Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 321-024
Date: Wednesday, March 8, 1972 at 3:55 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.; [Unknown person(s)]; Sanchez, Manolo
Recording device: Old Executive Office Building
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/321-024

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] I was with Bob when you called.
[0:21] I thought you were going to see Riley.
[0:22] Yeah.
[0:22] Okay.
[0:22] I had a...
[0:23] I had lunch today at the Saucer Sea, and a taco came over from my table.
[0:24] And he said, you know, it was an unbelievable thing that's happened.
[0:25] That's why I just determined to vote for you.
[0:28] And he said, my God, help me.
[0:49] And I was one of the people who helped him.
[0:50] You know, that's almost unbelievable.
[0:51] Hey, brother.
[0:52] Yeah.
[0:52] It's not difficult to go through prison.
[0:53] You know, everyone is disgusted with the Democrats in New Hampshire.
[0:56] What do they think of that?
[0:57] Well, they think that now that's an issue.
[0:57] Uh...
[0:58] Uh...
[0:58] It was a sorry lot to watch on television.
[1:25] I've watched Muskie and McGovern before.
[1:26] Of course, McGovern.
[1:26] Well, who told me?
[1:27] Somebody who knows.
[1:27] Somebody who knows many things.
[1:29] That he wants to go in 76.
[1:56] Change his mind.
[1:56] But if he thinks he'll go, then he might go.
[1:57] But if he's after you,
[1:58] Well, Mr. President, the tragedy is, or the fact is, not the tragedy of everybody, it is the only Democratic candidate of whom one could barely trust as Jackson.
[2:25] He's not a candidate.
[2:25] He's not a candidate.
[2:26] He's not a candidate.
[2:26] He's not a candidate.
[2:27] He's not a candidate.
[2:28] First, with regard to the date for the Moscow trip, can we announce that now?
[2:58] Rogers tackled me on that again yesterday.
[3:15] Let me check that with...
[3:17] He tackled me again and said that the Russians were putting out all over the place.
[3:20] That's right.
[3:20] I'll check it with the Breedians tomorrow.
[3:21] If you could, if I could just say it as of today, it's been said it will be 20 seconds.
[3:23] I'll call it tonight.
[3:23] Second point, as I remember, when you announced the Prairie Channel Friday, did I say that tomorrow?
[3:25] They could announce it tomorrow.
[3:26] Go ahead, John.
[3:26] I'll say it in an announcement we made on Friday.
[3:29] I won't announce it.
[3:54] I think it's just a matter of time.
[3:55] I think it's just a matter of time.
[3:55] I think it's just a matter of time.
[3:56] I think it's just a matter of time.
[3:57] I think it's just a matter of time.
[3:57] I think it's just a matter of time.
[3:59] I'm fine with it.
[4:21] All right.
[4:21] All right.
[4:21] Now, let me go over a few things.
[4:22] Ken has got quite a few questions.
[4:23] He has a lot of questions that I'm really close to.
[4:24] I'm not sure what he expects me to be asking.
[4:24] I don't know.
[4:26] I mean, if we're holding it up, you know, it's a serious point.
[4:47] You know, it just makes a surprise negative impact.
[4:49] You know, it's a serious point.
[4:49] Well, that's one of the questions which I may take out.
[4:51] It is not true that it made a negative impact on Japan.
[4:52] The answer to that, A, I don't believe that question would be asked.
[4:54] It is a question asked.
[4:55] This is a loaded question.
[5:17] As far as Taiwan is concerned, of course, it is a very painful thing for them to do.
[5:19] Once they examine it, once they've heard the statements that were made by Dr. Christensen and by you, it seems to me that they are in phase for the undertone.
[5:42] There's no essential...
[5:42] The effect has been...
[5:43] It's not true, Mr. President.
[5:43] The impact has been...
[5:44] It has been on the whole extremely positively.
[5:45] There's something...
[5:46] Mr. President, I... Do you think Buchanan goes out of himself?
[6:12] Yes.
[6:12] He's concerned about charges of so-and-so.
[6:13] He gave away more than he got.
[6:14] I just say more.
[6:14] I should read my...
[6:14] I just read my statement.
[6:15] The answer to that question.
[6:16] I know, but I don't want to argue with them.
[6:39] I'll say, I'd argue with them.
[6:40] I don't want to argue with them.
[6:40] You tell us.
[6:41] I'm going to be very careful.
[6:41] You tell us if most of that community would support the Chinese.
[6:43] Again, Mr. President, that has been suggested over the advantage and exemption.
[6:46] What did they just make?
[7:07] The answer is that the number of suggestions were made by the number of people who reported it, meaning on both sides of the decision to make that.
[7:10] I think you said we should say that we knew enough people we met there to know that what they hoped that we did was a good prospect of an agreement, but the essential issues were settled there.
[7:14] That's true.
[7:14] Which happens to be true.
[7:15] Extract, extract the money from that pipeline.
[7:36] All of this was done there.
[7:36] This is a, this is what I was going to say.
[7:37] I can't understand it.
[7:38] We, the Chinese, we're very positive.
[7:38] We're very positive.
[7:39] We're very positive.
[7:39] We're very positive.
[7:40] For Christ's sake, we said there were no, I'm just going to say no.
[7:41] There weren't.
[7:42] Did we get a renunciation, of course, by the PRC in the title on the cover of the matter?
[8:06] We didn't get a renunciation, of course, but I'm not going to say it.
[8:07] I'm going to say it.
[8:08] I'm not going to say it.
[8:08] I'm going to say it.
[8:09] I'm not going to say it.
[8:09] I'm not going to say it.
[8:10] I'm not going to say it.
[8:10] I'm not going to say it.
[8:11] I'm not going to say it.
[8:13] Actually, what we said on that is the exact thing.
[8:40] I would just say the position of this district is one that is said by both Chinese authorities.
[9:05] And we just acknowledge what they said.
[9:06] This is a very good question.
[9:06] Thank you.
[9:14] I'd like to question some of the questions that you have.
[9:35] Dr. McCann is really sure that he doesn't stir up questions, you know, that are, you know, basically made to him.
[9:37] I think that's ridiculous.
[9:38] On the behalf of the hospital, so to speak, considering the age of the present Chinese leadership, there are certain things you're going to do in terms of your accomplishment.
[9:41] I'm sure that will be rapidly initiating in the time.
[9:43] I say, no, the interest in the two nations.
[10:11] And then they don't agree to you.
[10:11] Can you give us personal reflections in China?
[10:12] Have you covered this?
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[11:13] There we go.
[11:40] All right.
[11:40] All right.
[11:43] They don't have the right to ask you questions.
[12:04] They've all been answered.
[12:05] And then Kay was cleared for Shanghai.
[12:05] They must have cleared Kay in the back.
[12:06] That's what happened.
[12:07] Another thing Buckwell said, which was just fantastic, he said, nobody could like the president.
[12:09] I know it's true.
[12:10] I think he's focused that way to me, he's focused that way on
[12:40] Frankly, I don't see it.
[13:03] We can't operate because of the fact that the mic is small.
[13:05] That's what I would say.
[13:05] I'm self-serving.
[13:05] I'm self-serving.
[13:06] I've got a mic, you know.
[13:06] You know, like we're working here.
[13:07] The university has no existence.
[13:08] There's no christian institution.
[13:08] Technically, he has seen what we have suffered here for the last three years.
[13:10] I'm not so sure.
[13:34] I'm not so sure you should reassure them either.
[13:40] Now what?
[13:40] Well, part of it is his case in picture, also a case of God damn ego, too.
[14:04] And he had also the wrong perception of his own, of Sapphire, who actually said that he was driving a few times.
[14:08] doesn't pretend to be so you can't think of himself as an independent court.
[14:29] He should give you questions on foreign policy that I don't have the chance to comment on.
[14:31] I don't object to it.
[14:32] Oh, I don't intend to.
[14:32] He would make me do it.
[14:33] No, no, he got me the big questions and answers which I didn't provide.
[14:34] And then I see all this good questions.
[14:35] Oh.
[14:35] This is telling me that there's a little bit of evidence or that these are wrong questions.
[14:37] Oh, well, maybe.
[14:38] maybe they're, you've got to give credit to them.
[15:00] That's what, that's the disrespect is mine.
[15:01] I don't know who did what he did.
[15:01] He should have done that.
[15:02] But I hope that we get this thing through and we'll say it was something that was an excellent example of how you made this one.
[15:05] Something more than a creature.
[15:05] It was something that we wanted to do.
[15:06] It was something we wanted to do.
[15:07] It was something we wanted to do.
[15:08] I suspected it, but I've never...
[15:29] I think the devil is trying to kill me.
[15:29] Joe, of course you can't react.
[15:30] Joe, if we don't react, what am I going to do?
[15:31] You were based on that kind of call about me.
[15:32] I said, what the hell did you say that for?
[15:33] I wanted to.
[15:33] I indeed wanted to.
[15:33] I said I was going to call him again, but he just wanted to have me talking to him now.
[15:35] I don't know.
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[16:06] And, uh, you know, then I go to, uh, and I suppose I ought to do this.
[16:33] I'll do this.
[16:33] I'll do this.
[16:33] I'll do this.
[16:33] I'll do this.
[16:34] I'll do this.
[16:34] I'll do this.
[16:34] I'll do this.
[16:35] I'll do this.
[16:38] Yeah.
[17:06] Yeah.
[17:06] Yeah.
[17:07] Yeah.
[17:07] Yeah.
[17:07] Yeah.
[17:08] .
[17:29] .
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[17:37] I don't know what they call it.
[18:59] ... ... ... ... ... ...
[19:28] Thank you.
[19:57] ... ... ... ... ...
[20:26] Thank you.
[20:51] But, uh,
[21:23] This idea of putting, you know, some kind of a rhythm, you know, guiding the press is not for the purpose of getting information.
[21:43] It's for the purpose of embarrassing, harassing.
[21:44] Well, it's an aesthetic offense.
[21:45] And to say, well, now, what about this matter?
[21:46] But you put whoever is the chief executive in the position having a word with me is that.
[21:47] So it's not for the purpose of enlightening the public.
[21:49] I can enlighten the public through a speech or anything like that.
[21:50] They could ask a question, and I can spend an hour to answer it.
[21:51] but some people's purpose would be another contest.
[22:06] It's true.
[22:06] They want to get you to say something because they know you don't want to say it, and if you said it, it would be a mistake.
[22:13] And embarrass the government.
[22:13] And embarrass the government, and they wouldn't let you get off our... Not me.
[22:16] Their purpose is to embarrass me, but it's really to embarrass the United States.
[22:17] It's a senseless...
[22:18] It really is.
[22:18] The way it's become...
[22:18] There was a time, I think, when the press conference was over in the office,
[22:22] on a rule, but it was all backed up, it was made all backed up, and it never was correct.
[22:43] They would know that it broke Eisenhower was the person in fact, we forget this, we're introduced to that as well.
[22:45] It was true that they would know that it never was, and therefore they could always refute it.
[22:47] In this sense, it contributed to the environment, and they were the questions when it was offered.
[22:50] They were working.
[23:10] They had to leave because if you can't quote the man that I said, then you can't hang on to this question.
[23:12] They, of course, you might as well ask them to get their life back.
[23:13] Of course, on the other side of the time, the press conference, the preparation, the lunch, the prayer, the breakfast, the lunch, the dinner, the wine, the chocolate stuff, and all that stuff.
[23:17] But except that the burden of this office is so great, and I know all of them, and I can make fun of this because I'm fussing,
[23:24] and the police and all that sort of thing.
[23:45] And I was literally really crying.
[23:45] I was looking at a bunch of people.
[23:46] And one of the residents really had this little certificate that they can keep it all in their mind.
[23:48] And I looked at this story a lot of times.
[23:49] And I didn't think about it.
[23:50] I didn't think about it.
[23:50] But you stopped to think, Henry.
[23:51] You stopped to think about it.
[23:51] And all the bad things were all on the ground.
[23:53] Well, let them look at Hubert for a minute.
[24:15] Hubert is the smartest of them all.
[24:15] Hubert has nothing to lose.
[24:16] His head is screwed on highly.
[24:16] He's all over the lot.
[24:17] And therefore, Hubert...
[24:17] They're really good at securing the position that has to defend today's services.
[24:19] You're in a position of strength to fix the other way around.
[24:20] I felt that before, John.
[24:21] You see, I think Moscow in this way is going to...
[24:22] cement the image created by Moscow, by China, it does not contribute quite so much to the human thing, because it's going to be less respectable.
[24:46] You know, it will be more respectable than the achievement, you know.
[24:47] But I think I read an article in History last week saying that to respect the Chinese thinking is enormous.
[24:49] I didn't realize it was written by Chinese.
[24:51] This was the largest arm of God that ever turned on in the earth.
[25:11] Everything they said meant something.
[25:12] On the other hand, they said you could hold it.
[25:12] Joe's coat was one of the most graceful things that could be done.
[25:14] And if you hadn't planned it, it could not have had any big impact.
[25:15] It would have had to have a lot of blockage.
[25:16] That's just the expression of God.
[25:18] Well, it's going to make it any time you want.
[25:32] If you want to push it a little back a little, push it back.
[25:34] But one way you might do it is to, let's see, do you think I ought to get the drill down?
[25:42] Oh, I'm not doing it.
[25:43] I therefore think that probably you should.
[26:02] I don't want to just kick the rest of the podium.
[26:03] I think that it will be the big issue, the China issue, and you could be there.
[26:05] You see, I think there is something that he said.
[26:06] I'm not going in because I'm not going to submit myself to that sort of thing.
[26:08] I'm true of it.
[26:08] The president had to say, I should go.
[26:09] You go do it.
[26:09] I should come out Sunday.
[26:10] Then you can go to the gridiron, and then you can come out Sunday.
[26:12] And I'll go to, I had to do a press conference out there, probably on Wednesday.
[26:36] Maybe I'm planning on that.
[26:36] Right after that, I'll go up to see our Canadian friends.
[26:38] And I think that's pretty cute.
[26:38] Let me say, another reason it's probably pretty cute is that you just may as well be 3,000 miles closer.
[26:41] Why work your ass off?
[26:41] And also the...
[26:42] It's not quite 3,000 miles, but if you go this road.
[27:03] Right.
[27:03] It's a bunch of hell.
[27:03] It's about, it cuts four hours off.
[27:08] It cuts four hours off.
[27:09] And you come over there.
[27:09] It's hard.
[27:09] It's hard.
[27:10] Don't we know.
[27:10] Then what would you do?
[27:10] Go on around there?
[27:11] Do you have a career, too?
[27:12] My own view is, no.
[27:24] If I go to Korea, then I don't go to Taiwan.
[27:29] My own feeling is that you've just got a hard-line career.
[27:30] I've had an unavailable invitation to go to Japan and then put up a... A hard-line career because I'm sure you'll have to go to Taiwan.
[27:39] What I may do is go from there to Taiwan.
[27:40] I'll go with the coal from Axis.
[27:44] to Paris.
[28:06] Do you have a charter meeting that's scheduled yet?
[28:08] Yes.
[28:08] It's the 15th, I think.
[28:08] April?
[28:08] Yeah.
[28:09] Oh, I'm trying to think.
[28:09] We're talking about April, aren't we?
[28:10] Oh, now we're on the program.
[28:10] Of course that's what you should do.
[28:11] Then I go from there.
[28:12] From Japan to Paris?
[28:12] Yeah, that's much better.
[28:13] I just want to go to Seoul.
[28:15] It's the only way to the big old world.
[28:28] But that's the thing, Henry.
[28:31] You can go there, you can ride on Paris, but do you think you practically can do that with the back of your hand?
[28:38] You can go to Japan, knock it off, then go on to Paris, and this is a damn good cover.
[28:41] And let's forget it.
[28:41] Let the Canadians just probably give them a little affront.
[28:42] They've given us plenty.
[28:43] I have no desire to be there.
[28:43] I don't know what I'd do.
[28:44] I had no desire to be here.
[28:47] Well, anyway, we'll see you later.