Conversation 238-024

TapeTape 238StartSaturday, December 30, 1972 at 7:39 PMEndSunday, December 31, 1972 at 12:00 AMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Recording deviceCamp David Hard Wire

President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 7:39 pm on December 30, 1972 and 12:00 am on December 31, 1972. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 238-024 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 238-24

Date: December 30, 1972
Time: Unknown between 7:39 pm and 12:00 am
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President dictated a memorandum for the file.

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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

       The President’s schedule
            -Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
                  -University of Tennessee
                  -Louisiana State University
                  -Halftime

       Bombing of North Vietnam press conference
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      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                          (rev. Aug.-08)

                                                 Conversation No. 238-24 (cont’d)

-Gerald L. Warren
      -Demeanor
-Henry A. Kissinger
      -Demeanor
      -Complaint
             -Follow-up questions
                   -Warren
                   -The President
                   -Colonel Richard T. Kennedy
-Congress
-Charles W. Colson
      -Call to Kissinger
             -Ronald L. Ziegler
-Kissinger
      -Attitude regarding briefings
      -Defensiveness
      -Lack of trust
-Press relations
      -Warren
      -Colson and John A. Scali
             -Networks, wire services
      -William E. Timmons
      -Thomas C. Korologos
-Kissinger
      -Ego
      -Relationship with staff
      -The President’s call
             -Marvin L. Kalb report
             -Call by Colson
                   -Kissinger’s reaction
      -Attraction for Jews
      -Arthur F. Burns
      -Washington Post
      -Herbert Stein
             -Qualities
      -Vulnerabilities
      -“Hawks”
      -Press relations
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                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                (rev. Aug.-08)

                                                                           Conversation No. 238-24 (cont’d)

        Call from Tricia Nixon Cox

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                -Moscow
                     -Reception
                          -Ambassador

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        The President’s telephone call
             -Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
             -Message to US servicemen members
                   -Appreciation
                   -Peace in Vietnam

        New York Times column
             -James B. (“Scotty”) Reston

        Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
             -Kennedy
                   -Conversation with Kissinger
             -Demeanor
             -Congress
             -Trip to Vietnam
                   -Abilities
             -Character
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                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                         (rev. Aug.-08)

                                                            Conversation No. 238-24 (cont’d)

      The President’s telephone call
           -[David] Kenneth Rush
           -Golf course
           -U. Alexis Johnson
           -Timing

      Use of time
           -Golf
           -Compared to work

      Press relations
            -Kissinger
                   -Schedule
                   -Location
                         -California
                         -Calls from the President
                   -Press conference
                         -Bombing of North Vietnam
                         -Kissinger’s performance
                         -Robert Pierpoint
                         -Wire service coverage
            -Howard K. Smith
                   -Conversation with Colson or Kissinger
                   -Reaction of the press
                         -Wire services
            -Positive reaction to bombing announcement
                   -Compared to negative reaction
                   -Agreement with South Vietnam
            -Kissinger
                   -Press conference
                         -Performance
                         -Ziegler’s role

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                        (rev. Aug.-08)

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.

That between has, uh, the Tennessee Astro, uh, Astro Blue, Blue Island Volcano.
We're off today, uh, with Warren, uh, handling himself very well.
Henry, as, uh, was almost predictable, was, uh, planning to, uh,
But about one aspect of war and freedom, which I told you just today, and Kennedy agreed, he should follow, and that is to point out that Henry did what he agreed to do.
And the member indicated that if they were to go back to the conference table, and everyone argued that they were serious, that a later point, though,
and call Henry.
Over the past four years, Henry has taken terribly wrong time.
Having in mind Henry's almost impossible attitudes with regard to defense, Henry can always see every benefit to anybody else.
He may be worthy of the self-recognizance of figures, and if he does see them,
They just not trust anybody to do any of the things that are necessary in this instance.
The fact that we got Warren out to give him the briefing was extremely helpful.
The fact that I got Colson and Scali to go to work on the networks and some of the TV people, as well as some of the press people, the wire services, and also the fact that we gave him some background and correlates that enabled us to get our story across
In a way that we've never gotten across in this introduction.
As a matter of fact, it seems to me that this burden that has been put upon us over this Christmas period, perhaps, is there for a purpose.
We have to realize that Henry Chisholm is very impaired by his almost unbelievable
I was going to be shocked to find that when I called him, he didn't mark the call.
It was ironic, but Colson talked to me later and said to me about 5.30 or so to get me around down there.
And I looked at him and said, you know what?
without indicating that I knew.
But here he knew about the cold call, just the time that, of all the people who fled public, he called his own mother, Curtis.
And he told Henry that Henry had a long silence and said to some bitch, on the other hand, people are never hurt.
It is not much more heartbreaking than this strange,
Magnetic attraction are to each other.
They will read each other in every manner, even though they know they're dealing with habits.
My partner, Bert, has the same problem.
He's talking to some of the people at the Washington Post.
Bert Stein is perhaps less offended with him because he is honest with him.
I don't know why he's being big.
The hemorrhage is just impossible.
whether it's the Ivy League Center, to which he, of course, is totally vulnerable, or anybody in the Jewish community.
He's an absolute sucker.
On the other hand, when it comes to dealing with our friends, whether they are the hawks, the responsible hawks, or so forth, we have to be in order to help them do anything that is effective, very apparent.
I had a call from Patricia.
In this case, she said they had a very good reception with the Soviets.
She said they didn't expect to receive value from the Russians.
But with the Russians, that's true.
Oh, she wanted to give a reception, brother.
And it didn't mean she wanted to just allow this to happen.
I told her, of course, that you'd vote.
I called on her, told her to send a message to all commanders that would be buried in the human disability strikes in the stormy Vietnam to express an appreciation for the nation, for their courage and for their willing to sacrifice and the cause for which it is an honorable and just piece of their power.
Very integrity.
Direction, cover.
apparently to lose his zest for going forward with the deal with someone like the county, and ready to retreat, actually.
Although he has got attention to the right, and of course he would never do anything public to embarrass us.
Uh, apparently, Agnew, uh, I'm not sure what you'll look like, in your report I would say that from the conversation that Kami had with Isinger, and I can't be absolutely sure of this, but Agnew was whining
I was complaining that perhaps we shouldn't have affected the strike stall, but going to the other extreme, it was about that perhaps the Congress pulled right out from under us and ended up on my pretty great side, really.
I think it was never before we dispatched him to Vietnam.
It would be a disaster to have him go out there because he would really crumble under pressure.
He simply doesn't have the subtlety to handle matters of his sort.
He has a certain, almost juvenile, down-your-nose-at-the-other-guy attitude on matters of nature, and makes it quite a few to be hard-heads at all.
But on the other hand, when it comes to the real class that is needed for a man to
to lead the country.
It just doesn't happen.
I only hope that he develops some of those characteristics over the next two, three years, but certainly he is doing very well in addition to people who saw him.
He is a good man.
He is well-intentioned.
He is far more honest.
On the other hand, he doesn't really know how to make a good place.
Very, very good.
To reach a rush,
And Alex Johnson both run the golf course at the time.
At the time, I called him around 1 o'clock.
Which rather indicates the attitudes of people.
I suppose I should have called more of myself.
They'd rather go on as if nothing really were happening.
And went out and went ahead with their golf game all over.
They probably would have better spent their time making a few calls or at least being up to the NK center.
As well as the wire services.
It was interesting to note that Harvey Smith, in his talk with Peter Koltzner, had re-indicated that he had a little bit too many wires, as though he expected to have to go to a bombshell refugee camp broadcast on Thursday night.
And then it was a great surprise that his number of wires, only about three or four percent, were anti-the-end-of-the-probe for HIV.
This morning, for the first time, the reaction was like,
For a leader to understand her role, I don't think she paid that much attention to the role that she had in question.
She just pointed out that the comment was certainly there, that it would be trusted when I played with it.
The reason we ended up in the center of the body was to make it completely reneged.
And back off with a very very rare agreement with a very very very very very very very very very very good job that you did.
I'm glad we handled all this with, uh, not referring him to, uh, to Xavier Holland at all, although I understand that Xavier was called.
I want to look at both of them, Heather.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.