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Conversation 278-033

TapeTape 278StartMonday, September 13, 1971 at 8:50 PMEndMonday, September 13, 1971 at 10:15 PMTape start time00:56:42Tape end time01:12:51ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.;  Sanchez, ManoloRecording deviceOld Executive Office Building
AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to coordinate the scheduling and public messaging for upcoming high-level summits in Moscow and the People's Republic of China, emphasizing the need to maintain a firm stance on Vietnam during these negotiations. The discussion focused on managing public perception, the potential for troop withdrawals, and ensuring South Vietnamese stability without appearing to abandon the country. Additionally, the President expressed a desire to address the recent Attica Prison riots and emphasized that the administration would maintain its commitment to military protection and foreign policy objectives despite domestic and political pressures.

Foreign PolicyVietnam WarChina-US RelationsSoviet UnionAttica Prison RiotsSummitry
AudioNARA Description

On September 13, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:50 pm and 10:15 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 278-033 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 276-18/278-33

Date: September 13, 1971
Time: Unknown between 8:50 pm and 10:15 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.
[The recording begins at an unknown time while the conversation is in progress and is a
continuation of Conversation No. 276-18]

     Foreign relations
          -Forthcoming announcement
                -Scheduling of forthcoming summits
                      -Moscow trip
                -Kissinger's schedule
          -Vietnam negotiations
                -Date
                -Announcement
                      -Ceasefire offer
                -Melvin R. Laird
          -Vietnam
                -Popular opinion shifts
                -Post-World War II elections
                      -Comparison with other countries
                           -Africa
                      -Communists' action
                                              15

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                        Conv. No. 278-33 (cont.)


     Attica Prison riots
           -Casualties
                -Guards
                       -Numbers

     Vietnam
          -Prisoners of war [POWs] issue

     Foreign relations
          -Soviet Union trip
                -Announcement
                      -Kissinger's trip to the People's Republic of China [PRC]
                      -The President's trip to the PRC
                      -Timing
                            -Ronald L. Ziegler
                      -Vietnam
                            -Troop withdrawal
                      -Press conference
                      -Response by Soviets
                      -Date of trip
          -Vietnam negotiations
                -South Vietnam elections
                -North Vietnam
                -President’s view
                -Michael J. Mansfield
                -South Vietnam
                      -Status, future
                -Nguyen Van Thieu
                      -POWs
                -The President's PRC trip
                      -US military action in Vietnam
                -Unknown person
          -Japan
                -Reaction to PRC trip
                      -President’s handling
                      -State Department

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 8:50 pm.

     Refreshments
                                             16

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                Conv. No. 278-33 (cont.)


Sanchez left at an unknown time before 10:15 pm.

     Foreign relations
          -Kissinger's trips to the PRC


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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration: 2m 19s ]


     ASIAN AFFAIRS
         -JAPAN
         -CHINA


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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


     Vietnam
          -Nguyen Van Thieu
          -Withdrawal of US troops
          -Future settlement
               -Aftermath
          -PRC
          -North Vietnamese attacks
               -Possible response

     Attica Prison riots
           -Casualties
                -Guards
           -Amnesty
                                               17

                              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 10/06)
                                                                   Conv. No. 278-33 (cont.)


     Vietnam
          -Withdrawal of US troops
          -Announcement of Kissinger trip
          -Foreign policy of the US
          -Military protection

     [Unintelligible]

Kissinger left at 10:15 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.

Now is to get your announcement, the announcement of your meeting.
I would say, I would strongly urge the 23rd to get a much preferred 23rd instead of an annual.
Much preferred 23rd.
I know it's all right.
It's all right.
You understand?
They want to be able to have an answer.
They must know that I went there.
I've talked to them.
I've stopped just short of it, but they're very good.
I've spoken to them every week.
It's a good one.
What we have to do is just
If you're willing to see it through, Mr.
Senator.
And that will get us plus three million car channels.
I strongly lean to that because I don't think the negotiations end.
It will give us two pints, too, Mr. President.
It will give us two pints.
I will do it in two pints.
At the end of October or early November, I will just announce it.
We started out retiring ourselves to that line.
What they want me to do to the players in the stadium is to leave the white-out hotel and speak to the players in Vietnam that high, that high, so you've got to make that move.
You've got to make that move.
You've got to make that move.
You've got to make that move.
You've got to make that move.
You've got to make that move.
You've got to make that move.
They won't dare to do any of the same work out here today.
Since we're ordered to, how many of you, at the end of the day, have elected leaders, elected presidents, which is an acronym.
How many lines in Alabama?
How many in Colorado at the end of the day?
That's just a headline.
I mean, it's true.
It's seven critical times.
It's all...
Oh, hey.
Vietnam is in all that state at the present time.
You see what that means.
You see now, from your trip to China, you can see where you're going to be going.
The Russian trip, you can see where you're going to be going.
I said when I got back, Vietnam, your trip, you can see where you're going to be going.
Through October, we'll be in pretty good shape.
Happy October.
And they will make another announcement, whatever.
And then they'll make a money announcement, in general.
And then they'll make another announcement, in general.
And then they'll make another announcement, in general.
I'll put it over there.
It doesn't collapse on its own.
It can't collapse.
It must not collapse.
I have to do this question, and I will not do it on call.
I'll just do it in the office.
I'll just do it in the office and lay it out there cold and hard.
I'll let you have the best conversation with the senator.
But there's no point going to Moscow if we aren't going to do that.
No, I'm not possessing the aircraft.
I only have the attachment, and that's it.
But you could run, but still be civilized.
I don't think that's going to work.
I don't think anybody's going to believe anything about elections right now.
I'd like to, I'd like to get a lot of our roots on the remote course and all that.
And if you can prepare and get a lot of restaurants and so forth, I'd like to be looking at it.
And I'll be hardlining this and I'll always stick my chin out there.
There's a lot going on here in Mansfield.
I've got to bring him in, too.
Tomorrow, maybe after Easter, we've got less than 11.
And that's when we're at our best.
We're going to help that.
We're going to stick it to our mind.
Don't give them a goddamn inch.
We can't.
We're not going to run out of there.
We're not going to overkill two.
We're going to give two a chance.
It's after we make this amount.
But if any of you collapse, you collapse.
We're going to collapse.
We're going to collapse.
We're going to collapse.
We're going to collapse.
We're going to collapse.
If they offer us to put them back early about...
Spread the record, really, and thank them for everything we've done.
Here, I didn't announce it, but if you don't just go defensively, no draftees, no ground crew, nothing but...
like a Russian maid.
You may go to China, but if you go to China, you have a gunning mistake.
You will stand to be carried.
Shut up.
Today, obviously, I get instructions how to behave.
The first time I was there, he was very polite and very cool.
This time, he brought out the black coat of arms.
He sent messages, no, no, no.
We'll be between the Russians and Chinese.
What was your reaction to the Japanese?
The Chinese thing.
You noticed how I... You have the few...
I've backed off of...
I've backed off of the whole...
I... You have...
I was astonished, but I kept saying it a lot.
You've got to be sorry, but...
I must say, honestly, I thought the stage performance was unbelievably impressive.
I thought it was...
I thought it was...
I thought it was...
I thought it was...
I thought it was strips.
Must be harder.
I'm totally unthinkable that the tempo and speed of...
I don't think they're going to win.
What the hell?
According to what the leads are, we've got to throw out there at a certain time.
I'm not sure it's all lined up.
That's what I'm having.
I don't know what that is.
I don't know what's going on.
They slaughtered seven dynasties.
They slaughtered seven dynasties.
They slaughtered seven dynasties.
Did that work?
Did that work?
They didn't have to stick to anything they had done.
They agreed.
They wanted to be done with.
They showed it over and over.
How do you rely on others?
And she was in the election.
She was better than when I was in the election.
Great.
We were responsible.
I was still waiting on the president to do a meeting.
I was like, why the hell did we go out there?
We're not going to sell out.
But, uh, we're going to do it.
We're going to do it.
We're going to do it.
We're going to do it.
We're going to do it.
We're going to do it.
We're going to do it.
We're going to do it.
If they may not be with us, I think once they hang up, they have no more to announce.
I think that we need to protect them from all of that.
We need to follow our foreign policy lead and our military protection.
I think that we need to protect them from all of that.
We need to protect them from all of that.
We need to protect them from all of that.
They do have people in their party, one of their guys.
They were building slowly a military base.
What we did in about a year or two, three, let's do it.
We had to draft the opportunity.
We wouldn't have to draft the second team.
We're not going to be on this course forever.
We're going to be on our way.
We ought to go where our career drives us more.
And that's what we have to do.
I think that's what we have to do.
At least that's what we have to do.
That's what we have to do.
Well, I think Rock was saying that he was pushed.
Before that, Mr. President, you decided to do a great job.
You never pushed ahead.
If anybody was, it was me.
Well, I'd fight you for $35,000 and $50,000 and $150,000.
Oh, the $150,000 was more than any of them you distracted us.
You're not going to continue.
I read what the detective in Cambodia distracted you.
We put him on the board, and they had a discussion.
about the war and so forth.
We've talked about it.
He just told me today, he said, I'm worried about the troops.
Nobody wants to be the last guy to die in the war.
The only reason is they can't make it.
We're all doing it again.
Right.
I'll get that message out tomorrow.
I'll go out.
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