Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 001-079
Date: Tuesday, April 13, 1971 at 7:46 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-079

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Hello?
[0:00] Dr. Kissinger calling you, Mr. President.
[0:03] Yeah.
[0:04] The President.
[0:05] Hello.
[0:06] Mr. President.
[0:07] Yeah, Henry.
[0:08] I just wanted to mention a number of relatively minor things to you.
[0:11] Yeah.
[0:12] One is that the South Vietnamese are launching another one of these raid-type operations tonight.
[0:19] Good.
[0:19] This time, it's a more sizable one.
[0:22] There's a big sweep inside South Vietnam.
[0:25] Good.
[0:26] And then they're going to land some battalions in Base Area 611.
[0:31] Mm-hmm.
[0:31] And
[0:35] And I think it's very useful to tie down the North Vietnamese.
[0:41] Good.
[0:43] Is it well-programmed and well-supported and well-planned?
[0:46] Programmed and well-supported, Mr. President.
[0:48] And I've called Moro to say that we don't want any significant American losses in helicopters.
[0:53] Right, right.
[0:56] Uh, secondly, I talked today to, uh, this fellow, Voronzo, from the Soviet embassy.
[1:02] Right.
[1:02] Uh, the reason was that there's a meeting between Russia and Abrasimov.
[1:08] Yes.
[1:08] On Berlin, and I just wanted to make sure that they didn't blow, that they understood which way the channels were going.
[1:13] Yes.
[1:15] And...
[1:16] He understood that.
[1:17] Oh yeah, he understood it, and he said that Dobrynin was coming back Sunday with new instructions.
[1:23] and that we should take the freshman's speech very seriously, and he was slaughtering all over me.
[1:30] Good.
[1:31] And we'll see Sunday what he saw, don't you?
[1:33] And then I did something which was a little unorthodox.
[1:36] I told him that the green had given me his phone number in Moscow.
[1:39] So he called me up an hour, and I'd lost it, so he called me an hour later and said it might be a nice thing if I called Dobrynin and congratulated him on his Central Committee membership.
[1:49] Good, good.
[1:50] So I, in fact, I did it.
[1:53] And Dobrynin said, uh, uh, we'll have something on that exchange of letters when I come back.
[2:01] He said that?
[2:02] Yeah.
[2:03] He didn't say what it was.
[2:05] Yeah.
[2:07] And he also said he was coming with no instructions.
[2:11] But not indicating anything on the summit wing.
[2:15] on an open telephone.
[2:16] Oh, it's open telephone, okay.
[2:18] Yeah, we don't have the secure dial.
[2:20] We have the hotline, but I didn't want to use that.
[2:24] Right.
[2:24] This was a commercial phone.
[2:27] Good.
[2:27] And...
[2:28] But he probably... How'd he sound?
[2:30] Oh, he sounded...
[2:30] They're doing...
[2:32] They're going to do something, Mr. Fletcher.
[2:34] And then finally, one other thing.
[2:37] I called Mike Mansfield on the other day.
[2:41] Just a second.
[2:42] Hold it.
[2:42] Just a second.
[3:10] Glenn, I called Mike Mansfield.
[3:14] and told him that you had asked me to tell him about what you are announcing tomorrow in strictest confidence.
[3:21] Right.
[3:22] And I thought that he would appreciate it.
[3:27] He was beside himself, very statesmanlike.
[3:30] Was he?
[3:30] The president has his warm support and congratulations.
[3:36] And he said now he sees what you were talking about when you were hinting at China policy.
[3:41] Mm-hmm.
[3:43] Of course, he raised again his going there.
[3:46] Oh, yeah, we have it in mind.
[3:49] And I thought, Mr. President, that tomorrow morning, if you agree, that perhaps McGregor might call Ford and Albert.
[3:57] That gives McGregor a little status and gives him something dovish to do.
[4:00] Yeah.
[4:03] And let State notify the Foreign Relations Committee.
[4:07] Well, let McGregor also call Mahon.
[4:09] Mahon is a good man.
[4:10] That's a good thing.
[4:12] And, uh, let him hit, because he's the best man on that side.
[4:16] Right.
[4:16] And, uh, let's see, on our side, Scott.
[4:20] Scott he should call.
[4:22] Yeah, he might as well.
[4:23] Maybe Griffin.
[4:24] Yeah, Scott and Griffin, yeah.
[4:29] And let's see, anybody else that, uh,
[4:35] I think that's enough.
[4:38] Let State inform the others.
[4:39] Well, McGregor might call Aiken.
[4:43] He's on the Foreign Relations Committee.
[4:45] That's all right.
[4:46] We'll probably take him.
[4:48] That's right.
[4:48] Let him call Aiken and let State handle the others.
[4:51] Okay.
[4:52] See?
[4:53] Give Aiken a little brush.
[4:55] That's a good idea.
[4:57] Good, Mr. President.
[4:58] I'll get that done.
[4:59] Fine.
[4:59] Okay, Henry.
[5:00] Thank you.
[5:01] All right.