Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 005-131
Date: Tuesday, June 22, 1971 at 10:31 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/005-131
National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/644218057 (NAID 644218057)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Hello?
[0:05] Mr. Kissinger, sir.
[0:06] Are you all ready for your trip?
[0:08] I'm getting ready.
[0:17] I just got home.
[0:18] I went to the office a little while ago.
[0:19] I'm getting ready to go.
[0:20] Well, I'll look in on you in the morning before I go away.
[0:21] I won't be back until 10.30 this morning.
[0:27] Well, I wouldn't be very conciliatory with Mansfield.
[0:51] I'm not going to be a goddamn big conciliator.
[0:52] You fool.
[0:52] On this, I'm going to say it on my own.
[0:53] You should know that...
[0:53] I would say so.
[0:54] Because what these people have done is unconscious.
[0:55] One looked at the combination of Clifford...
[0:56] Well, we played it the best way we could.
[1:22] We had no choice.
[1:23] I mean, we...
[1:23] It doesn't tire us.
[1:23] It's...
[1:30] I'm beginning to wonder whether the basic strategy, at least from the way the foreign policy side looks to me, we had them on their knees last October.
[1:55] And whatever it was that didn't get us all the votes was, I think it had more to do with the economy.
[1:57] Oh, it did.
[1:57] And then we let them off the hook.
[2:01] Well, we'll have one.
[2:28] We still have the big hole.
[2:28] We'll have him on your knees again.
[2:29] But we have to start hollering trees a little bit.
[2:30] Yeah, I guess so.
[2:32] Oh, I think so.
[2:52] I think so.
[2:54] When I say we, I really can't do it.
[2:55] No, no, but Agnew could do it.
[2:55] And some of our people could do it, and then they'd have to defend themselves.
[2:57] I wonder if Agnew should say something about that.
[2:58] I think it'd be a good occasion.
[2:58] I think he should give a rip-snorter of a speech pointing out what happened this month.
[3:14] Why don't you tell Buchanan what you think he ought to improve in respect to making a speech on Vietnam to the Republicans?
[3:33] Just as good a place as any.
[3:33] I think...
[3:34] It doesn't make any difference.
[3:34] I think... Just leave it out there.
[3:35] I think that... Because they have a desire to lose.
[3:37] They couldn't bear the thought that we bring this.
[3:58] They're not so worried about our getting out.
[3:59] They're worried about our getting out without Saigon going communist.
[4:00] Yeah.
[4:00] They're afraid.
[4:01] They want us to get out and have a go at communism.
[4:02] Oh, yeah.
[4:02] Absolutely.
[4:02] Mainly because they want us to go.
[4:03] Because that means you had faith.
[4:04] And they can say they would have done it faster.
[4:05] Doing their best.
[4:05] Well, except these papers are not helping us, Mr. Fitts.
[4:19] I don't understand.
[4:20] I don't know.
[4:20] And in fact, our making such a tough fight helps us.
[4:21] What?
[4:21] Our public relations people don't like the fight we are making, but our making it makes it clear that we are not behind these revelations.
[4:29] I mean, even Kennedy is getting cut now.
[4:29] Yeah.
[4:30] I mean, these were the great Kennedy people who did all of this.
[4:31] I know.
[4:33] in the chance administration, those were all Kennedy appointees.
[4:56] Sure.
[4:56] Yeah, as it goes along, they're going to get it pretty well smeared up in this.
[4:58] Well, and it's coming out anyway, bit by bit, over our oppositions.
[4:59] Yeah.
[4:59] The Globe Papers, the Boston Globe Papers, now added to a static flap at Kennedy.
[5:01] Yeah.
[5:01] Flosky is now saying that last...
[5:04] contributed to the assassination here on Kennedy's order.
[5:25] McCloskey is?
[5:25] Oh, yeah.
[5:25] Well, that's nice.
[5:26] So McCloskey is grieving with the one hand the Americans pretending to be his friend and the other they were killing him, which happens to be true.
[5:29] Yeah.
[5:29] Let him say it.
[5:29] That's a good one to say.
[5:30] And it's now coming out from the sort of, if we said it, they'd accuse us of smears.
[5:31] But it's now coming out from the right people.
[5:32] I'm trying to think of a way to keep the loose for a while.
[5:59] And any event, one of those things, just a totally irresponsible thing.
[6:00] Let me say, make your play.
[6:01] It may still work.
[6:01] Play it hard.
[6:02] Yes, sir.
[6:30] Now, what should we have and what should we have?
[6:31] You know which we have, which we have, what we can say, what we can't say.
[6:42] And then we've got another two months to play some Bruce Lee.
[6:44] OK, Henry.
[6:44] Bye.