Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 019-058
Date: Monday, January 24, 1972 at 7:55 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-058

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:05] Hello, Mr. President.
[0:10] I've talked to Connolly, and we'll send him a copy first thing in the morning.
[0:17] And I've also shown a copy to Alex Johnson, so we can say we've run it half-way.
[0:27] He was here drafting the cables to be sent out tomorrow.
[0:31] The only problem we have is that Chu has come in.
[0:35] He's seen the text and he agrees with everything, except when we talk about the election, we say, after consultation with President Chu, I now make the following proposal.
[0:46] He feels that his election should be praised in a way which says something like, President Chu has informed me that he will be making the following proposal.
[0:54] Good.
[0:55] That's the way it should be.
[0:56] And I don't see...
[0:57] Absolutely.
[0:58] Oh, sure.
[0:58] That's the way it should be.
[0:59] So with your approval, we will rephrase it that way.
[1:02] Oh, of course it should be that way.
[1:10] That's the way it should have been.
[1:10] First instance, after all, it is his proposal.
[1:12] He can't control it.
[1:13] That's right.
[1:13] That's right.
[1:14] That's what I said.
[1:14] And that makes the sound really, for our piece, make it even better.
[1:17] Sure.
[1:17] In fact, he has sent us a copy of his speech, and it's all out.
[1:21] The only trouble is there's one ambiguity in there.
[1:24] It almost sounds as if he's going to resign altogether.
[1:28] And I've got a cable off that you are too bunker to make sure that we know what his intentions are so that we know it for our background.
[1:43] Well, yeah, he mustn't.
[1:43] He shouldn't do that.
[1:44] But I don't really think...
[1:46] I'd better put in the table our frank opinion is that he should not foreclose.
[2:10] No.
[2:10] No, no.
[2:10] Of course.
[2:10] Why should he foreclose?
[2:11] Looks like he's maybe abandoning the ship.
[2:12] No, sir.
[2:12] I think he's indicated he will.
[2:13] And we'll say, is he going to run?
[2:13] Well, that's a decision you'll have to make at that time.
[2:15] That's right.
[2:15] Well, that's a very planetary change.
[2:16] I think that's right.
[2:16] Good.
[2:17] I'll move that.
[2:20] Fine.
[2:23] Fine.
[2:28] I think it's in good shape.
[2:29] Did Alex like it in New York?
[2:31] Oh, yes.
[2:38] Well, he was a little stuck.
[2:39] Was he?
[2:39] Yeah.
[2:39] Although Phil had told him that he had been informed, which is a good case, after we went through.
[2:41] Of course.
[2:42] But I'm fine.
[2:42] Right.
[2:42] Well, it's a little stunning.
[2:43] A lot of people like it.
[2:44] Our October 11th plan is so complicated that we have to put in one other sense in the speech, namely that there is a two-stage aspect to our October 11th proposal.
[3:05] We've simplified it.
[3:07] We took it out this afternoon.
[3:08] But we don't want people to say it's a misleading speech.
[3:10] So if it can stand that one sense, we can put it back in.
[3:12] But then we can say we've been perfectly honest.
[3:13] It's a two-stage thing.
[3:14] that in order to speed the progress, we propose that it can be completed in two stages.
[3:25] Right.
[3:25] That's all we have to say, but I can explain what the two stages are.
[3:27] Good.
[3:27] Right.
[3:27] All right.