Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 036-030
Date: Sunday, January 21, 1973 at 10:33 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/036-030

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Hello.
[0:02] Mr. President.
[0:03] I wondered what the latest report was.
[0:05] Right.
[0:06] Uh-huh.
[0:07] We haven't had the due answer.
[0:08] We just have his reaction as he received your letter.
[0:13] The second letter.
[0:14] The third letter.
[0:15] The letter we discussed yesterday.
[0:17] Yeah.
[0:18] And he said, well, he understands that if you make these requests, that there must be a very grave situation here.
[0:26] And he's now practically agreed to the agreement.
[0:29] Now he's yacking about the protocol.
[0:31] Yeah, I've been doing that for all week, of course.
[0:33] Well, no, he was still...
[0:35] He's now given up on his objections to the agreement.
[0:38] I am certain now he's coming along.
[0:41] And he is just now making the record of having fought every step of the way.
[0:49] Well, do we expect an answer?
[0:51] We expect some answer today, yes.
[0:53] which in my view will still leave a little crack open.
[0:57] What he would like to be able to say for domestic reasons is that his foreign minister talked to me in Paris and got one crappy little concession.
[1:10] Now I have sent Sullivan in to see the North Vietnamese and it's just possible that we'll get one.
[1:18] And I'll know that tonight.
[1:22] But even without it, I'm certain he'll come along now.
[1:26] Doesn't have any choice.
[1:27] I mean, as we all well know.
[1:31] Well, in any event, you said you're planning to leave tonight?
[1:37] No, tomorrow morning.
[1:39] Tomorrow morning.
[1:41] Mm-hmm.
[1:41] And Haig will be coming back this afternoon.
[1:43] Well, what time tomorrow morning?
[1:46] I'm leaving at 9.
[1:48] What time we should get together?
[1:51] Oh, any time you say.
[1:52] Well, you see, I meant what time when everything will be in the bag.
[1:56] That's what I want to know.
[1:57] Maybe we better wait until tomorrow morning.
[2:01] Tomorrow morning we'll have all the facts.
[2:04] Yeah.
[2:04] And I can put off the departure by half an hour.
[2:07] No use to meet before that.
[2:09] Suppose that we plan to meet at, say, 30 tomorrow morning.
[2:20] That gives us the time to...
[2:22] for you to have...
[2:23] I mean, are you supposed to depart at 9?
[2:26] I was supposed to depart Andrews at 9.
[2:28] If we could make it at 8, it'd be... Fine.
[2:30] Because I can delay the departure to 9.30.
[2:32] Oh, fine, fine.
[2:34] Fine.
[2:35] Why don't we meet at 8 o'clock, and we'll...
[2:39] I'll just come over to the EOB, and we'll meet there.
[2:41] Right.
[2:42] Meet there at 8 o'clock, so that there won't be...
[2:45] If you get any information worth reporting, because, see, I'm tied up all day today with reception.
[2:51] Right.
[2:51] through about 8 o'clock.
[2:54] You get something by tonight, which you probably won't.
[2:59] No, I'll have something by tonight, I'm sure.
[3:03] Well, if you have, then possibly we could get together then.
[3:09] The only purpose of getting together, obviously, is to...
[3:13] But tomorrow morning would be, we'll have all the facts tomorrow morning.
[3:18] And we also have to go over the...
[3:22] situation on the with regard to the remarks that I'll be making on now that they present indications are now that I will go forward on Tuesday it's 98%
[3:38] In fact, it's certain, Mr. President.
[3:40] I'm just coppering it.
[3:42] But basically, I don't see that anything can happen.
[3:46] The only point, that's really the only effect is how it affects my remarks, of course, isn't it?
[3:50] What we hear from him.
[3:51] I think, Mr. President, at the very worst, if I could recommend, if he has not given his formal agreement then...
[3:59] I would just ignore him.
[4:02] I would not make, and he will then the next day certainly come along.
[4:07] He cannot afford to break with you publicly once you've committed yourself.
[4:13] Well, we've told him that in the letter, haven't we, Henry?
[4:16] We've told him that, but he hasn't broken with you once he realized, once he accepted the fact that you meant business.
[4:23] Yeah.
[4:24] Every exchange he moves closer to you.
[4:28] He is not acting like a man digging in.
[4:30] Right.
[4:31] Good.
[4:32] Well, then we'll plan.
[4:33] As a matter of fact, we'll meet then at 8 o'clock in the morning.
[4:39] Let's just make it certain.
[4:41] Right.
[4:41] And then that way we can get the whole thing fired out of the way.
[4:46] All right.
[4:46] Fine.
[4:47] Thank you.
[4:48] We'll say that you had a brief talk with Haig today when he arrived.
[4:51] Oh, sure, sure.
[4:53] I'll be in conversation with him.
[4:54] Right.
[4:54] Because actually I've had so many reports on him, I've already talked to him.
[4:59] That's right.
[4:59] You can say yes, I have discussion with Hagen, that I'm meeting with you in the morning before you depart.
[5:04] Right, Mr. Craig.
[5:05] Fine, Henry, thank you.