Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 158-035
Date: Saturday, December 30, 1972 at 9:53 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.
Recording device: Camp David Study Table
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/158-035

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Hello.
[0:21] Good morning, Mr. President.
[0:22] Is that everything all set for today?
[0:23] Yes, sir, I think so.
[0:23] We've got some young fellows who may be out of dispatch to 15th and... How about the, uh, how about the, uh, Cameron?
[0:26] I just talked to Cameron, sir.
[0:26] Talked to him a little while ago.
[0:27] And, uh, Kennedy has also talked to, uh, Colonel Kennedy.
[0:28] And he is going to call Henry right now just to see who Henry has called.
[0:30] Bill thought he would like to call some of the leaders.
[0:48] He said some of the people that he had dealt with, he said he, for example, used to have him on the phone just for quite a while.
[0:51] Because he was moaning about things.
[0:52] Yeah.
[0:52] So he'd like to call Scott and do an idea of what Henry would like to say.
[0:53] I'd like to send him some money, but he doesn't know how to handle it.
[0:55] But Henry would just better always know what Henry is.
[1:00] You know what I mean?
[1:21] Right.
[1:21] Right.
[1:21] You've got to be there.
[1:22] Well, Kennedy, Colonel Kennedy had called him about 45 minutes ago.
[1:23] Yeah.
[1:23] Yeah.
[1:23] I just told him about an hour ago.
[1:24] I don't know.
[1:24] Oh, he said he's been, you know, he's been front.
[1:25] He's been holding hands with him for the eight years that I wasn't known.
[1:27] I didn't
[1:31] I said, no, it's fine.
[1:51] He's just 30 years.
[1:52] He's actually going to take the heat off of him.
[1:53] He's going to go to Fulbright, and that's where I'm going to want to head to next week.
[1:54] I'm going to head to Drew and Roger and everybody else.
[1:56] And I still was uncertain about what this would do.
[1:57] I just wanted to be there to tell them.
[1:57] I just want to hold it in until I know I'm going to be able to go up there.
[1:59] It's just not worth the negotiation.
[2:00] I don't have to hold them, I think, for the rest of the three years.
[2:02] You're going to go over there and be there when the briefing takes place.
[2:25] You're going to go over there and be there when the briefing takes place.
[2:30] Are you ready to join in?
[2:49] Yeah, I'm ready to join in.
[2:50] No, I think we're going to get you out of there, but I'd like to get to you first.
[2:52] Well, I'll listen to it.
[2:52] I'll probably just go in and we'll call you if you'd like.
[2:53] Maybe.
[2:53] No, I'd rather call you right after the beep.
[2:54] Actually, I'll tell you.
[2:55] I'll give you a ring on the back, but let's get you in there.
[2:56] It's good.
[2:56] I'll try to get you out of there.
[2:57] Yeah, I'll do it.
[2:57] I'll let you know when I get there.
[2:59] But then we were like riding, riding home to the meeting room.
[3:18] I mean, you know, you're there after you do that.
[3:19] I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not,
[3:28] This is one I haven't thought of doing.
[4:06] I don't know.
[4:33] Now we're assuming you're saying
[5:03] The intensity of the feeling is very, very low.
[5:20] Well, I think they're getting ready for next week.
[5:38] I think they thought they were going to have to spill the blood.
[5:39] You know, I think they probably figured it out.
[5:40] They left them and they're going to have to run it back.
[5:41] I think they're going to have to run it back.
[5:43] That's exactly right.
[5:43] So they're going to have to do that.
[5:44] Why don't you get into it?
[5:44] Well, Sexty has always been sort of a maverick.
[5:45] He'll shoot up his mic like that.
[5:46] You know, he did on the war and things.
[5:47] Before, after, and then the fifth, and then the seventh, and then the sixth.
[6:02] Sure, and then he said he's planning to change his mind.
[6:03] He's double-crossed it on Carry's way, remember?
[6:04] He said he just wrote her a letter, and then we wrote a photo, and then went the other way.
[6:06] That is incredible, brother.
[6:07] But, uh, I told Scott, I mean, he's got one of the phones that I threw out.
[6:08] He said it makes him sound like he's in a plan, but who the hell is going to call him?
[6:10] Well, I just pushed it and did it.
[6:11] That's right.
[6:35] Well, they like to be stroked.
[6:36] Scott has to be called.
[6:36] Timmons will call Scott.
[6:37] But I told Bill to call Kissinger Group to be sure that they were not calling the same people.
[6:39] In other words, Timmons, for example, says that Kissinger should not call Timmons.
[6:45] That's why they're here.
[6:59] That's right.
[6:59] That's why they're here.
[7:00] But the kind of people that need to be called, they've got to go right away.
[7:02] Yeah, that's really it.
[7:19] The flight's just incidentally right.
[7:20] So you've got to make the option.
[7:20] You've got to do it.
[7:21] All this flight's just going around.
[7:21] That's not the flight.
[7:22] That's the flight.
[7:23] It was only a phase that became unserious.
[7:52] All of that is going to be worth about $1,000.
[8:09] This is provided they don't
[8:10] No, it's not it.
[8:34] No, hell no.
[8:34] It's not a credible line.
[8:34] I mean, that lead of UPI and the cargo at night, night, night, night, night, night, night, night, night, night, night, night, night, night.
[8:38] The thing is though, we just want to make sure we don't get any intruders, because we're going to hit them on the ground here.
[8:51] But they're going to come in if you like, give me that first view, and just say to them, how is that going to be?
[8:53] I don't know, but I'll just ask them to react to what they're going to be doing, but that's depending on you and what you've got to do in the reaction.
[8:56] I just give it to them, we'll be all right, we'll be back in a bit.