on.

There are scores of people who devote their lives to government service, who take on a ton of jobs.

Curbly qualified from a management standpoint and completely dedicated to doing the job.

I say this in Mr. Woodward's presence, not to butter him up because he doesn't mean that, doesn't ask for it, but I called him in West Virginia and he was taking the first vacation he had for, I guess, a few years.

They reached him down there and he broke off his vacation, went down to Nicaragua.

He's been through, he was through the terrible problems in Bangladesh, which I think was one of the most difficult relief activities that we've ever engaged in because of the civil war conference we had there.

He's handled the volcanoes, he's handled the cyclone, you name it, whatever it is.

On this day, as I enter the attention that is always riveted on the White House, the President, let me say I would prefer to direct that attention to the men and women in government who take on assignments like this.

assignments in which the United States is seen at its best, contributing not only its money, but contributing services at a dedicated minimum.

We have an excellent example, Mr. Williams, and I'll just say, while he will stay in Washington, I'll direct all of his activities here.

and have him set up in a situation on the field, in the field.

But I only hope we don't have another disaster so he can't get his vacation.

Every time he goes on vacation, we have a disaster someplace.

But if we can have any, we can get him back from the room.

Unless you, have you got a deputy?

No, that's great.

All right.

Be ready.

Don't take any pictures.

I'm going to tell you, I'm going to tell you this.

Let me ask, what should I know about this that I would not know for sure?

First, I think, I mean, how's the morale of the people down there, and how are our military agencies working with the government?

Do they need more of a push here?

It's sort of that sort of thing that I would think is important to get.

The first point I'd like to make is just the fact that you were sending a person with a

whoever that would have been, whether he had done anything or not, meant a great deal to the situation, the psychology, the morale of the people.

I think it was timely.

I don't think again, because it's a very chaotic situation, overwhelming, but it had its effect on the government at every level.

So it was very appreciative that the ambassador saw that and, of course, put it to the fore.

So morale is good.

And, of course, you can be proud of the American element.

Attorney Sheldon was doing an outstanding job.

He did an heroic job.

He really is.

He's on the bridge 16 hours a day.

He's been at it for two weeks at the time I left.

He's hoping I'm fine.

His wife and his wife, they leave their residences for the landfills.

destroyed and for a while they didn't even have vehicles.

They got the vehicles out by letting the air out of the tires and pulling them out from the wreckage.

That was a couple of days before somebody thought of that.

The voluntary agencies initially, there was a problem there because everyone comes in and they take a piece, a bit of the action.

They're all complete and all on the building.

What was needed was to get a national system of food and water distribution.

I just said they had some of that water.

They could help with the distribution, but it had to be, you know, saying you're just black.

But they did.

They did.

They saw the future.

I think they experienced the fact that that is where you just couldn't let people be feeding, say, 7,000 people.

You had 500,000 people, one agent, and it had to fit into a uniform.

I think the political situation just before I arrived was that because people were not getting food because of the tide and the airport and the water, it was a little bit tenuous.

Of course, you know, it was for a park with friends, not in America.

They can't even manage things when it's peaceful.

And to get a problem like this, they just must have been on our chin with their head cut off.

I mean, we have not a problem here.

We are a more sophisticated advanced society, so we have heard Camille and the rest, and people get to work and they start to manage and so forth.

But down there, I can just see them now running around the generals and the generals or people.

That's what you were mentioning, Chuck.

I realize.

No, they needed an American, frankly.

They needed more than any Muslim.

They needed yours and Sheldon's.

They needed somebody to, well, they basically needed the big brother to come in and give them a little leadership.

That's right.

And of course, realizing that the capital, this is the first time I've seen a capital city destroyed.

You see every element of the building taken out.

So that just wasn't going to last.

So whatever the normal confusion would have been was compounded many times by that.

The distribution system we put together in each place is really showing Americans and Nicaraguans in a nationally directed effort.

We pull the Americans out at this moment to function.

The voluntary agency is helping on the local, all groups helping and working together on the local plan.

It is working.

I think the things you could emphasize to the press are the first, that the people of Nicaragua were very grateful for the interest of the American people in their flight.

I mean, you know, the rubber committee, they had a massive effect here in the sports venues.

That was one of those ironic events that tended to

Second, that the American governmental effort has been actually using a lot of things.

That's one of the best efforts you can say that somebody's ever seen.

It's well coordinated.

We're doing everything we can.

Third, you might say, in order to

There is an enormous need in paying what it is for housing, for schools, for whatever it is that they need down there.

And on the voluntary side, this is the point, you know, we all know the voluntary agencies or something, I don't know what they do, but they do make a contribution, and it's just good for Americans to contribute to such things.

And the volunteers said that if the voluntary agencies are doing an excellent job, they need more funds.

President, particularly, emphasized that all Americans should contribute to getting that they are able to the voluntary agencies.

Could you say those things?

But don't say it unless you believe.

And what else do you think you could say?

We've made the story already, but I think it's always good to get in the fact that we're doing something good.

The government effort, the government effort is, you've looked that over in my direction, and the government effort is excellent.

Well coordinated, we're doing everything that we can.

Voluntary effort.

I'd like to say that you're pleased with the government effort.

I'm pleased with the government effort, but I presently worry it was particularly the government effort coordinating the hard work that's going on.

And as far as the voluntary effort, which I also actually do coordinate, that is, it's also, it's a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a,

I do a great interest in the voluntary agencies.

I encourage you to do that.

Strongly.

And I completely support your view that there's a great need there.

They will fill it for years to come.

Lots to come.

What else would you be prepared to say?

Just a couple of questions.

I have an idea.

Can you see there, people, it's an interesting thing about Latin America, and the time people pay any attention to it, unfortunately, is when they have a revolution, or an earthquake, or a disaster, and they put it out of the back of their minds, it's too bad, but you're, I would hope they've got some questions, and if they don't, you know, at least a little bit, that they can hold them,

And the two that died last year, continue to stay in charge of the site.

First aid in the future.

I told them this.

Do I have any control over that?

Maybe not.

It must be on the guns in October 1955.

So, of course, they're all very different without being very much like the people who are racist.

They just have one hell of a kind of learning.

You know, it's a lot.

He said, what?

He said, we're very good at many things.

He said, we're in the museum, the arts, philosophy.

He said, we're in war.

We're in the hospital.

He said, but you know, we Latins are not very good at gathering.

There are some that are.

But if you look at the Latin countries, they look at it differently.

The Latin countries, Spain, Italy-Spain goes to one extreme.

Italy, the other extreme, chaos.

And without the Gulf, France, which is half Latin, could also be over there.

So this makes a difference in the coronavirus.

Sure.

Absolutely.

In an emergency like this, they all look to it.

The leaders look to it.

Yeah, they will.

They get into this.

They will.

I don't know where she lives.

Happy birthday.

Oh, thank you.

I don't want to have any more.

Thank you.

Bye.

We'll send you a copy of that picture that Addison had of him.

Just as they complete the meeting, sir.

Oh, they're through?

Yes, they have about five hours and 45 minutes, a little longer than we anticipated.

And they're meeting again tomorrow at 3.

The technical people are still meeting.

Why don't you...

Well, sometimes they, uh, the thought I want to, one of the reasons for trying to hold the meetings during the war by the framework, Toe has the flu, so he's not going to do well.

Sometimes the, uh, the three o'clock, uh, means that they ask for a little time to get instructions.

This is the experience we had before.

I see reception and so forth in public standpoint.

So let me say that doesn't mean anything one way or the other.

The point is that Henry has gone over so many times and has come back ecstatic about the fact that he offered a cup of tea and they were friendly and they smiled.

Well, the way these clowns act,

It has no bearing at all on what they're going to do.

Would you agree?

That's right, exactly.

The other thing, the atmosphere is outside.

The eminent ones just don't have a thing.

The atmosphere is inside.

I constantly told you, it doesn't mean anything to you either.

I never was able to not engage with this kind of people, and frankly not engage with any people.

We have to realize that particularly the clever, devious communist types, well basically any clever politician, he will give a hell of a lot on the atmospheric side when he doesn't want to give you anything on the substantive side.

Henry finds it sometimes difficult to be that, because, well, you know, he'd be a lousy poker player, Henry.

Because he's a, he's so, his feelings are so right out there on the table.

That's the reason he gets the first go-shin.

He's a lousy poker player, because he can't show.

He can be terribly tough.

Of course, that's the point.

Henry is a substance.

But what I mean is, he is, he is a man.

But because of his own innate sensitivity, he's enormously affected by that hysterics.

He really is, you know what I mean?

If somebody's nice or something, he thinks that that means something.

It doesn't really mean that they don't think.

Unfortunately, I mean, that's the way life is these days.

It's civilized societies.

Ours, it does mean something to each other.

We walk in and if somebody has an icy, sullen soul, you know that it's not going to be a very good day.

But it doesn't necessarily prove it's going to be a bad day.

He may be trying to come to the game.

We should have a report from him hopefully in an hour or so.

But we're not going to be discouraged.

What do you think about Blair?

I don't think so, sir.

The press twisted what he said.

Obviously, they all missed it.

Um, yeah, I mean, that, that made it appear that he was supporting the Senate was, uh, the, the opposition, yes, but he wasn't saying that, no.

He was simply saying that the South, I mean, he's now, we're prepared to defend ourselves.

Well, we have always said that, at least, but what we're, I think the point that you ought to get across, if you could, with Colson and what he said, and the layers, he might say that, sure, they're prepared to defend themselves.

Sure, what, uh, if we are, uh,

Therefore, there's only thing left of the POV domain.

But let's understand, we've never had any indication from the South Vietnamese, from the North Vietnamese, that they'll return the POV to the MIA for withdrawal.

You see, that's the key point.

And the second point is, on a much broader scale, what we, what the Congressions of us have stood for is peace for America.

What we're trying to get is peace for America and

or North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

That's what's at stake here.

That's why an agreement is better than a bug out thing.

Could you pass that line over the flood?

It's a very good one to push up.

Flood issues isn't exactly.

That's why I said, look, the bug out thing, even if we could get it, it would be wrong.

It would not.

I said, well, it may be all we can get.

I understand that.

But I said, any kind of agreement.

any kind of a poor option one is better than option two because it will bring, at least for a while, an uneasy peace, an uneasy audience.

And goddammit, that's what we're fighting for, to stop the killing over there, to stop these bad people.

They both need arrest.

Don't you think so?

Yes, sir, and I think this is what we're going to be measuring on as I try to indicate for the longer term.

What we've done over all these years now

will be measured against whether or not these come to some sort of peace, even if it's not perfect.

That's why the price must be pretty high.

That's why, even on an issue like the DMZ, you may have to, I don't know what more you can give.

My guess is that the DMZ

Oh, they make a song all the time.

They did, they did.

You bring it in, sir.

Yes, sir.

I don't think it was that way.

I don't know.

I detected a tone from the young man who called to give me the word that they left.

I didn't get that.

I didn't get that feel.

Oh, you're right.

I'll bring it in.

Nixon, Kennedy & Williams on Nicaragua relief and Disaster management

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on January 9, 1973

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