Nixon, Haldeman & Kissinger on Economic Policy and Foreign Policy

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We have to perhaps rethink this idea of what we call our

I think the .

.

In our own minds, we will still do it.

And we will say to the press, yes, that's the thing.

We should say that it's internal work.

It's purely internal.

There will be no public appearances, whatever.

There will be no public appearances, but the president is here for the purpose of pleading.

He has to do it.

Do you know what I mean?

Just say that's going to be a period of work.

We'll call you up if you do and have a briefing.

There's nothing wrong with you not getting briefings.

Would you agree?

Yeah.

Or would you not?

He may have to when something, you know, when something happens where we've got to say something.

I agree.

But I don't see the need for Ron to go out every day and hate to lose you or your wife on the spot.

I think that's a very good thing to do.

He will not have briefings.

I think that's right.

He will not have briefings because it opens things up.

And then every time Jack has made some statement or something, Ross just comes in and says, we have to answer.

If you talk to the president, he has to call me.

He's got to get our name.

Just say, nope.

I'm happy to read.

No picture opportunities.

Oh, sir.

Just because Henry's there, for the cost of any way, we could also get more than that.

That's my preparation for the China trip.

Yeah.

For this budget.

Yeah.

Yeah, he's doing some preliminary.

He's doing a period of study on a primary reading study for Chinese government.

Just regular, just a period of study.

Not a bad thing, anyway.

It's just that what he's done is turned off the public schedule for a few days in order to sit down and really concentrate on some of these decisions that have to be made, the basic plans for next year's program.

That's it.

You see what I mean?

You announce the president's going on, and two weeks they came.

Well, it isn't back now.

It's been about 10 days.

But that's fine, too.

I get sick.

Why would I?

to see how it's going to work.

I get off, I play golf, I play golf on the ocean.

It's there.

And they describe it as working, vacation, whatever.

They describe it any way they want.

It's pretty hard for them to say it's not working.

Yeah, it is.

We have to cut into it somewhere for a session with you.

That's what's important.

Oh, shoot.

And, you know, I didn't want to drink because I preferred, I guess frankly preferred on this occasion, actually.

I preferred not to have to run into the dance floor.

But then I had to get dressed up and I had to go over there.

And everybody's there taking your picture as you're coming in.

And it's just a little better not to do that.

In other words, and that means somebody, well, basically Bob Devin and things like the staff bring their relatives down and so forth and so on.

Wonderful, let them bring them, but let's not see me this time.

or some newsman who's got his uncle out there, or some nice kid who's brought in some pain to my grandmother.

You know, we just skip all that stuff.

I think we should skip it all.

Right.

What do you think?

I agree.

We would have had a hell of a lot of public exposure.

Exactly.

You get all hung up on that, and that's where you get trapped by the schedule.

You have to do a few of the... Also, as I tell you, it's no problem.

I mean, people say, well, what's an hour a day?

An hour a day doesn't choose the day.

Once you're in there, you get dressed.

You get dressed.

You get to go over and then actually, you know, you've got to do it.

Well, you can certainly see over here, just as you're averaging the rest of it.

I don't trust you.

What?

.

I just think it's probably not great in the cards to do the domestic package now.

I just think it's just the wrong time.

I don't think we do it right in terms of getting it prepared correctly and putting it up.

I think it needs a lot more paperwork, a lot more study, and of course it's impossible to do it in terms of background data and so forth.

We're just not ready for it, that's all there is to it.

If we decided to, one way we could do it, if we really got Cassie next week, cut the email, would be to let a few people in.

Take them all, the people that you let in.

And not maybe half a dozen people.

But once you can't leave it, or it's locked up and you can't talk to anybody,

and just sit there and just grind the thing through through the weekend and do it on Monday.

I think you have to take it to the weekend, I don't think.

I don't think there's any way to do the domestic stuff and all the shopping and all the other things.

You can't do it tomorrow.

But Kyle was talking about maybe doing the international now and at Monday doing the domestic.

I think it would be possible to do that if it were really essential.

Personally, it seems to me it's undesirable to do it.

I think, I don't know if it's possible, but it's possible.

It would be much better to come and settle it.

Yeah, but the diameter actually, I think it bled the panicky as hell.

It just kind of does.

We're doing on the 7th, it doesn't look panicky.

It looks like a pre-conceived plan to confront the attorney conference with a new program.

Friday the 13th.

Yeah.

Also, coming back to 7th.

You've got a hell of a logistically, it's just because you've got the staffing.

They've got all the time when you're gone, and there's not very much going on, and they get that all worked out, and you guys have to get working.

Then you're back on the third.

Now, with regard to performing Congress,

If I am, you might just call them in on Sunday.

Send a word out on the 6th or so that they'll be back.

Most of them will be back on the 7th.

So Tuesday, May the 8th.

Send a word out.

In fact, without saying you're going to do anything, we can send a word out that you want to leave before the conference.

So just send, try to ship me on Tuesday.

We'll ship you when we get back.

I'm sorry.

Yeah.

And that gives you, after the bell for visitors, you've got Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to get organized, to get ready, which is on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday.

So how is God going to punish you?

God is going to punish you.

But first I said, you know, as a joke, as a video, I said, I said, I said, I said,

So he said, explain to me what you're doing.

It's exciting.

Can't you fix it?

— 7 min 30 s with no transcribed speech —

We've got a lot on the plate.

Second, what about the international military situation?

Two things that happened today that's present, just in case somebody comes through.

You know, we issued a directive a few weeks ago to get as much stuff as we could on this possible case today.

Yeah.

Today.

The reason is to build up this document.

Right.

Lay it in two different ways.

pull out the planes that are supporting Laos from Thailand.

Now, I've countermanded there, because everyone agrees that if the A1s get pulled out of Thailand, Laos will collapse, and we can't have that now.

But in case you feel tomorrow, the second is,

We had told Smith three weeks ago that if the Russians came to him for this accident, he should not accept an appeal to other countries to join him because the Chinese don't consider that an accident.

Well, the Russians came to him.

When they accepted it, they said, wouldn't it be nice if we added that?

And Smith said, I have to do it, but it's unfortunate.

Now, the children have said that, but that doesn't hold up.

But I would like to tell Bobby that this must, that he has to cancel it tomorrow before this thing goes.

Right.

And say any country that wants to can join it, but we are not going to make a joint deal.

No, sir.

Because that will really break it, really.

It's telling me never, never, never, never.

And we can.

And also what I have in mind is that we offer it to the Chinese.

But I'm sure that you might come across that with Peking.

Out of Peking.

But I could then tell the Chinese we have turned it down as we've joined this year.

That will get us a lot of points for the Chinese.

and we get nothing, we have to be very careful with the Russians.

Don't, now when they put us into a position where they can go to the Chinese and say, see, if anyone deals with the Americans, we can ask for a waiver.

So, this was our position already three weeks ago.

We have nothing to lose.

But, again, this may be a deal for you.

I doubt it, but I just want you to be

No, hell, they peel this down with them.

I mean, it's so stupid to think of it.

I would think they'd ignore it.

I guess, face it, of course, we don't want to join with the Russians trying to screw the Chinese.

And then, you know, they'll embarrass the Chinese.

And actually, you can't just say the Chinese, so that means don't do it at all.

Exactly.

I understand.

Sure.

All right, well, get back here.

Nixon, Haldeman & Kissinger on Economic Policy and Foreign Policy

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Transcript (AI-generated)

Also recorded on August 12, 1971

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Nixon, Haldeman & Kissinger on Economic Policy and Foreign Policy

AI Summary

Audio

NARA Description

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Transcript (AI-generated)

Also recorded on August 12, 1971

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Cite this conversation