Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 288 › Conversation 288-006

Nixon & Kissinger on Chile and Political Strategy

Tuesday, October 12, 1971 · 8:30 AM–8:40 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation288-006 on Tape 288 (tape position 00:07:45–00:14:05)StartTuesday, October 12, 1971 at 8:30 AMEndTuesday, October 12, 1971 at 8:40 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 288-006 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to discuss logistics regarding Kissinger's upcoming trip to Chicago and broader political strategy, including judicial appointments. A significant portion of the conversation focused on the internal administration response to the situation in Chile. The two discussed the development of an options paper and the potential for a public statement by the President to clarify the U.S. position on the unfolding events.

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Position in tape: 00:07:45 – 00:14:05

288a.mp3

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yeah, I was going to suggest something.
I think you ought to cancel your trip to Chicago if you have any problems at all.
What is it?
The route you have to do or you would agree to or something, but... Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
Well, for God's sakes, it's just a difficult street.
I could go out there and... Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, I...
It's a hard trip, man.
It's kind of a dinner, isn't it?
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
What I do is that we're by anyway.
I mean, I'll leave this morning.
It won't help.
It won't help.
Yeah, well, we've got to get her food.
She doesn't want to do things.
It's like our little boys, though, we have people that are just great and all of them are just fine.
One of our guys, the staff, found a story that the bird was not really a possibility for development.
Well, it's not.
The point is that they don't realize the game.
I mean, it isn't one of these ones.
I haven't told him that he isn't.
And also, I'm playing another game.
I want to scare the hell out of him.
See, it divides all of them.
You can certainly see the play.
Burdick is driving, you know, right on.
It makes McGovern and all the Democrats take positions on whether he is, whether he is or not.
Yeah, Adam, Adam, they are going to heaven, not them.
So one of our little boys, I know, we say, oh, he's going to be the president of all of this book, and maybe we're going to appoint this conservative, all of the building practice, what, that only came later?
You know, what in the name of good God Christ is the matter with people?
What is the matter?
They wonder why I don't tell the staff anything.
Well, I'll tell you why I don't tell them, because, God damn it, they don't have any brains.
Now, that's true.
No judgment, no judgment.
They're loyal.
Whoever did this did it with loyalty.
God damn it, they shouldn't have sent it.
They started it.
They heard a game I was playing here.
You, well... Why, of course not.
That's right.
Let me tell you, you're going to be banned for racism.
See what I mean?
See what I mean?
Well, I was going to ask you this.
The only thing I see in the news is chilly section.
Now, I want to take something.
I'm very strong, and I really do.
If you've got anything, you've got to prepare something tough to say to one.
You saw what they did, or did you?
Yeah.
What can I say?
Well, now let me say, I'll say something, I'm you, whatever it is, but I want you, I mean, I want you to have yours, get hate, the toughest son of a bitch you've got, and working with Conlon, and I want something done.
I'm not going to have Meyer screw this one up.
It's time to kick Chili in the ass.
Now, is that clear?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Now, what is our option?
Can you have a paper over to him here?
Yes.
Well, I did the paper, but I want just a strong statement made, just knocking their brains out today.
I want it made today.
Well, what can he say?
What can he say?
I just want somebody, I just want a public statement made kicking each other in the ass on a very hard one.
Have Conley make it.
I want him to blast it.
I do have to do it.
Or wait for Lamar to get his play on it.
But really bust their butts.
And don't, as far as I'm concerned, there's no appeal on this.
I want the State Department to come.
What the Christ is State's saying on this is still temporary.
Thank you.
This is the time to do it, and I want to know everything we can do.
Everything we can do to do it.
I want a forward kill on this one.
And I expect State to play with it to a total market.
And if I ask about it, I'm going to say appropriate action will be taken.
They've confiscated it in the back American country.
We will not allow it.
Appropriate action will be taken.
Well, one of those things.
Let me, no, no.
He said, I don't know what to say for a reaction, but as far as I'm concerned, I approve the strongest possible program on this, but I want it to move, and I don't want it to move around.
And I want a highly publicized, highly visible, understand?
Highly publicized, highly visible statement where we get it on television tonight, okay?
Or tomorrow, so that...
All right.
All right.
Let's prepare it.
And prepare everybody, too.
We'll have to save them tomorrow.
Okay?
All right.
Is there anything else you want to suggest for today?
No.
Yeah.
I'll handle it.
Oh, yes.
Yes.
I'm going to be pretty honest with you.
Well, we...
Very close.
OK.

NARA Description

On October 12, 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 8:30 am and 8:40 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 288-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 288-6

Date: October 12, 1971
Time: Unknown between 8:30 am and 8:40 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Privacy]
[Duration: 3s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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     Kissinger’s schedule
          -Chicago
                -President’s view

     Supreme Court

        -Robert C. Byrd
             -The President’s view
             -Hubert H. Humphrey
             -George S. McGovern
        -Conservative
             -President’s position
                   -Strategy
                   -White House staff
                   -Ronald L. Ziegler

Chile
        -News reports
             -The President’s response
        -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
        -John B. Connally
        -Charles A. Meyer
        -Options paper
        -Possible US statement
             -Timing
             -Connally
             -State Department
                   -William P. Rogers
                   -Graham A. Martin
             -Possible statement by the President
                   -US position
             -Publicity for US actions

The President's schedule

Vote

Also recorded on October 12, 1971

  • 288-004 8:25 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:25 am and 8:30 am.
  • 011-048 8:30 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:30 am.
  • 288-005 8:30 AM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 8:30 am.
  • 011-049 8:40 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 8:40 am to 8:46 am.
  • 288-007 8:40 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:40 am to 8:46 am.
  • 011-050 8:46 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:46 am and 9:19 am.
  • 288-008 8:46 AM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:46 am and 9:19 am.
  • 288-009 8:46 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:46 am and 9:19 am.

All 71 conversations from October 12, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 288-006, October 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/288-006 (accessed October 12, 2026).