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Conversation 276-009

TapeTape 276StartFriday, September 10, 1971 at 4:17 PMEndFriday, September 10, 1971 at 4:30 PMTape start time00:48:44Tape end time00:54:03ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.Recording deviceOld Executive Office Building
AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to coordinate administrative and diplomatic priorities, specifically agreeing to exempt Latin American nations from a proposed ten-percent foreign aid cut. They also discussed strategies for an upcoming meeting with Japanese official Takeo Fukuda and deliberated on the political complexities of South Vietnamese elections involving President Nguyen Van Thieu. The discussion further touched upon the administration's stance regarding the People's Republic of China and ongoing Vietnam peace negotiations.

Foreign AidLatin AmericaJapanVietnamNguyen Van ThieuDiplomacyInternational Relations
AudioNARA Description

On September 10, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:17 pm and 4:30 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 276-009 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 276-9

Date: September 10, 1971
Time: Unknown between 4:17 pm and 4:30 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Foreign aid
          -Latin America
                -Conference in Panama
          -Ten percent cut in foreign aid
                -Handling
                -Exemption of Latin America
          -Kissinger's conversation with John B. Connally
          -Surcharge

     Japanese
          -Takeo Fukudo
               -Meeting with the President

**********************************************************************

[Previous National Security (B) withdrawal reviewed under MDR guidelines case number
LPRN-T-MDR-2014-016. Segment declassified on 01/12/2018. Archivist: DR]
[National Security]
[276-009-w001]
[Duration: 22s]

     Japanese
          -Takeo Fukudo
               -Meeting with the President
                    -Referendum vote
                          -Need for President to be discreet
               -William P. Rogers
                    -[First name unknown] Golden’s [?] speech
                          -Classified

**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************

[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 04/03/2019.]
[Unintelligible]
[276-009-w002]
[Duration: 40s]                                                     Conv. No. 276-18/278-33 (cont.)

     Forthcoming United Nations [UN] vote on Taiwan
          -People’s Republic of China [PRC]
               -Perception of US stance
                     -Retaliation
               -Retention of Taiwan seat

**********************************************************************

     Vietnam
          -Henry M. ("Scoop") Jackson
               -Liberals
               -Kissinger's conversation with Clark MacGregor
                     -Congress
               -Nguyen Van Thieu
          -Negotiations
               -MacGregor
          -Soviets
          -Thieu
               -President’s forthcoming trip to PRC

**********************************************************************

[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 04/03/2019.]
[Unintelligible]
[276-009-w003]
[Duration: 8s]

     Vietnam
          -Nguyen Van Thieu
              -Canada
              -Secretary [first name unknown] Rose [?]

**********************************************************************

     Vietnam
          -Troop withdrawal
               -Television
          -Negotiations
               -Effect of elections in South Vietnam
     Kissinger's schedule
          -Geneva
          -Soviets
                -Meeting
                      -Moscow
                                                                  Conv. No. 276-18/278-33 (cont.)
     Vietnam
          -Communists
          -Forthcoming elections in South Vietnam
                -US position
                     -Thieu
                     -Free election
                     -Thieu
          -Le Duc Tho
                -Negotiations
                     -US strategy
          -Le Duc Tho

Kissinger left at 4:30 pm.
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.

Two things.
One, one statement.
There is a conference in Panama this weekend, starting this weekend, of Latin Americans, and we thought it might be a good idea if we exempted Latin America from the 10% cut in foreign aid.
I agree with that.
I agree with that.
The one thing you might keep in mind is he wants to have five minutes with you alone.
He wants to hear from you.
Yes, but be careful not to say it too extremely because he's going to think you're crazy.
The other thing he will want you to say, but that you don't have to do privately.
that I would not say is that you go to school with them before you go to school.
I mean, the Robert really was decent and sent him a copy of his own speech, which was classified.
And the next morning, it was supposed to be somewhat hectic period for the Chinese to take a hospital stand for the Chinese.
So they should take a hospital stand because we're
in effect doing it two times.
We can't say that you're mad again when you compare us to...
If you could tell Fukuda that we are serious this time, that we're keeping time on that, maybe well, it picked up this year.
I can't believe it.
Yeah.
How old are you?
So, Jackson, I think he's trying to make himself more popular.
Talk to McGregor, see what the mood was in Congress.
Hunter, do you think so?
If Jackson, one of their strongest supporters,
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
And the question was, would it take place?
You know, anyone who knows, knows the direction for that.
In Canada, in East Coast, in the Pacific Ocean, in the Pacific Ocean, television says it's done.
Why not?
That's a hell of a lot better than to say they're getting out by August 3rd, bugging out, I know, and then counting on them not attacking them.
But maybe it doesn't make any difference, because on the other hand, it gives us greater flexibility.
I think now, myself, that I have to be flexible.
I believe, I'm on the way to see what they say, but it's totally stalemate.
I still think that this ploy of altering the elements is a secret meeting that we can no longer plan.
run by him is a pre-election.
To say that we are holding out so that the Communists participate in an election run by him, that no one would say yes.
We cannot run.
We can no longer say that an election run by Chu is a pre-election, that's true.
What we used to make is that we are fighting for a pre-population, while the people of Chu cannot be any longer achieved under him.
And what we cannot let them do is to eliminate Chu, so what we've been doing for so long is
Yeah, I'll be gone in a minute.
Let's see if I can get that one right.
Let's see if I can get that one right.
and I wouldn't say it.
But I doubt if you could handle it.
I don't think I should make it.
If Lee Ducktoe isn't dead, isn't good, well, I'm making a new offer.
Oh, I would make this.
I wouldn't.
In fact, I'd be damn sure of this one.
If the other fellow's dead, I'll just break it open and then...
I'd be made enough of a record.
I'd make it very sure of it.
I'm sorry if you've got anything new to offer.
What have you got?
We don't have any more.
You can say one of the two things, but we can either make the thing that you've told us.
That's it.
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