Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 020-112
Date: Monday, February 28, 1972 at 11:22 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/020-112

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Hello.
[0:03] Yes, sir.
[0:04] Well, that seemed to be a good TV homecoming, didn't you think so?
[0:13] Yeah, fantastic.
[0:13] Tremendous.
[0:13] Yeah, it's a good... People were blocked for... Yeah.
[0:19] Backed up for four months.
[0:19] Yeah.
[0:19] And the impact of the visit, Mr. President, is just coming home now.
[0:26] I've had people calling here, and I don't know if they're talking about...
[0:28] I think, too, that we have adequately now...
[0:31] made a so-called report.
[0:42] Yes, sir.
[0:51] That was a good length.
[0:52] Yes, sir.
[0:52] I mean, I covered every damn point that was to be covered.
[0:53] Absolutely.
[0:53] And I think the Taiwan matter is going right.
[0:54] Yeah.
[0:54] Now, tomorrow, a question probably should be demanded that, what is the situation with regard to our commitment?
[0:57] Look, gentlemen, Dr. Kushner covered it in his background, or in his Shanghai, the president has covered it.
[0:59] I'm not going to say any more about it.
[1:00] It's done.
[1:01] I don't, you understand, we don't want to continue to say it because it just, it hurts us with the Chinese.
[1:24] They've got a hell of a problem.
[1:24] We're doing it, but we don't want to continue to throw it up in their faces.
[1:26] Right.
[1:26] No, I think that your remarks tonight, I think, handled it perfectly.
[1:27] And you can just refer to that.
[1:28] Yeah.
[1:28] All right.
[1:28] But I think the...
[1:34] Well, they can never go away because they know that deep down, they know that Taiwan eventually is going to have to be solved.
[2:01] that 14 million aren't going to be able to stand up to 750 million.
[2:18] That's the way the world was made.
[2:23] But on the other hand, we've done everything we can.
[2:24] On the backgrounder thing, I think the Taiwan thing, what really exacerbated it here is a carnival story that I see the Washington Post had its headline, Nixon agrees to withdraw from Taiwan.
[2:28] Well, that's just a totally inaccurate headline.
[2:30] And I don't know if
[2:31] That did not play that way.
[2:45] That's right.
[2:46] Who?
[2:46] Brackle.
[2:47] Brackle, good.
[2:49] I was told that I did not play that way.
[2:55] I heard you did, too.
[2:56] Very well.
[2:56] But, you know, the carnage was...
[2:57] He was trying to do something.
[2:57] Pressure.
[3:02] Well, you'll see.
[3:05] Okay.
[3:05] Bye.