Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 022-077
Date: Tuesday, April 4, 1972 at 8:45 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/022-077

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Hello.
[0:01] Mr. Kissinger.
[0:03] Yeah.
[0:05] I wonder if you had any report on the weather.
[0:08] I just was calling Moorer.
[0:11] This is why it took a minute.
[0:14] His report was that it'd be like today.
[0:18] Yeah.
[0:19] With some holes opening up in the afternoon.
[0:22] Yeah.
[0:23] It is heartbreaking.
[0:25] They cut all the authorities.
[0:27] They
[0:28] Got the toughest president they're going to have.
[0:30] The goddamn bastards can't go.
[0:33] So it's the same thing.
[0:35] But they are going to start shelling tonight.
[0:38] Yeah, well, that'll help a little.
[0:40] Well, that'll be a little shot across the bow, but it's about all.
[0:47] Otherwise, no further reports.
[0:48] It's night out there now, isn't it?
[0:50] It's day out there now.
[0:51] Oh, yeah, it's day, of course.
[0:52] It's just started.
[0:55] How about the ground action?
[0:58] About the same?
[0:59] About the same.
[1:04] But the weather, no projection.
[1:07] Well, the projection.
[1:09] They think it's going to break any time, huh?
[1:11] Well, they think it's going to clear a little in the afternoon, and they're going to get some strikes in then.
[1:16] Right.
[1:17] You never know.
[1:18] Whenever it breaks, it's going to break fairly fast.
[1:21] And when it does, it'll all hell break loose.
[1:23] Boy, that's the time to give it to them.
[1:25] That's right.
[1:27] Okay.
[1:28] Well, we can't do anything about it, Henry.
[1:30] No, we've just got to...
[1:32] I think, Mr. President, we've got this thing at the breaking point now.
[1:35] The main thing is that I want you to go forward, though, on that Haiphong thing.
[1:39] That intrigues me very much.
[1:40] Well, we are getting a plan tomorrow morning for a Haiphong strike.
[1:44] Yeah.
[1:45] I think just popping a couple in there might be useful.
[1:48] The weather up there is all right, isn't it?
[1:50] Yes.
[1:51] Yeah.
[1:53] Well, we can do nothing else.
[1:55] Hitting that would be useful.
[1:57] Well, I think ideally it would be better a little later.
[2:00] Yeah, I know.
[2:01] Before the bombing gets settled.
[2:03] Yeah.
[2:03] Settled in.
[2:04] I agree.
[2:05] I agree.
[2:06] But if we're going to be stuck, Henry, too long here, we can't be stuck in the mud all the time.
[2:14] That's right, Mr. President.
[2:15] We can't give them much more than 24 more hours.
[2:17] Because otherwise... We've got to do something dramatic soon.
[2:22] Yeah.
[2:25] Well, let's see.
[2:26] Just running it out.
[2:26] Well, we'll talk about it in the morning.
[2:28] But if you hit Haiphong, that'll raise all hell diplomatically and the rest.
[2:34] That's right.
[2:35] We're getting a list of all the ships that are in there and so forth.
[2:39] Yeah.
[2:40] I made a little note on the confidential summary you sent in, in which I noted that Pew's South Vietnamese ambassadors were talking to all the ambassadors abroad with regard to the coming across the DMZ, and I ordered that all of our ambassadors do likewise.
[2:58] They can get off their fat asses and go
[3:01] and go start talking to people, don't you agree?
[3:03] Absolutely.
[3:04] Let's run a huge diplomatic offensive in this respect.
[3:08] Right, absolutely.
[3:10] I think this is going to be the last spasm for better or worse now.
[3:14] Well, it can't be for worse, you know.
[3:16] That's right.
[3:16] We're not going to say better or worse.
[3:17] We'll never get these goddamn Air Force guys to fly.
[3:20] Yeah.
[3:21] Well, we can't expect them to fly, Henry.
[3:24] I mean, let's face it, it's the equipment, not the men.
[3:27] It's the equipment.
[3:28] These are brave men.
[3:29] They're willing to do anything.
[3:31] No, they bought the wrong equipment.
[3:35] Yeah, but on the other hand, well, how about concentrating in the B-3 area?
[3:41] That's open, isn't it?
[3:42] That they are doing.
[3:43] Could we just tell more in view of the fact it's closed in to give a massive strike to the B-3 area for the next 24 hours?
[3:51] Could we do that?
[3:52] Well, everything that isn't being used in MR-1 is being used in the B-3 area.
[3:57] And they're hitting it hard, are they?
[3:58] That's right.
[3:59] They flew about 300 sorties there yesterday.
[4:01] That's bound to have some effect, isn't it?
[4:03] Oh, yes, yes, absolutely.
[4:05] 53s are being used there?
[4:07] Yes.
[4:07] Now, what about the 53s above?
[4:09] No, 52s are mostly used in MR1 because they don't need weather.
[4:12] I know, but 52s.
[4:14] Tell me about the 52s.
[4:15] Yeah, I know, but let's use the 52s the other place, too.
[4:19] Well, we have given authority.
[4:22] You've given authority to use it above the DMZ, have you?
[4:24] Right.
[4:25] All right.
[4:26] What?
[4:26] For what?
[4:27] For 35 miles.
[4:28] Right.
[4:29] But they haven't popped anything there yet.
[4:31] No, because they want to do one day of SAMS.
[4:33] Oh, yeah, they've got to suppress.
[4:35] I see.
[4:35] Because of the danger, right.
[4:37] Right.
[4:38] Well, they've got all the authority they need, and Moore has no complaints on that score, has he now?
[4:45] Well, Mr. President, they are Popeye.
[4:48] They are?
[4:49] Yeah.
[4:49] Good.
[4:50] Good.
[4:50] Good.
[4:51] Well, okay.
[4:53] Right, Mr. President.
[4:54] Just pray for the goddamn...
[4:56] A weatherman to get in there, okay?
[4:58] Right, Mr. President.