Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 044-053
Date: Wednesday, March 28, 1973 at 3:57 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/044-053

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Yeah.
[0:03] Mr. President.
[0:04] Hi, Henry.
[0:05] I got your memorandum on Vietnam and so forth.
[0:09] Let me tell you one problem I have here and whether we can handle it.
[0:19] with going into the aid to North Vietnam and this is very hard.
[0:26] I would not recommend it.
[0:28] And even aid to the South and that sort of thing.
[0:31] My point being that the purpose of saying how we're going to keep the agreement and the rest, I think I can... You see, after my meetings with Chu, I'll have to see the press and I'll just lay it out there, perhaps.
[0:48] with hitting it now is it needs more explanation so I've got to put I've got to know I agree with that see my problem no I agree with it I put down everything that might conceivably be what I what I feel in this one I should say is without raising I will raise a little bit of a problem I said that you know the idea that after 25 years of guerrilla war there's still some problems and so forth but we expect compliance but nothing more than that but I mean they used to say look
[1:18] accomplished our goal and that's not, not Pollyannaish, but I'll leave a little bit of a thing.
[1:25] I think if I get into the enforcement of the agreement and the aid to the North, that really requires a second, it really requires another speech.
[1:34] Do you agree?
[1:34] Do you agree?
[1:35] I agree.
[1:37] I think I would have one sentence in there that looked, it sounds threatening to the North.
[1:41] Right.
[1:42] Okay.
[1:42] I mean, that sentence about that, it must be observed.
[1:46] I'm in a room where no one can hear me.
[1:54] This infiltration situation is very ominous.
[1:58] It's now possible even that they'll start an offensive.
[2:01] The bureaucracy is about as bad as they were in India, Pakistan.
[2:04] They just want to bug out.
[2:08] And I'm trying to browbeat them into taking a more vigilant position.
[2:14] We've got to prevent the offensive.
[2:16] And if we give the impression that nothing is being done now, that you can't make an explicit threat.
[2:25] But if you could put in something that in the light of your previous thing, it can be just one sentence.
[2:33] Dropping the aid, I completely agree with.
[2:35] But the hell with the aid.
[2:36] We'll just put it in there.
[2:38] We expect an agreement has been made that we expect it to be complied with.
[2:45] Something like that.
[2:47] And we shall not tolerate a failure to strictly comply with the agreement.
[2:54] Two sentences like that would be worth more than all the aid garbage we can put out.
[3:01] I don't think this is the time even to mention aid to North Vietnam.
[3:06] I agree.
[3:06] I agree the hell with them.
[3:09] In fact, in May, if this continues, we may have to cancel the whole idea.
[3:15] because of their continued violation, you mean?
[3:18] Exactly.
[3:18] Right.
[3:24] I haven't had a chance to talk to Dobrynin yet.
[3:26] I talked to him last night, Mr. President.
[3:30] He claims there's no problem about...
[3:32] No real problem.
[3:34] What's the date?
[3:34] You are from the other date, too, or just...
[3:37] I'm seeing him at 6 o'clock today, Mr. President.
[3:40] Okay.
[3:41] And we'll get into it then.
[3:42] All right, fine.
[3:43] I would just assume, if we can get ready, have it earlier, but if necessary, either time.
[3:48] Okay, good.
[3:48] Right.