Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 11 › Conversation 011-075
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on US-Japan relations and US-USSR summit
Tuesday, October 12, 1971 · 10:09 PM–10:16 PM ET · White House Telephone · 7 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the progress of preparations for Nixon's upcoming diplomatic initiatives, including a review of a briefing book regarding Japan. The two men assess the delicate geopolitical balance of informing the Japanese government about the planned U.S.-USSR summit without causing alarm, noting that the Chinese leadership has maintained silence on the matter. Additionally, Nixon criticizes the State Department's efficiency compared to Kissinger's National Security Council staff and requests that Kissinger mobilize political and economic support from figures like George Meany and corporate executives during his travels.
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Hello.
Dr. Kissinger, sir.
Yeah.
Mr. President.
Well, I've read through the book to Japan.
I think it's a very good job.
It's very thorough and so forth.
I've got a few things we can go over on Thursday.
Right, Mr. President.
And I'll read the balance of it tomorrow.
Right, Mr. President.
Yeah.
I think the very delicate problem that we've got is the one of, at this point, is the
one of adequate informing of them of the Soviet thing.
And it seems to me that that damn thing is covered totally.
In other words, you started slipping it in and kept, you know, tightening it up until finally it was done.
That's right.
That's what I thought.
And they they apparently have reacted.
I mean, they continued with their
moving on your trip certainly with some knowledge that it was coming don't you think oh i i think as you can see with increasing knowledge that it was coming you know the point that uh mansfield was making and i think he may have been making it hopefully uh you know it uh that they would get sore at us yeah yeah oh no i and one reason i'm so meticulous about informing them is because i know the russians won't be informing them that's right
and uh and and because i want them to have a stake in in your goodwill yeah because that's something we can always cut off very interesting to see if they react you get to the moscow visit no no announcement and of course they are they've been terrific they haven't leaked the word
Yeah, they haven't leaked, but I mean they haven't, they've known for several days, haven't they?
Oh yeah, they've known since, I told Dupre that only 24 hours, but in fact they've known since Saturday.
Yeah, which of course they would get the moment he went in, wouldn't they?
I mean, the ambassador in Paris would pass it around to them immediately.
Oh yes, immediately.
No question about it.
That's good.
Well, we're right on a high wire or a tight rope or whatever you want to call it.
Well, it's a delicate exercise, but we've pulled it off up to now.
Up to now, that's right, and whatever happens, that's that.
You know, I was interested in one little bit of history where they thought that at Camp David the Russians were even, Khrushchev was even giving it to them then that he brought along some agreement that he wasn't going to
You know, share atomic secrets with them and that sort of thing.
That's right.
That's why we have to be so careful.
They're so damn suspicious, aren't they?
Khrushchev didn't bring a goddamn thing to Camp David.
Absolutely.
Did he?
Not that I know.
No, no.
But, of course, he was, he went to Peking right afterwards and apparently modally offended them by his behavior.
He did?
Yeah.
Khrushchev, true or lie, kept saying to me,
how outrageous his behavior had been.
Crude you mean?
Crude yeah and impolite as if they were just his vassals.
One thing that I do feel that we want we do want to talk about I think there
Awfully tough on the Cambodia-Laotian thing, and I think we've got to be equally tough on our side.
Well, in Cambodia, of course, they have... Well, they got that little Chinook.
But interestingly, they sent Chinook to North Korea.
That's right.
For purposes of getting them to mute their criticisms of the visit, isn't it?
Exactly.
Well, I tell you, they, despite Cho and Lai's worldliness, he is...
In a sense, pretty provincial in some ways, isn't he?
Oh, yeah.
I mean, of course, none of them have been out of their area.
No, no.
And they just live in their suspicions.
That's right.
Yeah.
Well, the book is really quite a job.
It's quite a job.
You say state didn't contribute a hell of a lot.
Mr. President, if you'd like to, I'll send you there.
Don't, don't do it, don't send it.
Just for comparison.
It's really something.
I mean, my people are doing it with two men, and they have thousands over there.
You tell them I was very impressed with it, William.
Well, I'll do that immediately.
What in the name of God, though, is the...
What the Christ are the state people?
They must have this huge staff, don't they?
Is it Marshall Green or what?
Is it the leadership?
You see, Henry, they're bright people.
These are bright people.
God damn it.
And you've got to use bright people.
Well, Mr. President, one of mine is in fact a state guy.
What's he think then?
Well, nobody makes these people work so hard.
It's true, I'm a slave driver.
But on the other hand, it's like Vince Lombardi.
When you're all through with it, you feel you've done something important.
And over there, they don't do it that way.
And over there, they waffle around and give you on the one hand and on the other hand.
And write reams of nothing.
And write reams of stuff that evaporates under your fingers.
Yeah.
Well, your boys have done a fine job here.
When do you leave, tomorrow in the morning?
I'm leaving at 8.30.
I'm going to be briefing all day.
I'm going to sit daily, as I said.
And I'm going to meet a...
Tell him, when you're talking to Daley, not only about some of this, but tell him that, by God, he ought to be sure Meany supports what we're doing, that Meany's out of step with the country.
Right.
He believes that, I'm sure.
He can affect Meany.
And then I'm going to meet with a group of newsmen and then with a group of supporters of yours.
I've got their list.
They're all big corporation executives.
And talk very optimistically about the economy with them.
Right.
I mean, there are big things coming.
We're in a hell of an era, and everybody's just got to...
The guys that understand this are going to really make them in.
They really are.
Oh, I think that's...
I'm going to call Howard Stein if I have a chance.
Yeah, you tell Stein what the hell's the matter with you, boy.
What other good news do you want?
That's right.
Yeah.
Okay, have a good trip.
Thank you, Mr. Fred.
I'll be back tomorrow night.
Bye.
NARA Description
On October 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 10:09 pm to 10:16 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 011-075 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 011-075
Date: October 12, 1971
Time: 10:09 pm - 10:16 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.
[See Conversation No. 289-10A]
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
US foreign relations
-US relations with Japan
-Briefing book
-The President's schedule
-Announcement of trip to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Kissinger's trip
-Michael J. Mansfield
-Briefings by the Soviets
-Kissinger's actions
-Reaction to US-USSR summit
-Kissinger's conversation with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Ambassador in Paris
-Nikita S. Khrushchev's previous visit to Camp David
-Trip to Peking
-Behavior
-Chou En-lai
-US relations with People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Cambodia, Laos
-Cambodia
-Norodum Sihanouk
-North Korea
******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security (B) withdrawal reviewed under MDR guidelines case number LPRN-T-MDR-
2014-012. Segment exempt per Executive Order 13526, 3.3(b)(6) on 08/30/2017. Archivist: JD]
[National Security]
[011-075-w001]
[Duration: 5s]
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
******************************************************************************
-Chou En-lai
-Contributions of the State Department to briefing book
-Kissinger
-Marshall Green
-National Security Council [NSC]
Kissinger's schedule
-Richard J. Daley
-George Meany
-Newsmen
-The President's supporters
-Corporation executives
-Howard SteinAlso recorded on October 13, 1971
- 011-072 9:12 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 9:12 pm to 9:13 pm.
- 291-006 9:13 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:13 pm and 9:41 pm.
- 291-007 9:13 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:13 pm and 9:41 pm.
- 011-073 9:41 PM · 3 min — Henry A. Kissinger and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 9:41 pm to 9:44 pm.
- 291-008 9:41 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:41 pm to 9:44 pm.
- 011-074 9:44 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:44 pm and 10:09 pm.
- 291-009 9:44 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:44 pm and 10:09 pm.
- 291-010 9:44 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:44 pm and 10:16 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 011-075, October 13, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/011-075 (accessed September 28, 2026).