On January 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:41 pm to 12:52 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 312-004 of the White House Tapes.
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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.
Oh, thanks, Henry.
Thank you.
How's the weather?
Any better?
I hope so.
Yeah.
Is the sun shining or is it foggy?
That's good.
That's good.
Well, let's see.
It's 10 o'clock out there, so it ought to be a very good day.
Good.
What I was calling you about is about the announcement on Wednesday.
I thought it might be, well, 12, I don't know, maybe, I don't know.
We'll see.
I'll have to check here to see how fit with that.
It will do one in two days, 12 and 13.
But any event, it occurs to me that it might be well to,
So that I don't want to, of course, be questioned at all.
But on the other hand, the defense always gives a little briefing on those things, don't they?
Why would it not be to have Laird come over, and then I could walk out with him and say, I'm announcing this, and the secretary will read the press, and then he'll offer details.
lets him get it on the show a little bit.
He'll be doing it anyway, and I'll talk to him about what he should say.
Think that's a good idea?
Yeah.
Well, it gives him a little, you know, some credit for his Vietnam-related policies.
He should get that.
All he has to be sure he's on on the right track in regards to that.
Any questions about POWs and so forth, which I immediately handle those well.
Good idea, too.
Second point.
Oh, there's no... At this point, I don't think the credit's there.
Yeah.
You see, at this point, it doesn't have a lot of difference.
We've moved along.
And it's...
Yeah.
Now, did you get to him first?
Does he know about this announcement?
Yeah.
A number?
Fine.
Well, that'll give you...
Right.
Now, when you talk to him, you can talk about this and say that's over.
And then the idea that he would go over
And that I will, I'll make the announcement in one sentence and then turn the press over to him for the briefing on it.
And that he would say that we would, or you can start to start with that, that'll soften up the Russian thing.
And then that we, I think that just ask you to maybe check with HIG or somebody on our, I don't know,
I'll give him a couple of talking points with regard to the negotiation side.
So that he'll, they said, what about the next announcement?
What will be made during the month of April before May 1st?
Will it be a final announcement where the President pointed out that there could be no final withdrawal?
What about negotiation?
I'm not going to go beyond what the President has already said.
And, well, what about withdrawal?
That's a deadline.
I don't know if you saw what they said last week.
He ought to really make hard at that point.
That's fine.
Third year's hard for me.
Third year's a good day.
That's the case.
Just bring him to him right there.
All right.
And so you can call him.
Now, on the rush thing, I could
Yes, yes.
He does.
Well, the point is that this is basically the kind of a man Larry's been looking for.
He just looks for his qualifications.
But he has the advantage of knowing all about MEFR and so on, right?
And that is an enormous advantage for whoever's in that position.
And you can say that he said he admires Blair, you know, a little of that.
He's a hard-line follower, what we need.
He's a real man.
He said that we've also found that he's been impeccably discreet and loyal and has never leaked anything to Mike's head, actually.
That'll impress the hell out of him.
Okay.
Well, what else is new?
Do you have any other conversations until I was gone?
I don't know what he's been released by, but he is, you know, that's the other thing I suppose that whatever we do with regard to, but that pretty much will resolve itself in the past, recognize the moment.
Yeah, that's what I think they're going to do.
Yeah, but as far as Loachie was concerned, what would be the point in going to record?
He's not, not anything, let the counselor go, but I would, until he, otherwise you're giving him de facto recognition.
All over him right away, that's the point.
We'll eventually have to go that way.
We know that.
But I don't think we need to fall over right at the beginning.
Yeah.
That's right.
Let a political counselor go.
I mean, we want to go at the highest level because after all, he is not yet a government we recognize.
That's the point.
I think...
That would be my reaction.
I don't feel too damn strong about it.
I don't think it's going to make that much difference.
Yeah, yeah.
Okay, and nothing else?
No other reports?
Hey, he's probably on his way back now.
Okay.
Any of the balance of their power, whatever it is.
It's pretty hard with all the problems we've got here again, to have all of us do it.
What if they had to do that in parliamentary elections?
Who's going to be the next prime minister?
Well, we don't have to see him then, do we?
Okay.
Well, I hope you get a little sun and everybody's gone and we all be peaceful out there.
Okay.
Bye.
Thank you.