Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 042-083
Date: Thursday, April 29, 1971 at 7:27 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/042-083

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Yeah.
[0:01] Mr. President?
[0:02] Yeah.
[0:02] Mr. Kissinger's calling you, sir.
[0:03] Yeah.
[0:05] There you are.
[0:06] Hello.
[0:06] Mr. President?
[0:07] Yeah, hi, Henry.
[0:08] I just wanted to call you to tell you I've been thinking of you.
[0:11] Oh, wow, thank you.
[0:13] All of you.
[0:13] How's the weather out there?
[0:14] It's perfect.
[0:15] I had lunch with Freeman Goss.
[0:17] Oh, yeah, yeah.
[0:19] Spoke of you with great affection.
[0:21] Yes, yes, he's a great fellow.
[0:23] And I've been talking to Hague, and he's been telling me about... Yeah.
[0:30] what's gone on well the main the main problem we have coming up is the pow problem
[0:52] Right.
[0:52] And that they, so that we can therefore expect that that probably will surface as an offer.
[0:58] And when that offer surfaces, that's going to be the hardest one for us to wheel.
[1:02] Do you understand?
[1:03] Well, if the offer surfaces, I think we may have to go public with our offer.
[1:08] Well, that's what I mean.
[1:09] We may have to go public with it, but that means that the timetable for... Huh?
[1:14] That means it may fail.
[1:16] Yeah.
[1:19] You mean our offer of a ceasefire and a POW?
[1:21] Yeah.
[1:22] Yeah.
[1:22] Well, in any event, the main point is that the date for your talking...
[1:33] I don't know.
[1:34] What is the time you've set for it now?
[1:36] What time have you offered?
[1:38] I've offered the 9th, but I suspect that now, they told us right away that on the 9th, one tree was out of town.
[1:46] Yeah.
[1:46] So I think they'll offer the 16th.
[1:49] Well, you see, that may be too late.
[1:52] So if it is, we'll just have to go with something else.
[1:55] See what I mean?
[1:56] We may be put to the torture on this one.
[1:59] This is the hardest one.
[1:59] I don't think they'll service it that straight.
[2:02] Yeah.
[2:02] They are playing a very clever game on this, as always.
[2:06] Yeah.
[2:21] Well, maybe so.
[2:22] The main thing is we've just got to hold our people in line if we can until we get a chance at them.
[2:28] But it's very possible you're not going to get a chance at them.
[2:31] We just have to go the other roads.
[2:33] and uh and then that means that what we do just surface our own offer and let it go at that that's right and uh it's a less elegant way of doing it and probably means that we get turned down right away of course of course of course but uh but i it just may be we have to do it though you see if we it's much you see
[2:51] We can't get run out.
[2:52] That's my point.
[2:53] That's right.
[2:54] Now, if they make it as a formal offer, Mr. President, then my guess is that what we will have to do is for you to make a speech indicating what we are willing to do.
[3:07] Yeah.
[3:08] Or respond in a formal way.
[3:10] Yeah.
[3:12] Well, we haven't done it yet.
[3:13] We'll see what they do.
[3:14] Okay.
[3:14] Thank you.
[3:15] We'll see.
[3:16] I hope not.
[3:17] Thank you.
[3:18] Right, Mr. President.