← 011-046011-048 →

Conversation 011-047

TapeTape 11StartMonday, October 11, 1971 at 9:26 PMEndMonday, October 11, 1971 at 9:34 PMTape start time01:05:19Tape end time01:14:01ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AudioNARA Description

On October 11, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 9:26 pm to 9:34 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 011-047 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 11-47

Date: October 11, 1971
Time: 9:26 pm - 9:34 pm
                                                24

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)



Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

[See Conversation No. 288-2]

     Announcement October 12, 1971 of the President's trip to Moscow
         -U. Alexis Johnson
         -Soviets
              -Japanese
                    -Nobuhiko Ushiba
              -Ronald L. Ziegler
                    -Instructions
              -Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
              -News leak
                    -State Department

     Press Conference, October 12, 1971
           -US-People's Republic of China [PRC] policy
                 -Possible question
                      -Response
           -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
                 -United Nations [UN]
           -New York Times editorial
                 -Robert C. Byrd amendment
                      -Administration position
                      -William P. Rogers
                      -Congress
                      -Possible response
           -Presidential statement

     Forthcoming US-USSR summit
          -Japanese
               -Possible leak
               -Ushiba
                      -Johnson
          -Possible leak


**********************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
                                             25

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)



[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 10s ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

**********************************************************************


     The President's schedule
          -Briefing books
                -Kissinger
                -Possible meeting with Kissinger

     Kissinger's schedule
          -Chicago
                -Briefing
                -Richard J. Daley

     The Press conference, October 12, 1971
                -US-USSR summit announcement
          -Format
                -Ziegler
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.

Yeah.
Dr. Kissinger's there.
Yeah.
How'd you get along with Johnson?
With Alex Johnson?
Yeah.
That went along very well.
We're sending out the cables tomorrow morning.
Fine.
Okay.
Now, the only problem is that our friends, the Russians, have, you know, they're such unbelievable treats.
They've already notified the Japanese.
So it's apt to leak out of there.
Who told you?
The Japanese told you or Johnson told you?
No, the Japanese.
Well, Johnson told me that the Japanese told him.
Are you sure that's true?
I think that's true.
Ushiba called him this evening.
It's one of these cheap shots of the Russians where they prove that they're more solicitous of the Japs than we are.
It isn't on any wires yet.
So in another couple of hours, it's going to be too late to make any morning newspapers.
And I've called, we've instructed Ziegler to say no comment if anything comes up.
Was you informed him about it then?
Well, no, I have left standby instructions that as soon as it breaks, we will tell Ziegler to say no comment if it should break.
And I'm told to bring them that that's what we were going to do and that I expect them to keep quiet.
What did he say?
He said, yes, I said, I'll tell you honestly, Anatole, you've made a nickel and lost $1,000 in goodwill.
You told him that?
Yeah.
That's good.
Just keep him hopping a little.
I don't think they respect you unless you show that you're... Well, the Japanese may not like it.
Well...
You know, in another couple of hours, I think they will leak it, but if they leak it after midnight, it isn't going to make any newspapers.
Well, yeah, yeah, but it'd make the... Yeah, that's all right.
What the hell?
Henry, if it makes it, it makes it.
It's not all that bad.
We've kept it pretty damn well.
But they didn't leak it because their cables hadn't gone out yet.
Right.
I sat on their cables.
Their cables were going to go out at 9 o'clock tomorrow.
And no one was going to be notified until an hour before.
Well, that's fine.
We'll see.
I'm not sure the Japanese are leaking.
Well, I'm not sure either.
Yeah.
It was very nice of you to step in for him.
Let me ask you something.
I don't plan to get into this, but our position is that, what if they say to you, consider there's one or two Chinas?
I would say both sides agree there's only one China.
And we believe.
Don't the Russians have three votes in the UN?
That's right.
It's not only a bill of Russia, but it's Ukraine, too, isn't it?
I would say the number of votes to sign to a country has nothing to do with the nature of its sovereignty.
Yeah, well, I'm going to stay out of it pretty well.
I don't know if it'll get in.
Fine.
Let me ask you another thing.
It's a long, it's a way out one, but they might have some, because of a New York turns of the trail, have some question about whether we're going to
fighting conference to get the Byrd Amendment deleted.
My view is to say no.
What do you think?
That's a tough one.
Because Rogers is out on a limb on it, isn't he?
Rogers is out on a limb on it.
I don't know whether it can be fudged to say the Congress knows our views.
Because then they'll ask you what the views are.
Well, we'll see.
Well, the Congress is never going to knock that amendment out.
You can be sure of that.
I'll just say the Secretary has stated our views.
How's that?
Yeah.
Stated our views.
But he, of course, said we would fight.
Well, shouldn't I just leave it there?
Well, I don't know.
I'll try to dodge it somewhere.
It's damned hard, though.
I don't think they'll get it out to the third amendment.
I doubt it, too.
You won't have that much time, Mr. President.
Yeah, I think they're not going to get... Because by the time... Yeah.
They'll want to be out by 12.
Oh, they'll want to be out there before 12, and I'm going to let them go as soon as they're ready.
It'll take you about two minutes or so to read the statement and a minute or so to get settled.
My view is, incidentally, I've thought the thing through.
I think the best thing is to read the statement and not comment at all and just go to questions immediately.
I feel that if I go to questions and go to comment and say what the significance of this is.
I wouldn't do that.
Just let them dig it out.
I wouldn't do it.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
Well, I don't know.
I think the Japanese are going to hold it, strangely enough, for once.
Well, your instinct on these things is pretty unfailing, and I must say they've held it.
I mean, if Ushiba called Transnet 6, then they must have had it for two hours before then.
I don't trust, well, P.E.
Johnson couldn't tell him to hold it, of course, but that's that.
No, Johnson.
At least state is going to keep the damn mouth shut, Ray, even though you see the thing as far as we know, isn't it?
Oh, I've thrown the fear of God into Johnson.
Right.
Good.
It may hold.
Well, holding this long, it didn't make the evening news.
I just hate to see the goddamn thing get in the morning papers.
That'd be a pity, but
Oh, well, if it does, it's not that much of a pity.
For the average person, until you've said it, you've experienced it before.
You say it on television.
That's right.
On troop withdrawals, we used to say it's been blown, and it was blown a hundred times.
I know.
I know.
That's right.
Well, you're not going to worry about it.
And we'll get this done tomorrow.
And I'll have a book for you in the evening of substance and a book on the Texas side.
We'll talk tomorrow, as I said.
If you're feeling like it.
If you're not, we'll have you send you to bed.
But then if not, I'm saving Thursday rather than Wednesday.
I think that's a better day.
Excellent.
And you can have Wednesday to rest up a little.
Wednesday I'm going out of Chicago for that press briefing.
Oh, yeah.
and a brief daily also.
I see, fine.
Well, then Thursday will be fine, a good day to get together.
Thursday I'll be, we'll be in great shape.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
My feeling is, Henry, that our best bet here is to play it, play this just very briefly and read the damn thing deadpan and let them... That's what I would do, Mr. President.
Don't volunteer a goddamn thing.
Because any possible commentary is going to come out in the question period.
That's right, that's right.
That's right.
And actually, the less we claim for it, I mean... You know, as a matter of fact, what do you think about this if they don't...
If it does leak, we just may have Ziegler put it out.
No, no, no, no.
I think I should still do it.
Well, what you might then do is just read it and not answer questions.
Yeah, that might be too.
I mean, we're not reading it to do them a favor.
We're reading it to get you... Yeah.
Just to have me say it.
To have that said and to have the public identify it with you.
We just may read it just before noon then that way.
That's right.
And I have this for announcement before noon.
I might read it a little earlier, hold for release.
Okay?
Right.
All right, Henry.
Bye.
Bye, Mr. President.
← 011-046011-048 →