Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 312-004
Date: Sunday, January 9, 1972 at 12:41 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: Old Executive Office Building
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/312-004

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[1:48] Oh, thanks, Henry.
[1:48] Thank you.
[1:49] How's the weather?
[1:50] Any better?
[1:53] I hope so.
[1:53] Yeah.
[1:55] Is the sun shining or is it foggy?
[1:58] That's good.
[2:00] That's good.
[2:00] Well, let's see.
[2:01] It's 10 o'clock out there, so it ought to be a very good day.
[2:06] Good.
[2:07] What I was calling you about is about the announcement on Wednesday.
[2:17] I thought it might be, well, 12, I don't know, maybe, I don't know.
[2:24] We'll see.
[2:27] I'll have to check here to see how fit with that.
[2:30] It will do one in two days, 12 and 13.
[2:33] But any event, it occurs to me that it might be well to,
[2:43] So that I don't want to, of course, be questioned at all.
[2:45] But on the other hand, the defense always gives a little briefing on those things, don't they?
[2:51] 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.
[3:05] lets him get it on the show a little bit.
[3:08] He'll be doing it anyway, and I'll talk to him about what he should say.
[3:13] Think that's a good idea?
[3:17] Yeah.
[3:19] Well, it gives him a little, you know, some credit for his Vietnam-related policies.
[3:26] He should get that.
[3:27] All he has to be sure he's on on the right track in regards to that.
[3:35] Any questions about POWs and so forth, which I immediately handle those well.
[3:43] Good idea, too.
[3:44] Second point.
[3:50] Oh, there's no... At this point, I don't think the credit's there.
[3:56] Yeah.
[3:56] You see, at this point, it doesn't have a lot of difference.
[4:00] We've moved along.
[4:03] And it's...
[4:04] Yeah.
[4:04] Now, did you get to him first?
[4:07] Does he know about this announcement?
[4:15] Yeah.
[4:16] A number?
[4:16] Fine.
[4:17] Well, that'll give you...
[4:18] Right.
[4:19] Now, when you talk to him, you can talk about this and say that's over.
[4:29] And then the idea that he would go over
[4:35] 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.
[4:47] And that he would say that we would, or you can start to start with that, that'll soften up the Russian thing.
[4:54] And then that we, I think that just ask you to maybe check with HIG or somebody on our, I don't know,
[5:03] I'll give him a couple of talking points with regard to the negotiation side.
[5:07] So that he'll, they said, what about the next announcement?
[5:10] What will be made during the month of April before May 1st?
[5:14] Will it be a final announcement where the President pointed out that there could be no final withdrawal?
[5:22] What about negotiation?
[5:24] I'm not going to go beyond what the President has already said.
[5:30] And, well, what about withdrawal?
[5:31] That's a deadline.
[5:32] I don't know if you saw what they said last week.
[5:36] He ought to really make hard at that point.
[5:44] That's fine.
[5:45] Third year's hard for me.
[5:48] Third year's a good day.
[5:49] That's the case.
[5:50] Just bring him to him right there.
[5:55] All right.
[5:56] And so you can call him.
[5:57] Now, on the rush thing, I could
[6:01] Yes, yes.
[6:04] He does.
[6:07] Well, the point is that this is basically the kind of a man Larry's been looking for.
[6:12] He just looks for his qualifications.
[6:14] But he has the advantage of knowing all about MEFR and so on, right?
[6:21] And that is an enormous advantage for whoever's in that position.
[6:32] And you can say that he said he admires Blair, you know, a little of that.
[6:36] He's a hard-line follower, what we need.
[6:42] He's a real man.
[6:42] 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.
[6:52] That'll impress the hell out of him.
[6:56] Okay.
[6:56] Well, what else is new?
[6:56] Do you have any other conversations until I was gone?
[7:22] 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.
[7:45] Yeah, that's what I think they're going to do.
[7:53] Yeah, but as far as Loachie was concerned, what would be the point in going to record?
[8:01] He's not, not anything, let the counselor go, but I would, until he, otherwise you're giving him de facto recognition.
[8:17] All over him right away, that's the point.
[8:20] We'll eventually have to go that way.
[8:22] We know that.
[8:23] But I don't think we need to fall over right at the beginning.
[8:30] Yeah.
[8:33] That's right.
[8:36] Let a political counselor go.
[8:38] I mean, we want to go at the highest level because after all, he is not yet a government we recognize.
[8:44] That's the point.
[8:46] I think...
[8:49] That would be my reaction.
[8:50] I don't feel too damn strong about it.
[8:53] I don't think it's going to make that much difference.
[9:05] Yeah, yeah.
[9:07] Okay, and nothing else?
[9:07] No other reports?
[9:08] Hey, he's probably on his way back now.
[9:16] Okay.
[9:19] Any of the balance of their power, whatever it is.
[9:53] It's pretty hard with all the problems we've got here again, to have all of us do it.
[10:01] What if they had to do that in parliamentary elections?
[10:18] Who's going to be the next prime minister?
[10:21] Well, we don't have to see him then, do we?
[10:29] Okay.
[10:30] Well, I hope you get a little sun and everybody's gone and we all be peaceful out there.
[10:42] Okay.
[10:42] Bye.
[10:43] Thank you.