Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 213-006
Date: Saturday, September 23, 1972 at 4:50 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: Camp David Hard Wire
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/213-006

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Hello.
[0:02] Hi, Henry.
[0:03] Hi, how are you?
[0:05] Fine.
[0:08] Quite a show, yeah.
[0:10] Boy, they just poured out about a thousand.
[0:13] These and this, of course, was important because these, this was in the Mexican part that's 85% Democratic and poor and the rest.
[0:22] So, shake them up a little.
[0:27] I have a problem.
[0:29] Yeah.
[0:31] Right, right.
[0:52] Right.
[0:52] Right ahead.
[0:56] I've been watching that number seem to be goddamn small.
[1:01] Who orders that?
[1:05] Absolutely.
[1:06] Put it with my signature.
[1:07] 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.
[1:21] Also, that'll shake them up.
[1:22] I want a report.
[1:25] God damn them.
[1:26] They just burned my tail.
[1:32] Almost, yes.
[1:51] Yeah.
[1:51] That's right, too.
[1:53] What do you suggest?
[1:58] Right?
[2:01] Also, when they get back to the States, by God, they are going to go in now.
[2:07] Good.
[2:15] Well, I think you're right.
[2:17] I wouldn't create a confrontation with them.
[2:24] Well, we're going to get them one day.
[2:28] The day after this election, they are going to be dead.
[2:45] You're going off at what time, Henry?
[3:01] But nobody knows it yet.
[3:02] You're going to announce it.
[3:06] And when will it be announced then?
[3:08] Tuesday?
[3:11] Right.
[3:13] Yeah.
[3:14] In the meantime, as you know, I'm going to have to see some Jewish leaders in New York.
[3:22] I thought probably a better date.
[3:28] Oh, yes, I know.
[3:29] Well, I thought maybe, what do you think about having Haig tell them?
[3:38] And have me finesse the questions to Haig so that they don't get it from me.
[3:45] You couldn't.
[3:46] When I found you couldn't go, I said, well, maybe I better... See, I just don't want to be caught saying anything.
[3:55] Yeah.
[3:55] But that isn't what they're interested in.
[3:57] They want it.
[4:04] Yeah.
[4:04] Right.
[4:14] Just say that it's
[4:16] They're working on the problem, and you've got to trust me.
[4:20] I just think that's what I'll say.
[4:23] I worked on the problem, and I usually succeeded.
[4:26] You can just trust me.
[4:27] I'm not going to make any public statements.
[4:28] I'm not going to grant a standard.
[4:30] Maybe something like that.
[4:33] Because believe me, I'm not.
[4:36] And it's that way.
[4:36] 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.
[4:44] You see what I mean?
[4:46] Darby knows this, too.
[4:50] Fisher and that bunch, I know.
[4:56] Oh, sure, sure.
[4:57] It's like Adlai Stevenson and McGovern, you see what he said.
[5:07] Damn, I mean, sometimes that record's got to get out of me.
[5:10] If I were doing this sort of thing, good God, Henry.
[5:14] Oh, well, well, forget it.
[5:19] Arnold Hammer and the Soviet Union?
[5:33] Oh.
[5:36] And we're going to use them, too.
[5:37] That's the other thing.
[5:40] I'll say it then, too.
[5:42] All right.
[5:43] All right.
[5:46] Anyway, I'm so glad you found that bombing thing, Henry.
[5:55] Because I marked on a couple of things.
[5:59] I said that 246 one day.
[6:01] I said, good God, the weather can't be that bad.
[6:10] That way here, I want you to follow through and get that ambassador from Burundi the hell and get his ass back here.
[6:17] Get it back.
[6:18] Get a report on what happened.
[6:21] I want to know what the hell happened.
[6:23] I mean, what is the matter with the State Department, Henry?
[6:27] They killed 100,000 people.
[6:29] Are we callous about it?
[6:32] Don't we care?
[6:32] Well, I just want the report.
[6:38] I just want to get a report on it.
[6:40] You know, the trouble is the state just wants to play these goddamn African leaders off.
[6:45] Like they...
[6:48] would mean more nations.
[6:54] Damn, just think, 42 countries in Africa.
[6:57] 42 countries.
[6:58] That's ridiculous.
[7:01] Because my feeling about the Burundi thing is that I just get back on a sick leave or something.
[7:07] Let's find out what the hell went on.
[7:10] Or I want to report it.
[7:12] That's all.
[7:13] I'm not satisfied with the report that I've had.
[7:17] Okay, Henry.
[7:18] Thank you.