On September 23, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 4:50 pm to 5:10 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 213-006 of the White House Tapes.
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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.
Hello.
Hi, Henry.
Hi, how are you?
Fine.
Quite a show, yeah.
Boy, they just poured out about a thousand.
These and this, of course, was important because these, this was in the Mexican part that's 85% Democratic and poor and the rest.
So, shake them up a little.
I have a problem.
Yeah.
Right, right.
Right.
Right ahead.
I've been watching that number seem to be goddamn small.
Who orders that?
Absolutely.
Put it with my signature.
You don't even just say that I have raised the question with you for the past few weeks, and I want a full report accounting for that, because this is exactly the wrong thing to have happen at this time.
Also, that'll shake them up.
I want a report.
God damn them.
They just burned my tail.
Almost, yes.
Yeah.
That's right, too.
What do you suggest?
Right?
Also, when they get back to the States, by God, they are going to go in now.
Good.
Well, I think you're right.
I wouldn't create a confrontation with them.
Well, we're going to get them one day.
The day after this election, they are going to be dead.
You're going off at what time, Henry?
But nobody knows it yet.
You're going to announce it.
And when will it be announced then?
Tuesday?
Right.
Yeah.
In the meantime, as you know, I'm going to have to see some Jewish leaders in New York.
I thought probably a better date.
Oh, yes, I know.
Well, I thought maybe, what do you think about having Haig tell them?
And have me finesse the questions to Haig so that they don't get it from me.
You couldn't.
When I found you couldn't go, I said, well, maybe I better... See, I just don't want to be caught saying anything.
Yeah.
But that isn't what they're interested in.
They want it.
Yeah.
Right.
Just say that it's
They're working on the problem, and you've got to trust me.
I just think that's what I'll say.
I worked on the problem, and I usually succeeded.
You can just trust me.
I'm not going to make any public statements.
I'm not going to grant a standard.
Maybe something like that.
Because believe me, I'm not.
And it's that way.
They're going to make a hell of a mistake if they go the other way, because if we win without their support, they're going to look awful bad.
You see what I mean?
Darby knows this, too.
Fisher and that bunch, I know.
Oh, sure, sure.
It's like Adlai Stevenson and McGovern, you see what he said.
Damn, I mean, sometimes that record's got to get out of me.
If I were doing this sort of thing, good God, Henry.
Oh, well, well, forget it.
Arnold Hammer and the Soviet Union?
Oh.
And we're going to use them, too.
That's the other thing.
I'll say it then, too.
All right.
All right.
Anyway, I'm so glad you found that bombing thing, Henry.
Because I marked on a couple of things.
I said that 246 one day.
I said, good God, the weather can't be that bad.
That way here, I want you to follow through and get that ambassador from Burundi the hell and get his ass back here.
Get it back.
Get a report on what happened.
I want to know what the hell happened.
I mean, what is the matter with the State Department, Henry?
They killed 100,000 people.
Are we callous about it?
Don't we care?
Well, I just want the report.
I just want to get a report on it.
You know, the trouble is the state just wants to play these goddamn African leaders off.
Like they...
would mean more nations.
Damn, just think, 42 countries in Africa.
42 countries.
That's ridiculous.
Because my feeling about the Burundi thing is that I just get back on a sick leave or something.
Let's find out what the hell went on.
Or I want to report it.
That's all.
I'm not satisfied with the report that I've had.
Okay, Henry.
Thank you.