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Conversation 036-099

TapeTape 36StartTuesday, January 23, 1973 at 11:13 PMEndTuesday, January 23, 1973 at 11:17 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the overwhelmingly positive public and political reception of the Vietnam peace settlement, contrasting it with the visible frustration of the news media, specifically CBS reporters. Nixon expresses satisfaction at having outmaneuvered congressional critics like Mike Mansfield and Tip O'Neill, while affirming his intent to bypass the established intellectual elite. The two agree on the effectiveness of Nixon's recent address and coordinate Kissinger’s upcoming schedule for congressional briefings.

Vietnam WarParis Peace AccordsMedia relationsPublic opinionCongressional relationsForeign policy
AudioNARA Description

On January 23, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 11:13 pm to 11:17 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 036-099 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 36-99

Date: January 23, 1973
Time: 11:13 pm - 11:17 pm
                                                -60-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                         (rev. Jul-08)

                                                              Conversation No. 36-99 (cont’d)

Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

       The President’s Vietnam settlement announcement
            -Reaction
            -Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s view
                   -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS] reporters
                   -[Arnold] Eric Sevareid, Marvin L. Kalb, Dan Rather
            -Ronald L. Ziegler’s report on press
            -National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
                   -Charles W. Colson’s conversation with the President
            -Nelson A. Rockefeller
            -Richard G. Kleindienst
            -Kalb
            -Congress
                   -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield, Thomas P. (“Tip”) O’Neill, Jr.
                        -The President’s view

       Kissinger’s schedule
             -Congressional briefing

       The President’s Vietnam settlement announcement
            -Reaction
            -CBS broadcast
            -Liberals
            -Bombing
            -Quality of statement
                   -Lyndon B. Johnson, Democrats
                         -Press
            -Intellectuals
                   -Establishment
            -Kissinger’s view
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Hello, Mr. President.
I thought you'd be interested to know that my daughter Julie really put her finger on it when she said that she watched the CBS thing and she said she had never seen Eric Severide, Marvin Kalb, and Dan Rather so sick.
They turned, they were green, she said, absolutely turned.
She said they were, and that they were, that she said they were moaning about it and saying it wasn't going to last, and she said they were utterly...
taken aback and sick.
I mean, you'd think, you know, that even at this time, even those assholes would say, well, you know, maybe we were, not that they were wrong, but maybe it's good news.
But no.
They told me the whole, and Ziegler said he's never seen the press corps so discouraged.
Or to say, we've got to hand it to the president.
He did it.
Right.
Well, in fairness, Colson tells me the other two networks were better.
Yeah, NBC was better.
But still, it's... Don't get discouraged.
I just wanted you to know that... Oh, well, I talked about it.
All the calls I'm getting are overwhelmingly favorable.
In fact, I haven't got an unfavorable.
Well, Nelson called.
He was almost beside him.
He always is.
And Dick Kleindienst called.
Marvin Kalb left a message of warm congratulations.
He couldn't get himself to say it on television.
Well, the hell with it.
I would never call him back.
Never, never, never.
But
And it's just... Well, we certainly bamboozled the goddamn Congress.
Mansfield was speechless for once.
Didn't know what to do.
Didn't you feel that?
And O'Neill, who was an all-out dove and a vicious bastard, didn't know what the hell to say.
Well, he was very complimentary after you had left.
What did he say?
Oh, he said, what a magnificent achievement.
Oh, I'm so delighted, so proud.
Oh, yeah.
Isn't that good?
Well, you know...
On your doing the Friday thing, the more I think of it, the better I think of it, because when you've got a good case, you can demolish the bastard.
You can go down there, give a star performance, and I give one for the Senate and one for the House.
I do both.
I do them both.
I do it on Friday, and that's great.
Also, it will answer, you know, then they can't say I never meet with them.
Right.
you can say you will meet with them when it is a proper occasion on a briefing but you cannot meet on confidential matters right exactly and and you know you'll be all fine because you'll have plenty of workouts tomorrow that's right exactly right well i just wanted you not to get discouraged because of the cbs broadcast and so forth because because uh jilly uh i told you i told ziggler that i said that's what you're going to expect and
and all these other people, and they couldn't believe me.
And then now they're finally becoming Christians, so you understand.
I think there's every reason to be encouraged, because the overwhelming reaction is ecstasy.
Well, I think...
It's not very favorable.
Well, maybe...
It just kills the bloody liberals.
They killed them already in October.
Yeah.
And they started pissing on the agreement.
Right.
Now what kills them is after the bombing.
This is, after all, three weeks after the bombing ended, Mr. President.
Right.
And you've wrapped it all up.
Yeah, which none of them thought.
On terms that every one of them thought were impossible.
Yeah, when we said, I laid down four conditions and all of them had been met.
You know, that speech was a real gem, wasn't it?
Oh, that was a beauty.
You know what I mean?
It was simple.
Also when you attacked the various alternatives that had been offered.
Oh, boy.
I said, you know, about peace for us and war for the others and leave our POWs and...
And also that gigging the press on Johnson, vilification of Johnson and the Democrats, who is basically, I'm defending myself too, you see.
Exactly.
I thought it was a beautiful speech.
Very strong.
Well, anyway, I just thought you'd be... Of course, Mr. President, what you have accomplished runs counter to what the intellectual establishment of this country...
has been preaching for 30 years, and your success is almost more painful to them than... Well, they've got to change, though, God damn it, Henry.
The intellectual establishment is important to this country.
Yeah, but they don't want to change.
Then let's build a new establishment.
That's what the duty is.
All right.
Okay.
Right, Mr. Meyer.
Have a good sleep.
Thank you.
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