Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 018-066 Date: Tuesday, January 11, 1972 at 3:43 PM Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A. Recording device: White House Telephone Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/018-066 This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative. [0:01] Hello? [0:01] Dr. Kissinger, Mr. President. [0:02] Hello? [0:03] Well, how's it going today? [0:05] President. [0:05] You got any more of your work done? [0:08] Yes, I think we are going to make February 8th now. [0:11] We are making good progress. [0:13] We're doing about a chapter a day now. [0:15] What? [0:16] I know it's a terrific job. [0:18] Yeah, but I think this time we'll get a much better reception. [0:21] Last year we put it out in the middle of the low ocean period. [0:24] Oh, God, that's right. [0:25] It was rough, wasn't it? [0:27] Well, they didn't attack it, but they sort of buried it because they weren't about to give you credit for it. [0:32] Well, I suppose this time we may expect that they'll be banging around there in Tucor and a few other places, from what Al tells me. [0:41] Yeah, I think... [0:42] But we can't do anything about it, Henry. [0:45] I mean... [0:46] As I was saying, you know, if the South Vietnamese can't handle it now, they never will be able to. [0:51] Well, that's right. [0:52] But that's where our move next week is going to help a lot, because if their answer to our peace offer is an offensive, that should certainly help us in public opinion here. [1:03] Yeah, that is why... [1:05] I think making it perhaps on that date, the 18th, is better than waiting because we just don't know when they're going to start hitting. [1:16] Otherwise it might look like a reaction to an offensive. [1:19] Exactly. [1:21] I think basically the Russians are putting them up to it to overshadow the... We have an intelligence report today in which one of their people in Paris says [1:32] They're going to do it in February so that they can overshadow your trip to Peking. [1:37] Uh-huh. [1:38] Well, it won't do that. [1:40] I don't think they've got that much power. [1:43] Yeah. [1:44] On the other hand, it's a double-edged sword for them because if they do it at that time, you're overshadowing their offensive. [1:53] Yeah. [1:55] Mm-hmm. [1:55] Mm-hmm. [1:56] I hear from Haig, and you, of course, have had a chance to talk to him personally, and to the others, I don't think there's any question anymore that they're going all out to make the trip. [2:07] Oh, that's right, right. [2:08] I haven't talked to the others except briefly, but Haig gave me a rundown. [2:11] They've paid the price now, and they have no interest. [2:15] I mean, if they were to make the trip a failure, they've already paid the price for the trip, so... [2:24] they've got a heavier investment than we have. [2:28] Sure. [2:30] Anything further on your, with DeBrennan, have you checked with him yet? [2:37] As I've checked, he's coming in around the 15th. [2:40] I see. [2:40] And I've left word that I want to see him as soon as he comes in. [2:46] Well, that's the way to leave it. [2:48] In the meantime, you have pending the... [2:52] the thing from Stans, which... [2:54] Right. [2:55] I'll talk to Stans again tomorrow. [2:58] Yeah. [2:59] But that thing is going... [3:01] I have no doubt, Mr. President, they are going to try to embarrass us at the Peking summit. [3:06] They are really not so much attacking us as Peking. [3:11] Mm-hmm. [3:11] I see. [3:12] Yeah. [3:17] Mm-hmm. [3:17] Well, fine, fine. [3:18] Then you can see them on the 15th, and that's that. [3:22] I'll see him. [3:25] If he wants to, yeah. [3:26] Well, he'll want to. [3:30] But he's already indicated he wants to see you. [3:33] Oh, yes. [3:34] Oh, yes. [3:35] They've already said he wants to see me as soon as he comes, yeah. [3:40] Did you talk to anybody there? [3:41] I just haven't called Vorontsov for a while. [3:43] No, I talked to Vorontsov. [3:45] Oh, you did? [3:46] Yes. [3:46] There's no... [3:47] I have every... How was his temperature? [3:51] Oh, he's very friendly. [3:54] They, in their turn, Mr. President, they are taking a cheap shot at the Chinese right now. [4:00] Right. [4:01] But as soon as that one is over, they're going to go all out on theirs. [4:07] Well, they'll want to overshadow the Peking one, won't they? [4:10] Of course. [4:10] That's what I would think. [4:12] I think they have too heavy an investment in theirs. [4:16] Right. [4:17] Right. [4:18] Well, okay, Henry, we'll... [4:21] I'll be out of touch now. [4:23] I'm going to Camp David in a couple of minutes, and I'll be out of touch until Thursday afternoon. [4:28] I've got to go into some writing, so I won't... [4:30] But I'll be back. [4:31] But if there's something you have to call me about, you call me, but I won't be calling you, okay? [4:35] But I'll be coming back Thursday afternoon, Mr. President. [4:38] I'll bring a draft up that I'll... [4:39] Same with Haig. [4:41] I'm not going to talk to him either, so if you let him know, get in touch with me if there's anything I need to know, but otherwise I'm not going to talk to anybody. [4:48] I'll have to concentrate on the domestic stuff in the meantime. [4:53] Haig was telling me that the Laotians want three Arvin divisions in there. [4:58] Of course, that's out of the question. [5:01] First, the Arvin wouldn't go without our helicopters, et cetera, and we're just not going to go into that right now. [5:07] It's too bad, but... [5:09] It's a tragedy because we're on the verge of victory. [5:12] That's right. [5:13] That's right. [5:15] What do you project in Laos? [5:17] Just continued deterioration? [5:19] I think they're going to lose. [5:20] They're going to... [5:23] I think they're going to make a major gain in the north, and they may have enough people in Vientiane. [5:28] But on the other hand, it's a sign of weakness on their part that they have to operate on the trenches. [5:35] Mm-hmm. [5:37] Well, there'll be some discussion of Laos here, but let's face it, most Americans are going to say stay the hell out. [5:46] But I think we'll be dominating the news now. [5:49] Because when we went into Laos last year, we didn't go in for the purpose of Laos. [5:53] You know, we pointed that out. [5:54] We went in for our own purposes. [5:58] Right. [5:58] How's the weather? [5:59] Pretty good, I hope? [5:59] It's warmed up. [6:01] Isn't that good. [6:02] Well, I hope you sit out in your little patio there and get a little sun. [6:08] Okay, Henry. [6:09] Goodbye. [6:09] You bet.