Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 005-012
Date: Friday, June 11, 1971 at 5:46 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/005-012

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Hello?
[0:27] Yeah.
[0:27] Hello?
[0:27] Hi, Henry.
[0:27] Any last-minute developments?
[0:28] No, I finished my rehearsal.
[0:28] Okay.
[0:28] I think we're going to get the answer from the other side by Monday.
[0:30] I think they're going to deliver it at the other place.
[0:31] Okay.
[0:35] They think they're going to get a chance with us.
[1:03] Yeah.
[1:03] Good.
[1:03] What about, uh, Dave?
[1:04] Well, that usually takes at least two weeks.
[1:30] You gave him two weeks.
[1:30] But I gave him, and it takes a little bit.
[1:31] But if we haven't got the answer, we just have to play it.
[1:32] Yeah, that's right.
[1:33] Right.
[1:33] Well, anyway, you had the feeling that you're
[1:36] Oh, just a minute.
[1:46] I got it.
[2:27] That's all right.
[2:48] I let this one go.
[2:48] Go ahead.
[2:48] But I think, for example, if all the truck rides, you know, be in the dock there, then... Yeah, I know.
[2:50] But I think this is really, you know, good.
[2:51] And, uh... Good, sir.
[2:52] I can do something.
[2:52] But I think it's good that he doesn't have the old fire in his belly anymore.
[2:54] He doesn't think he's most worried now about how do we do other things today.
[2:55] You know, he's here, he's fresh.
[2:56] I'm for that.
[3:01] He's willing.
[3:12] Oh, he is willing.
[3:15] It's up to him.
[3:15] It's up to him to make.
[3:15] I like him as a person.
[3:16] He said he'd be willing to come in and talk to a group of people.
[3:17] I'll talk to him.
[3:18] I don't complain.
[3:18] Sure he would, but I'm not going to complain to him.
[3:19] I'm just going to say, look, you know what you're doing.
[3:20] Let's just cut it off.
[3:21] I think if I could, I wouldn't have to be scared to do it.
[3:22] Sure, sure, I'll talk to him.
[3:40] He's an old...
[3:40] I think that would be such an unexpected move for... You could just say, look, the president thinks he should know that I have never said anything personal about him.
[3:43] He's ripped me up a couple times, but quite a few times.
[3:44] But I've always felt personally very friendly to him, and I still do.
[3:46] I'm glad to talk to him.
[3:46] And it's not in a complaining way.
[3:47] I realize they've got their games moving on.
[3:48] I'll give him some of the cold steel we gave him.
[4:12] I've got... You can call it that.
[4:13] I'd be delighted to see.
[4:13] But I think if I could call him and say, I've mentioned... Yeah.
[4:14] Right.
[4:15] I think that that would have... Yeah.
[4:15] And that's the purpose that I've got to do.
[4:16] Compliance is...
[4:20] I consider them all personal friends.
[4:48] We know that they're new staffs.
[4:48] Remus, that's all.
[4:49] See, I call him Remus, too.
[4:49] Yeah.
[4:51] That's nice to hear a little of that, though.
[5:05] You weren't hearing it before, were you?
[5:06] You know, these people must realize that they put an unconscionable strain on me and on Congress.
[5:08] They, you know, they damn near broke Johnson.
[5:09] They really put more on me than they have on him.
[5:35] Because, basically, he had control.
[5:35] He had the Congress.
[5:36] I don't.
[5:36] Never.
[5:36] Never.
[5:36] Never.
[5:36] But the point is that they...
[5:37] I think some of these guys would know about taking... What...
[5:39] I think, again, on the one hand, some of them may know us.
[5:58] On the other hand, a decent guy like him, he's probably a nice guy, so it's a lot of... A decent guy would like to say, well, gee, that's pretty tough.
[6:01] But also, it scares some of them, Henry, because by God, they'd know that they're not getting to me.
[6:03] And the fact that he tells you a story that you believe is true is so interesting.
[6:04] Right.
[6:05] That, you know, has its effect on you.
[6:05] And I think the mask is nice, and I'm sure that he's really welcome to help us.
[6:08] Sure, I'll see.
[6:29] Okay.
[6:31] Well, we'll see how the other things work out.
[6:53] Uh, right.
[6:53] President Clifford now called Sullivan, said he would give him his information, explain to him, which will do the operation through.
[6:56] Ha, ha.
[6:56] He can't do it.
[6:57] He can't do it.
[6:57] He's got some ambition behind him now.
[6:58] Well, he's in.
[6:58] I think both he and Teddy are overshot.
[7:03] And that's done.
[7:26] And even Humphrey can somewhat do your work.
[7:27] He did a great deal.
[7:27] He's such a color, he doesn't do it out of conviction.
[7:29] He's not saying to print, you know, just print it and hang it up.
[7:30] And that's definitely on the weekend.
[7:31] Iron Mountain is going to be a big thing.
[7:31] All that does is have to solidify it.
[7:32] Farmers out there, you know,
[7:34] We'll have medium.
[7:57] I just hope we've got a shipment.
[7:57] That's all we need.
[7:58] Right.
[7:58] Well, we have no trouble on the West Coast with Chinese ships.
[7:59] That's what I mean.
[8:00] We've got a shipment.
[8:00] Okay.
[8:00] We'll see about that after the meeting.
[8:01] Okay.
[8:01] Got you.