Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 022-105
Date: Tuesday, April 11, 1972 at 10:49 AM
Participants: Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Kissinger, Henry A.; Nixon, Richard M. (President)
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/022-105

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] I'm in the president's office.
[0:07] We were talking about the stopping point on the way to Russia.
[0:13] And he's raising again the question of whether Austria isn't a possibility, doing Salzburg, not Vienna.
[0:23] But going there and doing that, spending two nights, as we had originally planned to do, and he'd see the chancellor, you know, for a visit, which would destroy the idea of a rest stop.
[0:35] In other words, it would just be a stop with a non-aligned nation on the way in.
[0:43] Well, the chancellor, you know, if he wants to do that.
[0:49] I have no great objection to that.
[0:52] He's just wondering if that isn't better than trying to go into Switzerland.
[0:55] Well, just a second.
[0:58] Hello, yes, I don't want to bother you.
[0:59] Let me tell you what I have in mind.
[1:01] Just take a second.
[1:02] I don't like the feeling of a Spanish base, you know, and that's the problem with any place in Spain.
[1:08] I don't like the feeling of these or any base kind of a thing.
[1:12] Yeah.
[1:12] Switzerland poses the problem, if you're aware.
[1:15] Ireland's out of the question.
[1:16] Let me just make a case for Austria in other words.
[1:19] which I have always had a very close relationship with the Austrians from a personal standpoint.
[1:26] The ambassador here is a great friend of mine.
[1:29] They'd break their backs to make it good.
[1:30] Oh, no question.
[1:31] And also, it is a country which is not allied to us or to the Russians.
[1:36] The Russians aren't going to be put out.
[1:38] We don't care if they were particular, but...
[1:40] rather than going to Vienna, going to Salzburg, you see, which is a lovely town.
[1:45] You've been there, of course, haven't you?
[1:46] Oh, it's beautiful.
[1:47] I don't know whether, well, you'd find out whether they have an airfield.
[1:50] Well, we landed there, well, we landed there in a constellation last time, so I don't know whether they can take this, but, oh, what, the Salzburg Festival?
[1:56] I'll lay you money, they've got to build an airfield.
[1:58] But if they haven't, but if it's, and I wouldn't mind seeing the Austrian thing, you know what I mean?
[2:04] What's an hour's conversation during the day, that's all.
[2:07] You know, have a little meeting with them.
[2:09] Mr. President,
[2:10] My objection to Switzerland, I share your concern about Switzerland because, first of all, there are pains in the neck.
[2:18] Well, they're not making, they're brokering money off the world, and they don't deserve it.
[2:22] Secondly, if you go there just overnight, you're going to have a tremendous operation for one night's rest.
[2:30] And they won't help you, and the Austrians would.
[2:33] That's right.
[2:33] And if you go for two nights, it looks like a vacation.
[2:35] That's right.
[2:36] Because there's nothing you could conceivably do in Switzerland that...
[2:40] So I think Austria... You don't mind our exploring it?
[2:44] No.
[2:44] I'd like to...
[2:47] This ambassador here is Hans Brube.
[2:51] You know him?
[2:51] Very well.
[2:52] He's a hell of a nice guy, you know.
[2:53] Used to be their foreign minister.
[2:55] Well, he was not only their foreign minister, but he was the ambassador to Washington in the Eisenhower period.
[2:58] And I know him extremely well.
[3:00] And where I got to know them so well was in the Hungarian refugee period, you see.
[3:04] Yeah.
[3:05] And I was there, and I spent over ten days in Austria.
[3:09] And they certainly have the facilities there.
[3:11] They have the facilities, and their government would break their back, and the people would be friendly.
[3:16] And the weather will be good.
[3:18] Yes, sir.
[3:18] The people will be friendly.
[3:19] That's another thing.
[3:20] We have no problem there of friendly people.
[3:24] The Austrians, hell, they love Americans in Austria.
[3:27] They really do.
[3:28] So, no, I think if you're willing to see their... Yeah, of course.
[3:32] I think we should see them, but just say we can only have an hour's meeting, you know.
[3:36] Courtesy call.
[3:37] Courtesy call, sure.
[3:38] That is no problem, because that gives us a chance to spend the day.
[3:42] We do need the two nights, really, to get ready for Moscow.
[3:45] I actually think, Mr. President, you...
[3:47] You're just better off doing it.
[3:48] I'll press myself too hard otherwise.
[3:50] And we want to be really up good when we get in there.
[3:52] And Austria is very close to Moscow.
[3:54] That's the other vantage.
[3:54] That's right.
[3:55] I think it would be a three.
[3:56] Well, I'll have Bob check that out then.
[3:58] I think it's a good idea.
[4:00] And don't you think the way to check it is to, rather than putting it through, why don't we just have it checked with Gruber?
[4:06] What's his name?
[4:07] Yeah.
[4:07] Gruber.
[4:10] Gruber.
[4:10] How would be the way to do it?
[4:12] I could do it easily enough.
[4:14] or my office could do it very quickly.
[4:19] That's the way we've done it.
[4:21] Well, if you put it in the state channels, it gets publicized right away, doesn't it?
[4:25] Well, I'll get you an answer by tomorrow.
[4:29] I'm sure they'll be enthusiastic.
[4:32] That's what I... And there's no problem with the Russians on that.
[4:36] No, no.
[4:37] They know we have to spin tonight.
[4:38] All right.
[4:40] Well, let's go forward, then.
[4:42] You go forward, Gruber.
[4:43] Right.
[4:43] Fine.
[4:44] I'll get you... Fine.