Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 043-124
Date: Tuesday, February 20, 1973 at 4:46 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ormandy, Eugene; Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/043-124

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Mr. Eugene Normandy.
[0:07] Hello.
[0:09] Mr. Normandy?
[0:09] How are you, Mr. President?
[0:11] How are you?
[0:12] Thank you.
[0:12] I'm a little sick, otherwise I'm fine.
[0:14] Oh, you've been under the weather?
[0:15] Yes, unfortunately.
[0:17] Oh, I hope that it's nothing serious.
[0:19] No, no, no.
[0:20] It's a nasty cold.
[0:22] Well, I'll tell you, I'm just sitting here talking to Dr. Kissinger.
[0:26] He's just back from China.
[0:28] I know.
[0:28] And I thought you'd be interested to know that when he was talking to our friends in China, Mr. Zhou Enlai, and Dr. Kissinger, this has to be held till Thursday, but I thought you'd like to know that they're going to invite the Philadelphia Symphony to come to China.
[0:49] That's wonderful.
[0:50] So they indicated that.
[0:54] So I just want you to know that my favorite symphony will be the first one to go to China.
[0:58] Yeah.
[0:59] And it'll be a great experience for all of your people.
[1:02] It's a great honor.
[1:03] And I think some of those, I think it must have embarrassed you a little when some of them didn't want to play at the inauguration.
[1:08] Now that the war is over, they'll probably feel a little better, I think.
[1:12] But you stood up for them.
[1:13] It's a pleasure.
[1:14] You honor me, honor the orchestra.
[1:17] I'm terribly proud and happy.
[1:19] Well, we're most appreciative.
[1:21] I'll let Dr. Kissinger tell you about the conversation that brought this song.
[1:24] Would you like to hear about it?
[1:25] If I may.
[1:26] Here he is.
[1:27] Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[1:29] Hello, Dr. Kissinger.
[1:32] It's nice to talk to you.
[1:34] I was talking to the Chinese leaders about exchanges and they said to me that the president had taken such a special interest in the Philadelphia Symphony that he had taken a trip to Philadelphia once and that you had agreed to play at the inauguration.
[1:53] I thought the first Western Symphony Orchestra that should come to China should be the Philadelphia Symphony.
[1:59] Yeah, that's wonderful.
[2:00] And they want you to come there before October this year.
[2:03] Before October?
[2:04] Before October, and that would precede the London Symphony then.
[2:09] That's wonderful.
[2:11] It's extremely important, Mr. Ormandy, that you say, tell this to nobody, because the Chinese are very sensitive about it.
[2:20] We're not going to say it until Thursday.
[2:23] Not until this Thursday.
[2:24] Not until this Thursday.
[2:27] Uh-huh.
[2:27] May I ask, Dr. Kissinger, how do we go about it?
[2:31] Of course, I have a president whom I would have to call up.
[2:35] Would I be permitted to call him?
[2:36] Can you wait until Thursday?
[2:38] Oh, yes.
[2:38] I'll wait as long as you tell me.
[2:40] Well, why don't you call him Thursday morning and say, I've just called you?
[2:43] I see.
[2:45] I will do that.
[2:47] And this was just that the president wanted you personally to know.
[2:52] how pleased he was by this, and that really that the Chinese have done this because they felt his close ties to your orchestra.
[3:03] Wonderful.
[3:04] I know how much you had to do with this, Dr. Kissinger.
[3:07] We called, we met, New Year's Eve.
[3:10] Oh, I remember very well.
[3:11] I remember we talked about it.
[3:14] You called me last year about it, too.
[3:17] Yeah, it was wild.
[3:18] You see, Walter Allenbach didn't tell me that you were coming.
[3:22] I was a little bit tired, so I left, and we just met at the end.
[3:25] No, I remember very well.
[3:27] You were going out as I was coming in?
[3:30] You were just coming in, yes.
[3:32] It's marvelous, Mr. Dr. Kissinger.
[3:33] I'm deeply honored.
[3:35] So is the orchestra, I'm sure.
[3:36] And after Thursday, what is the procedure?
[3:41] Well, just the tide will work out some practical arrangements.
[3:45] The Thursday that today is just two days, isn't it?
[3:49] That's just two days.
[3:49] Yes.
[3:50] That's wonderful, because Friday we are supposed to go to Palm Springs again for a short vacation.
[3:58] You know, the formal invitation is going to come a little later.
[4:01] Yes.
[4:02] But you can consider it settled.
[4:05] And I would recommend not pressing on the Chinese.
[4:09] Once they've given their word, you can absolutely count on it.
[4:12] Oh, I'm quite sure.
[4:14] Perfectly marvelous.
[4:15] And we'll work out the arrangements through Paris Channel in any event, but it's really a special tribute to you and because of the president's interest in the orchestra that you're going to be the first symphony orchestra to be there.
[4:35] It is marvelous.
[4:36] I'm so happy.
[4:37] I can't tell you how speechless, how happy I am.
[4:42] It's very marvelous.
[4:42] We will do our very best.
[4:45] So from then on, who will call us, or who shall we call somebody?
[4:52] We'll be in touch with you.
[4:54] You will be.
[4:55] Of course, I will be in Palm Springs beginning Friday.
[4:59] Right.
[4:59] Yes.
[5:00] Dr. Kissinger, I'm grateful to you.
[5:02] Thank you very, very much.
[5:04] I think it will be marvelous for this country, and I think you will enjoy it.
[5:07] It's much more marvelous for us, the Philadelphia Orchestra.
[5:11] Well, it will be great for the Chinese, too.
[5:14] I hope so.
[5:15] Thank you so very much.
[5:17] Goodbye.
[5:17] Goodbye, Dr. Kissinger.