Conversation 238-027

TapeTape 238StartSunday, December 31, 1972 at 11:47 AMEndSunday, December 31, 1972 at 12:00 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Recording deviceCamp David Hard Wire

On December 31, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:47 am and 12:00 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 238-027 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 238-27

Date: December 31, 1972
Time: Unknown between 11:47 am and 12:00 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President dictated a memorandum for the file.

*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

       Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon schedule
            -The President’s schedule
                  -Stress
                                     -16-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                 (rev. Aug.-08)

                                                      Conversation No. 238-27 (cont’d)

     -Tricia Nixon Cox
     -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
     -Rose Bowl Parade

Vietnam negotiations
     -Telephone call to Charles W. Colson
           -Public reaction to bombing halt
                  -The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
                  -“Valleys and peaks”
                  -1972 Moscow Summit
     -John B. Connally
     -William F. (“Billy”) Graham
     -Bombing of North Vietnam
           -Public reaction
                  -Compared to May 8, 1972 decision
           -Necessity
                  -Hopes for peace
           -Telephone call to Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
                  -The President’s sleep habits
                         -Effects
                  -US service members
                         -Courage
                         -Compared to the President
     -Press relations
           -Newspaper coverage
                  -Bombing halt
           -Colson
                  -Political benefits
                  -Press reaction
     -Bombing halt
           -Effect
     -Public relations
           -White House efforts
           -Attacks on the administration
     -Congressional relations
           -Consultations
           -Armed Services Committee
           -Appropriations
           -Michael S. Mansfield
     -James B. (“Scotty”) Reston article
                                           -17-

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     (rev. Aug.-08)

                                                              Conversation No. 238-27 (cont’d)

                -Negative content
                -Henry A. Kissinger
                       -Portrayal compared to the President
                -Response
                       -Colson
                             -Kissinger
          -Press relations
                -Second term reorganization
                       -Herbert G. Klein
                             -Possible retention
                             -Counselor
                             -Travel
                             -Television [TV]
                             -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************

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.

This is the last day of 1972, 12-11-45, Camp David.
I remember I had a file not to be transcribed.
Pat got away last night in good shape, I think, because I've always recorded.
And I think that she revealed that
I have been under considerable stress.
I can sense that she had some stuff before, but I've been going through.
I know, too, that it must have been affecting her because she had been really quite a little pot all along.
I know these emotional events that get to her as they get to the girls, and I'm glad for that reason as well as for many others.
One more.
At the end of the year, on the Sunday before she goes to the Rose Parade Parade, to talk to Colson, because today, I made the point that we would not have a positive reaction from people on this bombing call.
to the extent that we had it, maybe, because, as I put it again, in nature and in all forms of life, political and otherwise, the peaks count are only as high as the valleys are deep.
It is our belief, and it may be mistaken, that divine has not yet reached the point of its mind
because of the consternation of the tremendous opposition that was made as a cause.
Contramodally, while the valley in First Blush was very deep, the peak afterwards, coming out of the Moscow Sun, was a very high one.
In this instance, because of the fact that
to get out and get out in the public mind to a very great extent, especially in the middle of the week.
We, on Valentine's, had a lot of consternation among some of our friends as we talked to the common, to the grand, to the king.
But the sense of relief
which is basically all it is, will not create a peak of public support, such as we had after May 8th.
There are no negotiations, but of course, the hopes are peaks.
This will help.
Getting across the point, we would never have negotiations.
on a serious basis unless we get bombed.
It's something that they can only hope the public will understand because we've actually come up with this one.
I've also talked to more in basements and all kinds of things every morning.
It's funny when I have my two hours and some of them seem to be now
Rather standard pattern.
I was about to get a little bit somewhat angry.
Incidentally, in that respect, I tried to get last night's train up to 11 o'clock.
11.30.
Then going to bed late, hoping to sleep until around 6.30 or so.
It was the same pattern.
I still woke up at 2.30 between the morning.
Perhaps I may have to develop a new scheme whereby I have to accept the fact that regardless of when I go to bed,
I wake up after 4 or 5 hours.
It takes me about an hour and a half to 2 hours to get back to sleep again.
People would have an hour and a half to 2 hours in the most destructive way.
The only problem is when I have to be in bed or make notes in bed, I think that I shouldn't be in bed nights.
I don't think I covered my friend yesterday when I called him over.
He said that he was very proud of the men.
They're doing their vines.
They were true professionals.
They admired the President's courage.
I told him that my courage
was done in the area they were sent to while they were risking their lives.
What I'm raising questions is to your wisdom and policy, which had to be made some kind of leverage, which caused the detention.
Morning papers were predictable with regard to the handling of the announcement.
Most of the book times were just the bombing calls.
Most of them tried to indicate that it was not really clear as to whether or not the return of the negotiations was a result of bombing.
Or whether, on the other hand, the bombing calls
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Your talks broke down.
This is the reason we had to go back to our May 8th policy.
This is the reason that we, uh, the reason that we called a halt on the bombing of the plane.
Because the enemy agreed to come back to serious negotiations, counting to a letter, which was written on the radio diagram.
One of the exercises wasn't as serious as the other.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, but I can't do that to you.
working in the wild is a lot harder than it is on the farm.
I suppose he was not consulted.
Of course, I remember that the access is important, but he was not consulted.
Of course, there's no way to find them all, and no reason to.
Unless the situation would be different.
Um, and they haven't taken so long as to require additional appropriation, so.
The divine class zero reserve might march what they've done by the breakings at all.
You were still, uh, complaining about the fact that, uh, we should go on and explain why we had bombed.
This is the explanation, and it was made clear that the only major solar node was, um, the resting piece.
It was on the paper.
It indicated that, uh, an area that was civilized and urban and
a lot of negotiations to go forward, that the President could lean back and insist on a fine, and that Henry was trying to get the President to agree to continue the talks so that he kept a better feeling about having the operation.
Uh, I hope that Henry, directly or indirectly, got his line on himself.
Uh, and Colson has been called on.
Uh, I think he has to be shifted to a side team, because what he must realize is that he's going to end up in a better position than I should leave him.
It's Barbie's decision.
And he goes back to the table on 8th of January.
Of course, Henry wants to be well-followed.
It's the e-bubble that's playing this line.
The split is one that's being a hard to spread.
The gutter's faster.
I can only get away with this instance on this one.
Now we're closer to my sound down.
It's taking a lot longer than I should have.
The administration is nice for it.
He's correct.
And they're going to take security down.
out of this terrible, difficult period after the election.
We've gone off to get some of our loyalists in key positions.
They did not allow us, or they denied us, the right to savor our victory there.
But on the other hand, that's become the cause of this war here.
Thank you.