Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 032-162
Date: Friday, November 3, 1972 at 9:12 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Brooke, Edward W.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/032-162

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] We've, uh, you know, made this, uh, you can probably read between the lines, this significant, uh,
[0:21] breakthrough on the negotiations.
[0:23] There are still some things to work out, but I'm confident they will be.
[0:27] Well, I appreciated that briefing last Sunday.
[0:29] Is there any possibility that a meeting will be set up soon?
[0:34] I would say this.
[0:36] I wouldn't speculate about it, Ed, if I were you.
[0:39] I wouldn't for this reason that we just can't say.
[0:41] My own, my guess would be that, and I wouldn't want to be quoted on it, but my guess would be
[0:51] We're probably going to wait until after the election now, you see.
[0:58] It's fine with us.
[1:00] But the major things, as was pointed out, have been worked out.
[1:04] That's the important thing.
[1:05] But he seems to be pressing, I presume he will tonight, you know, that it's falling apart.
[1:09] It isn't.
[1:10] I've been saying, you know, that we'll never let it.
[1:13] You can be very confident.
[1:14] You can be very confident on that point, as I was last night in my speech.
[1:18] You say we have made a major breakthrough.
[1:21] We have reached agreement on the major items, in other words, on a ceasefire, on the return of our POWs, on giving the South Vietnamese the opportunity to choose their own government without having a communist coalition imposed on them against their will.
[1:34] Will there be a final meeting before the actual signing?
[1:38] Oh, yes.
[1:38] Yes, there has to be another meeting.
[1:41] That's the whole point.
[1:42] Work out the details, and details are terribly important.
[1:46] As I pointed out, because we didn't work out the details in the bombing out in 1968,
[1:50] is only a pause and not a halt.
[1:54] So we want these details.
[1:56] There will have to be another meeting.
[1:57] But you can still be confident at that point.
[2:04] I wouldn't say anything about the date.
[2:05] I can only say that you can well see that they haven't rejected the idea.
[2:10] And I'm very confident about it.
[2:12] Are they still showing flexibility in that regard?
[2:15] Oh, certainly, yeah.
[2:17] They want it, certainly.
[2:20] look at it as Haig probably said, the factors all run in that direction.
[2:24] But we're confident we're going to have an agreement, but we're insisting that it be the right kind of agreement so that it'll last.