Conversation 016-050

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Hello.

Hello, Mr. President.

Yes, hello.

How are you?

Oh, I wanted to call to tell you how deeply touched I am, how grateful I am to you for the, not consideration, but far more beyond the line of duty than Mrs. Nixon attending the funeral services.

Well, I tell you, she was just delighted to be able to go

And I regret I couldn't come.

I had a sort of a little problem that day, you know, with India and Pakistan and all that.

But she was just, she wanted to be there to show what the country felt about Mrs. McCormick.

Oh, well, of course, this couldn't be...

Anything more personal than her being there, other than yourself, see?

Well, I think that's what we wanted to convey.

Oh, and touching.

I want you to know how deeply we appreciate it, how much it was appreciated by everyone, was the comments.

Of course, the press gave a tremendous play.

It was so touching.

Harrod could speak from the great beyond.

she'd simply, I know she'd say to me, say thanks to the president for me.

Well, we know that, and as I said to you when we called the other day, that the example that you have set and that she set during her life was a fine one for the country, and we just wanted to represent the country as well as ourselves personally.

Will you convey to...

I sure will.

And she will... Also, tell her that I'm taking... that if Harriet could speak and greet me on, I'm saying thanks also for her.

I certainly will, John.

I'll do that.

And it was awfully thoughtful of you to call.

I'll tell her.

Oh, thoughtful.

Fine.

And you just stand up now.

You know, we want to...

keep you in the battle trenches.

The situation is pretty tense, isn't it?

Well, actually, on the India-Pakistan one, there really isn't anything we can do to stop it.

India is determined to

to rabble it up, and Pakistan has not handled itself too well.

And, of course, we don't want to get involved.

I mean, we have one more already.

Because in back of them are the two big... Russia and China.

Right.

That's really their area of influence.

I said to a friend of mine yesterday,

I said, I don't know a thing about it, but I'll let the president take serve notice that we'll help the suffering human beings all we can.

That's right.

We'll extend our good offices to the extent we can.

Right.

But I said, I bet he's probably said to both Soviet Union and Russia,

little more difficulty with communication.

I mean, the Soviet Union, Red China, he said to them both, this is your baby.

Right.

Well, that's exactly what I said.

The way we would, I put it, you could sort of say we'll give millions for humanitarian things, but we're not going to give us

given any aid for the war.

We're not even India.

But China and the Soviet Union could stop it if they want to.

Absolutely.

Particularly Russia could.

See, China has influence on Pakistan.

Pakistan would stop it because they're going to lose.

Sure.

But at the present time, the Indians see a chance to finish off their old enemy.

And the Russians are kind of gleeful because they know that Pakistan has been leaning to China.

And it's a dirty game.

It's truly a dirty game.

Well, they may not in the long run know, but right now they can't do anything for a reason that the Indians...

This thing came ahead at a time, weather-wise, when those great mountain passes coming down over the Himalaya Mountains are all covered with snow.

So the Chinese couldn't move on to India if they wanted to.

That's part of the problem.

But I would say this.

If I were an Indian looking to the future, I would be worried about my northern neighbor because the Chinese will not forget.

They will not forget, and I think they can rack up India any time they want to.

Oh, yes.

Yeah.

Well, we just hope it doesn't happen, but we're doing our best to cool it, and the United Nations vote was good.

At least it asked both sides to withdraw and put some of the blame on India where it belongs for not withdrawing.

Any time you feel John McCormick can help, and I don't want to use the word help, so we can use it.

And you know, just a thought, you know the Somoza?

Yes, yes.

He and I are good friends.

Yes, yes.

I got to know him through Jim Fitzgerald.

You knew Jim years ago, he died.

Yeah, yeah.

I sent his son to West Point.

Yes, yes.

And his son and Somoza were roommates.

Uh-huh, uh-huh.

Now, sometimes there might be as close personal message

And nobody could be closer to one another than two fellows who lived together as roommates in the academy.

Of course, of course.

And he's the president of Nicaragua.

And I was thinking about it last night, and I said, well, sometimes, not any official position or anything, but sometimes I said the president might want to send a special message through somebody who is a crew exceedingly close.

I'm going to tell it to the president sometime that I met Somoza through Fitzgerald, but Fitzgerald, whom I appointed to nominate at the West Point, was the room, he and Somoza, when he was there, were roommates.

I see, yes, yes, yes.

Well, I tell you, I sure will have it in mind, because...

That place down there, you know, that's always a little bit of a hot box, too.

I mean, that's Central America.

They're more pro-American than most Americans.

Yes.

Bet your life.

You bet your life.

He sure is.

I saw him going through the line, extending his sympathy.

Immediately, I said to myself, sometime I'll tell the president about this.

Not for any appointment.

I understand.

Sometimes it might be just some one-shot special affair.

Mission or something.

Let me say I appreciate it very much, and certainly we'll have it in mind.

I'm sure something's going to come up.

Something that is, I hope it does.

My deep thanks for Harriet, who can speak to you, her deep thanks.

Well, we know we have it both, and we appreciate it, and we'll just look forward to seeing you one of these days, John, down here.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Bye.