Nixon & Haldeman on Vietnam War and Henry Kissinger

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He's going to be trying to do an off-scaling.

And I came in afterwards, came in with a scouting appointment.

And Scott came in afterwards and he said, I think we've got a real opportunity if we could have an agreement on a briefing.

And I would say, Henry, if we could get in one each of the three networks, and we got the each network in one place for ourselves, so we're five people, and I'm background on all the other companies.

background and make the points to them on the importance of making this possible.

Number two, the timing that the election has a factor in this was a factor to the note we had made.

Number three, that the government

This plant meets everything we were after.

It was far beyond what we had hoped for.

And it totally shoots down the government position in that it will guarantee a good impact in the plant rather than hoping that someday it will be maintained.

I guarantee I'm good at it.

So it's leaving a pretty good mark.

Don't overthrow the government and give them away.

The more we don't still provide arms and assistance in South Vietnam.

Number five, we have a complete withdrawal and return to prison in 60 days, not 90 days.

So you study the different parts of the world, you take a study out of it.

So we've got all the bases of what you want to be said and what you need now.

It's really interpreting people.

They're writing.

I'm not saying it for attribution, but so that it's pointed out and said and written.

...analysis of this thing, so that we can send them... Well, see, the lead that came out of this stuff, Bob, was the pieces in hand.

Now, that's such a tough one.

It had all the hurdles.

That's what I wouldn't have said.

I don't know what I would have said.

I know how this is decided.

I know, but he does rest.

We've had Scali and Haig and all of them come back to court because Henry was smashed.

And then the goddamn story is written around it.

That's my point now.

I'm trying to get over Groucho's period report.

You name it right there.

I told him to make all votes and stay in the region.

You've got to put those, like, everybody can take a guy like Klein, who's the smartest fellow in the world, say, here's your 4.7, and he makes the 4.8.

And the rest don't matter.

That's why Ron is a better breeder than Henry.

Ron learns what's supposed to be said.

He says it.

And the others are pretty kind of legal people.

You have to live with them now for 10 days.

We got a little bit of something hanging for 10 days in Vietnam.

I don't trust him on the issue.

I don't think anybody can handle it.

They know damn well he can't.

Well, where is he now?

What may he do?

It's all about this Henry Cotone did totally successfully, not done enough.

We're holding this up.

It's probably too long.

Oh, yes.

That's the only question the government has nails on.

So on a defensive basis, right?

With that, well, you know, the main thing is, I don't have a very solid company, but I've had a four-time job, and it's a good time to sing.

And we'll surely play.

That's a long time, isn't it?

That's the danger.

What the hell?

Eggs worse than beer.

They'll accept it.

They'll accept something from the problem.

They'll say, okay, we buy this, now sign on the 30th of March.

They'll say, that's a problem because you can't take it that fast.

The other side of it is that you, see Henry has said it.

pretty much shut down the tube and said that's not a problem.

The tube would then rise up and tap him and then send him to your cell.

That's a problem.

He definitely could go up and he says that's the group.

That's the one.

They paid him to cover it all up.

They think, yeah, we're going to get out.

Black releases don't do it.

We've all got to hang together on this one.

We're going to do it.

still, whatever they are, keeps our issue up.

Our issue up, where the people live and what people are doing.

And not only keeps ours up, but it makes it very, very difficult.

Because ours is an overriding one that goes across the country.

And we've gone through this earlier analysis of what the group we were hurt with on the production thing was a sophisticated stock suburb.

And they're the ones that like this.

They're the ones that like this.

It will.

It looks like a solid cell.

You better get a brief talking paper out based on this for all services.

He doesn't want to, you know, break it off.

He doesn't want anything to say.

All right.

Everything has worked out.

Good.

I think it works.

Just try it.

We can do it at 530.

Okay.

I think it's very important that we get out of that pond.

Emory and Ledley must go with me depending upon the situation.

On the weekend.

You should be in California with me and not here.

Let's see for those two days.

Bye, buddy.

I was going to help you, but I suppose you have to say something now.

Even now.

You don't have any problems.

I don't think you have any problems.

You can just say, well...

Yes, he does have some problems.

We're trying to work them out.

I mean, do you...

We've got to get everybody talking that way, rather than us two of us going out and burning out stuff on the other side.

I think also on Vietnam and other technical countries.

I think it's not enough just to beat them, but we're going to say that.

If they would have sold out, he would have surrendered.

He would have left our field up his own.

You know, that sort of thing, right?

That's already strong.

We should, and we're getting ready for it, but we should not today.

Well, I understand that.

Well, you let him shoot first.

You let him shoot, but be ready, and if he shoots in any direction, you shoot his head right off.

That's right.

Oh, I understand that, but I can't let him wait.

That's what I was trying to say.

The moment he gets up, for act to shoot out of him, rather than answering.

That's right.

And Chuck's sure he will.

I haven't made him smart enough to let go until he's in LA.

He's better?

Yeah.

I agree with Chuck.

Unless, unless he's in LA.

What?

Chuck thinks he's in LA all the time.

Oh, I was saying, you've got to figure he may be smart enough to let go.

Yeah, I think he'd be smart enough, but he's ready to let go.

They said it was fascinating to watch the press and the people sitting there, the government people, the guys that hate us, sitting here just, you see, they're curious and they're grabbing the board and they're very hard on the political and those types of people.

They were paying an insurance subsidy to say, well, this is obviously not right.

We got right on time, just one more line.

Henry, finally build up on it.

I had a pressure in my head to have an emotional dialogue with anybody who would accuse this president and this administration of playing games or, you know, having some sort of battle or whatever.

But this sort of thing is an ordinary thing.

This kind of thing should be practiced together globally.

Good.

But Alcindor was the only one they could come back with.

They were just, they were really worried about the burning part.

It was just, you know, kind of, I couldn't believe it.

Destroyed.

It was that type of battle.

I think they've all been right.

If you're going to put a coalition government in, you need to back down.

That's what the settlement's about.

If you weren't able to sell that, too.

Yeah.

If you're getting a partial ceasefire,

No one has written that it was a complete settlement.

I don't think anyone's written anything that it was really a complete settlement.

Nobody's been mentioning to you about his.

Laos, Cambodia, you know.

That's the beauty of this.

It is a complete settlement.

Right now, Bob, you keep everybody's feet in the fire and don't think all that matters.

Here, the public relations, not who shot John and not any eyes across the peace, translated from American to Vietnamese.

Of course, it does matter what happens.

That will come.

We've got the great forces that go beyond what we said.

We've got to play this with the government.

probably because of the relationship with his dad.

But Skelly talked to him about it.

Skelly worked him over on the questions the other time.

Before he left, I think.

Before he left, I don't know.

I don't know.

He didn't ask him, Skelly.

He didn't ask him.

Thank you.

Nixon & Haldeman on Vietnam War and Henry Kissinger

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on October 26, 1972

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