Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 031-112
Date: Tuesday, October 17, 1972 at 8:37 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/031-112

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] President General Haig.
[0:03] General Haig calling, sir.
[0:05] Thank you.
[0:06] Hello, Haig, sir.
[0:09] I've got my first flash message from Henry.
[0:13] He sent me the more detailed one.
[0:15] It should be here in a moment.
[0:16] In fact, he inferred that one of the two substantive changes we wanted in the paragraph that when Sullivan saw the
[0:30] to a surrender document, as one can conceive, and recommends no changes in it.
[0:36] We fell off the board with it fixed.
[0:40] He's very concerned that we not let Rogers get too anxious about setting up the International Mission machinery.
[0:50] Oh, God, of course.
[0:53] And he said he'll explain in the follow-up to Cable why it's highly unlikely to have an agreed text on the present schedule.
[1:00] More round is almost surely required, which I think is good.
[1:05] That's encouraging to me.
[1:08] Would the Hanoi trip then as well?
[1:12] I think so.
[1:12] He said, if I do not make last leg of trip, we have a problem due to our discussions with the other side on bombing hall, because I had hit it very hard on that.
[1:22] Not going to be any bombing hall?
[1:24] Well, I've gone back to him and said that that's just a titty as far as they're concerned, that
[1:29] the pressure on them, and it would never be understood here unless it was dried up in a sea ice of an immediate settlement.
[1:36] No bombing hull.
[1:37] Right.
[1:38] So I've gone back to that man and told him to do a no-condition suction very strongly.
[1:46] So we'll have another more detailed message here shortly, sir.
[1:54] I don't think anything is going to be taped.
[1:56] I think this little delay is just fine.
[2:00] It works in well in terms of Q.
[2:03] And now on the other thing, are we doing an adequate job of using air power against this stuff in Saigon, are you?
[2:12] Well, yes.
[2:13] We've shifted down a little in the north.
[2:16] Oh, in the north.
[2:17] Hit this stuff around Saigon.
[2:19] That's right.
[2:20] And that's what they're doing.
[2:21] They've put 52 all around Saigon.
[2:24] And they aren't
[2:26] out the South Vietnamese.
[2:29] They are also, today, their Congress, their assembly, they're in a great state of concern, and they're all starting to kneel together to break up the factions and to join and support Chew.
[2:42] They think he's going to be sitting down, you see.
[2:46] Oh, and serving to unify behind Chew.
[2:49] That's right.
[2:49] That may be helpful.
[2:50] That's right.
[2:54] Okay, well, good.
[2:55] All right, sir.
[2:56] I won't bother you with this next one unless this is... No, I don't really need to see the next one.
[3:00] He's going to go out there and we can discuss in the morning, okay?
[3:04] Fine, sir.