Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 001-021
Date: Wednesday, April 7, 1971 at 10:21 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-021

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Yeah.
[0:00] Dr. Kissinger, sir.
[0:01] Mr. President, just wondered if you'd had a chance to get any further reactions or if you're, uh, or if you've just been busy.
[0:09] Uh, well, I've been talking around here, of course.
[0:13] Uh, the mood is one of exaltation.
[0:15] I talked to Phil Buckley, uh, who thought it was absolutely outstanding.
[0:20] Very moving, very effective, great courage.
[0:25] And, uh,
[0:27] Of course, he wants us to end the draft.
[0:31] We're going to do that.
[0:32] But we're going to do that, and I... Tell him.
[0:35] Tell him what we're going to do.
[0:35] I told him we're going to do it, and I think, Mr. President, I'm going to put the military to the torch.
[0:40] Yeah, they're screwing around on this.
[0:42] They're screwing around.
[0:43] They're worried that it will make the volunteer army not work.
[0:47] But to hell with that, if we can get ourselves breathing space for Vietnam.
[0:51] Listen, ending the draft gives us breathing space in Vietnam.
[0:54] We'll restore the draft later, but goddamn it, the military, they're a bunch of greedy bastards that want more officers' clubs and more men to shine their shoes.
[1:02] The sons of bitches are not interested in this country.
[1:04] I mean, ending, going to all-volunteer in Vietnam is what I mean, is what we ought to do.
[1:10] Mm-hmm.
[1:11] And we can put them to the torch, get a figure, and then perhaps announce that in June,
[1:18] Be, uh, fine.
[1:19] Fine.
[1:19] I think...
[1:19] Okay, actions.
[1:20] All the reactions that I've gotten, uh, which are mostly, uh...
[1:25] You haven't talked to the Alsops or the rest except... No, I'll give Alsop a call right now.
[1:29] Give Joe a call.
[1:30] Let me know what he thinks.
[1:31] And I'll let you know...
[1:32] But you should have heard from others.
[1:33] They would call you if they thought it was well.
[1:35] Maybe they were too... No, no, I never hear.
[1:39] Give Joe a call.
[1:39] It probably shook him a little to have it emotional, but God damn it, you need a little emotion for this.
[1:44] This, Mr. President, was your greatest speech.
[1:47] It has the same impact as some of the others.
[1:50] No, it won't have, but that's all right.
[1:51] But this was... We shook him.
[1:53] It...
[1:54] Everybody, it comes across from everybody that he held his course.
[1:59] I don't know whether you have seen the news stickers.
[2:00] I don't look at that.
[2:01] Well, but he held his course at strong speech.
[2:06] And I don't know whether anyone has told you about Dan Rather's commentary afterwards.
[2:11] No.
[2:12] Now, if we could have written it, it couldn't have been better.
[2:14] He said he promised a withdrawal of $25,000.
[2:15] He withdrew $30,000.
[2:16] He promised a withdrawal of $40,000.
[2:17] He withdrew $50,000.
[2:21] shows that you've exceeded every promise you've made.
[2:24] And now we're promising to draw over 100,000.
[2:26] And he said, there's no question.
[2:28] There was no doubt that when he got through that you would keep that too.
[2:33] We're going to.
[2:34] And he had a good shot there.
[2:37] He showed it in terms of men.
[2:39] A very large man representing what you had there when we came in.
[2:43] Yeah.
[2:44] Much smaller man.
[2:45] And they all apparently were moved by the conclusion, huh?
[2:47] Oh, the conclusion really gave everyone goose pimples.
[2:53] It was damn good, actually, if I may say so.
[2:57] I know what is good and what is not.
[2:58] That was pretty good.
[2:59] It was your method of delivery, the sincerity, the strength.
[3:04] With no support.
[3:07] With absolutely no support.
[3:09] No, we won't get any now either.
[3:10] And everyone... Well, I think this will appeal to the American people, but whatever... Well, you may get some from the people, but I mean from the cabinet and that shit.
[3:22] If they don't support me for it, I don't give a goddamn what's happening.
[3:24] Mitchell, of course, has supported me before Agnew's, before I talked to Agnew, and he was ecstatic.
[3:30] And naturally, I had called up and said he thought it was terrific.
[3:34] Did he?
[3:34] Called you?
[3:35] He called Haldeman.
[3:37] Yeah, well, I'm not going to call him back.
[3:40] I didn't like his attitude today.
[3:41] I'm not going to call him back.
[3:43] That was a cowardly...
[3:44] He waited too late.
[3:46] Yeah.
[3:47] That was not as strong.
[3:48] What do you think?
[3:49] What did you think of him there today?
[3:50] Oh, that was...
[3:51] He was coppering his best and he was scared out of his mind.
[3:55] But he liked it, huh?
[3:57] Very much.
[3:58] Mr. President, there was no way not to like it.
[4:00] It was the best delivered speech, and it was one of those speeches which it read all right, but the way you delivered it was an absolute masterpiece.
[4:13] That little conclusion, they'll all know who Kevin and Carl are, won't they?
[4:17] And that's how they're carrying it.
[4:18] Are they?
[4:19] Oh, are they?
[4:19] What do you say?
[4:20] The UPI are leading with that.
[4:23] Yeah?
[4:24] I don't have the text in front of me.
[4:26] Oh, but Kevin, they'll go back and get their pictures, you know, and I hope the mother goddammit stands up and says, gee, don't just get out.
[4:33] I'd never check that, you know.
[4:34] I don't know what she's going to say.
[4:36] Oh, she'll be all right.
[4:36] She's the wife of Maureen.
[4:38] She won't say that.
[4:40] She'll be very proud, I think, you know, that we're trying to do the right thing for her husband.
[4:44] That poor bastard, you know what he did?
[4:46] I checked.
[4:48] He ran in and threw a grenade into a goddamn machine gun and saved about 30 Marines that were wounded.
[4:57] Now goddamn, why don't we be proud of that instead of talking about this goddamn Cali?
[5:01] You know, it really burns me up.
[5:05] You know, we have no pride, do we, anymore, Henry?
[5:07] Nobody's got any pride anymore.
[5:08] They don't care about that.
[5:09] There's no real patriotism.
[5:11] I'm glad I put in that.
[5:12] I think Haig was pleased, wasn't he, with what I defended, that the armed services was here or not.
[5:15] He moved, and Haig called General Bennett, the director of army intelligence, who said he was choked up and he had to leave the room because he had tears in his eyes.
[5:26] Good, good.
[5:27] All right, Henry, thank you.
[5:28] All right, Mr. President.