On May 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:34 pm and 7:14 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 336-057 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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.
But I think you're right.
I think you're right.
That way, too, it's consistent with what you've done previously with that discrepancy.
But I'll be happy to do it after that.
Well, we may have a...
This time goes on.
They get a quite heavy murder.
They may have to, you know, have to go on something alive at night or something like that.
That's something we haven't done.
We'll...
One of the dangers, if I go live, is that the congressional committee is going to be on record.
You know, it's an interesting thing.
I think how history repeats itself.
Remember the camp?
The house?
They put me through.
November 3rd, they put me through.
And, of course, they used to like my mother a lot.
But, November 3rd, they didn't have no help.
They were grabbing me out of here.
Well, Cambodia was unbelievable.
They didn't help me at all.
This time we can't even tell you.
But this given that you were the meeting man, you couldn't handle it, and here's your brother-in-law telling you tonight that these guys, I mean, they had disposed of you and sent you out to do some support.
Now he says it's a good decision.
But even today, in the words of his supporters, that was a decision you had to make.
Well, I was almost happy to be here.
I don't want to take some questions.
Well, it's a matter of position.
Well, I think he's positioned with the only one .
Well, this will be a hard delivery.
The cotton has to pass through there.
Well, I will do it cool, and then I'll be moving.
Oh, yeah.
It's going to be hard to get it all the way in.
Throughout the war here in Iran, the United States has tried to re-industrialize, to re-industrialize its unprecedented panel of support, and our responsibility is to bring nation-to-nation peace to this America as a whole, and peace on the continent.
However, when they have any advantage over this country, they throw this whole out into the battle on the territory of this country, and do this in a way that you could simply do it in a certain sense.
60,000 Americans currently live in the United States.
They know that necessity will be created because of this country's trust in the United States.
And therefore, the group now must be denied the right to supply the people of the United States.
The World War II nation republic did not.
I order the following agents, which are easy to implement, to try and save the people of the United States.
All agents in our community of sports will be mined.
They'll have access to these sports.
And there will be many stable operations coming to the sports.
United States forces have been directed to take appropriate measures to divvy internal and military forward waters in North Vietnam and to get to the military response.
Rail and all other communications have been cut off to the maximum extent possible.
They are made for us in the military targets in North Vietnam over the years.
These actions are not directed against our military mission.
Countries with ships presently in our ability to support and motorize their ships will run three day-long journeys to leave the city.
The actions I have ordered will cease in the following conditions of act.
First, all unarmed prisoners of war must be returned.
Second, there must be an intervention to provide ceasefire throughout the region.
Once president of the border leaves, once the intervention to provide ceasefire is begun, we will stop all unarmed prisoners of war throughout the region.
And at that time, we will proceed with a complete withdrawal of all American forces to Vietnam before us.
These are terms which do not require us to remember them.
They would prevent the United States from withdrawing them.
They would have to kill them to remember them every time.
They would allow negotiations with the political center of the country to be at peace themselves.
They would prevent all the nations which have suffered this long war.
They would permit the last of the urgent working communities
Your people have suffered too much in your pursuit of conquest.
Do not compound their hate with continued arrogance.
Choose to step the path of a peace that redeems your sacrifice and scarifies children and countries that may run out of reconciliation.
Their hate looks out for you now.
you shall continue to have our firm support in your resistance against aggression.
It is your spirit that will be turned down by the United States.
It is your will that will shape the future of your country.
Third, to other nations, especially those which are allied with North Carolina, the actions I have announced tonight are directed against you.
Their sole purpose is to protect the lives of 60,000 Americans who have been greatly endangered in the event that our nation has to continue to rule for.
and to prevent the imposition of a communist government when through aggression upon a nation of 17 nations.
I particularly direct my comments to the Soviet Union.
We respect the Soviet Union as a great power.
We recognize the right of the Soviet Union to defend its interests on the earth's surface.
The Soviet Union, in turn, has recognized our right to defend our interests.
No Soviet soldiers have done it yet.
60,000 Americans are.
We expect you to help your allies.
We cannot expect us to be led by the people who love our colonies, but let us, among all great powers, know our origins, only for the purpose of their defense, not for the purpose of launching invasions against their enemies.
Otherwise, the cause of peace, the cause of the people who have so great a say, will be served to the end.
Our two nations have made significant progress in our negotiations with these powers.
We are now in nature of greatness, on nuclear arms, on trade, on a host of other issues.
Let us not slide back through the dark shadows of our previous age.