Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 397-005
Date: Friday, January 19, 1973 at 9:35 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Price, Raymond K., Jr.; Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: Old Executive Office Building
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/397-005

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] We do that every second.
[0:43] Thank you.
[2:53] What I had is when we came down further, the first thing we found out was that we were in a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very,
[3:48] I think it tracks pretty well this past year.
[4:08] Well, because of our, let's see, because of our older nations, that might be the problem with our older nations this past year.
[4:15] Otherwise, they may just think that the statue of Jesus Christ comes from the cross.
[4:35] The cross of our Lord.
[4:36] The cross of our Lord.
[4:36] The cross of our Lord.
[4:37] I know, I know, it's both.
[4:37] Both.
[4:38] The cross of our Lord.
[5:42] Thank you.
[7:45] I wanted to just say that maybe we could take a breath of water.
[8:09] You see, thinking in a hostile way, as we do in Latin America and Vietnam, there's only the stoppers.
[8:11] But we all know that
[8:14] ... ... ... ... ... ...
[8:56] Thank you.
[12:44] Thank you.
[13:14] Thank you.
[13:47] As a result,
[14:34] We want to use the word both because of our...
[17:02] So Chinese will be king of Moscow.
[18:25] in 1972.
[19:20] I think that was it.
[19:55] I think that's what I want to say.
[20:18] But this is because of our in developing a new relationship.
[20:32] Thank you.
[22:59] See what I mean?
[24:51] That's all.
[24:54] I don't want any.
[26:24] I know it starts.
[28:15] Thank you.
[28:50] But I think you could do it maybe better.
[29:19] I don't know.
[29:19] I don't know.
[30:26] I think that's the only thing.
[30:48] The bottom of page five, in terms of the liberty grade, I think that's something there.
[30:50] What makes a sentence like, what will government do for me?
[30:51] What can I say?
[30:54] What makes that sense?
[31:08] Deliver better or only just to have it stick out there rather than to lead into it in a different way.
[31:10] And it may be that you can do that on your own.
[31:11] There may be a lead in with a badge.
[31:37] Your office parents, I understand.
[31:59] How are they?
[31:59] How are they doing?
[32:00] Oh, okay.
[32:00] Okay.
[32:00] Okay.
[32:00] Okay.
[32:00] When we finish, I'd like to have Wade grapple with your office for 15 minutes and look at this draft of the court policy part.
[32:10] I'm just saying, Ray, come over here and I'll show you the parks.
[32:36] It's not for the board to be the same, let alone any of you.
[32:38] I said, I'm the only one who knew I was going to do this.
[32:39] I'm crazy about it.
[32:39] I said, it's here.
[32:40] I said, it's here.
[32:41] This is stuff that I've worked on very deeply.
[32:59] Which I'm really trying to stay.
[33:28] Well, some of this is great mission, but it's just better than this.
[33:42] Some of it's Christ.
[33:43] Some of it's Christ.
[33:43] Some of it's Christ.
[34:00] Now, this is a scrap.
[34:09] You've worked on this.
[34:09] It feels like as soon as you get something like this, it's like a spot.
[34:41] And if you can, find a way to say, let us, you know, make that a slight, a quick shot, a shot, a shot, so that it stands out very starkly.
[35:05] And we call it the Kenley thing, you know, of speech.
[35:06] So, that's kind of natural.
[35:07] That's kind of natural.
[35:07] That's kind of natural.
[35:08] That's kind of natural.
[35:08] It was put out there.
[35:08] It's a day.
[35:09] Bye-bye-bye.
[35:10] Oh, I didn't see that.
[35:29] All right.
[35:30] Well, I'll call this one.
[35:30] It's not.
[35:30] I'll call this one.
[35:40] As a matter of fact, I picked it up right here.
[35:53] Let me get the field.
[35:54] So I don't know.
[35:54] You're right.
[35:54] You're right.
[36:23] I think in order to gather this judgment on this part, you ought to go over that last part.
[36:42] Go over it and get ready.
[36:42] Let me say the only thing we're going to do now is to just share something on this so that people can take that out.
[36:44] There's nothing else.
[36:52] And I'll call you as soon as I can.
[37:18] Thank you.
[37:18] Thank you.
[37:19] Thank you.
[37:19] Thank you.
[37:19] Thank you.
[37:21] I was going to go loud.
[37:41] I don't care about that.
[37:41] The reason I don't have any left in me is because I don't have any left in me.
[37:43] But all the men who are also in that group, you know, it's another power play that the White House has got to explain.
[37:59] Well, Henry, the only thing that we have to recognize is the knowledge that I was given.
[38:21] And I'm going to go forward and turn our girl with this straight up.
[38:22] There's not going to be a line that we're ending the work, because suppose we have to end it, but I mean, we still have to do anything.
[38:25] And what we've done this week, you know, it's like the nail on the report.
[38:26] We've been talking to everybody about it.
[38:27] We've been talking to everybody.
[38:29] That's all I say.
[38:56] That's my...
[38:57] You can't stand up here and let this son of a bitch just whine and all the rest of that.
[39:21] Well, the point that you made long ago, if you can trust me, you will always know something.
[39:23] You'll be all right.
[39:24] There came a time, before we were absolutely beaten, when we had the shot, where you said, I can't believe it.
[39:31] ... ... ... ... ...
[40:00] He was willing to step down a year ago.
[40:23] He was willing to step down in January.
[40:23] He was willing to step down in May.
[40:27] And now, we compare the terms to be ourselves with the things that we've got.
[40:51] We've got a hell of a lot more than what we thought.
[40:52] And that, like I said, is what I'm going to do.
[40:53] And this, of course, we're being held to our respect.
[40:54] Even if we compare our real things with the things that we've got.
[40:55] That's the only place that we can ever see.
[40:57] Yeah.
[41:25] Yeah.
[41:31] Thank you.
[42:02] When you went back in December, they backed off of it, either of everything.
[42:31] And, uh, you know what I mean, that they wouldn't give you them if they got it on foot, which is why we were on foot.
[42:51] And that's my point.
[42:51] You see, you see, I, when I told the ladies, I said, for ten days, I said, for ten days, and then finally it was in the name of the man's bill.
[42:54] Uh, he said, well, why didn't you make a concession?
[42:55] Why didn't you do this or that?
[42:56] And why didn't you make concessions as fast as they put up with the man's?
[42:57] And my point is, it's the whole thing that's going to be breached in the total.
[43:01] They were not ready to negotiate.
[43:24] They were not willing to.
[43:25] And he makes the brief prospect of the war of our prisoners.
[43:26] In terms of the briefings, what we can say is what can be said in respect to what can be said after the 20th century times.
[43:29] Because we don't want to have any signs that it wasn't the 20th century.
[43:32] This is no time, I understand.
[43:54] I know that you can't take them all.
[43:55] But what I can say, though, I think that the main thing is that you don't want to get on that whole bonnet business and the rest of the table.
[43:58] I think maybe you just handle that by yourself.
[43:59] The situation is different.
[44:00] I'm not going to comment upon that fact sheet.
[44:00] I think you're on to the question.
[44:03] ... ... ... ...
[44:35] Thank you.
[45:04] Thank you.
[45:41] Coming back to June.
[46:09] Hey, it's not going to stay here.
[46:29] We've got a friend who's on his way back.
[46:30] So, we're just going to put it on the way.
[46:31] Hey, it's on his way.
[46:31] So, again, we're going to put it on the way.
[46:32] So, we're just going to put it on the way.
[46:46] You couldn't see me anyway.
[47:18] .
[47:43] .
[47:43] .
[47:52] That's what we're doing.
[48:15] I think it's my view on the announcement.
[48:16] I think we just have to try to plug it through.
[48:17] Rather than calling on it, I'm just going to say it.
[48:18] I'm just going to say it.
[48:18] It closed.
[48:18] I saw the papers.
[48:19] said here this morning.
[48:45] Well, he is going through all the trials and tribulations.
[48:47] If you let him, if you let him die, if you put him in grace, so, you know, Jesus is the brother of God.
[48:49] So,
[48:50] And that isn't so bad.
[49:18] That would just be a direct image to me.
[49:18] Another thing they did today
[49:25] Oh, yeah.
[49:53] Oh, yeah.
[49:53] Oh, yeah.
[49:53] Oh, yeah.
[49:53] Oh, yeah.
[50:02] Thank you.
[50:33] He was, to me, surprising because he was honest.
[50:59] But he spoke rather highly of us.
[51:06] I did the campaign in 1954.
[51:32] I went to Iraq so I could draw that frame.
[51:33] That's what I had to do.
[51:33] I went to Moscow.
[51:34] I was the guy that had to talk to Khrushchev the first time.
[51:35] That's what he said to me the next time.
[51:36] All those years, all those years, nobody, even my most vicious friends, would say that I ever reached for power or ever got talking about it.
[52:02] You know, you're hard on people.
[52:03] They try to say that, but they don't.
[52:03] They try to say that.
[52:04] And it is, and it is, I think.
[52:04] You see what I went through when I was three years old.
[52:05] The heartache I was having was horrible.
[52:07] But he also had the really honest, good guy on him.
[52:29] He was sitting around on the fucking hill, just out of position.
[52:30] And then the other one, the person who was going to do it, was the worst.
[52:32] In fact, he was going to be free.
[52:32] He was going to be out of his mind.
[52:33] And, so he came up with what I thought was the most interesting thing.
[52:34] He said he was going to take these jobs.
[52:36] Thank you.
[53:03] I just want to warn you about this.
[53:28] I just want to warn you about this.
[53:29] I just want to warn you about this.
[53:29] I just want to warn you about this.
[53:30] I just want to warn you about this.
[53:31] I just want to warn you about this.
[53:33] Then the other thing he wants to do is to settle the eventual income.
[53:49] Well, you know, I have to say that it's been bad.
[53:50] He won't let it shine.
[53:51] Well, then he says he'll drop the money.
[53:51] He wants to go to the hospital.
[53:52] Then he'll lose a pair of socks.
[53:53] Then that's not the same.
[53:53] Since he wants to be a negotiator, so...
[54:06] I think it's going to be awful.
[54:34] Let's get it done.
[54:35] Let's get it done.
[54:35] Let's get it done.
[54:38] We had an odd session.
[55:03] People want to have him here.
[55:03] They don't want to hear it at all.
[55:04] He's going to come back.
[55:05] I don't think we're all wrong.
[55:05] He's going to come back.
[55:06] He's going to come back.
[55:06] He's going to come back.
[55:07] He's going to come back.
[55:07] He's going to come back.
[55:08] I don't believe we just can't have this.
[55:36] But I told him.
[56:07] That was one thing that changed as far as I was concerned.
[56:26] All I did was push that article.
[56:27] That's a good thing.
[56:27] It's a good idea.
[56:28] It's not over.
[56:28] That's a very good thing to do.
[56:29] But also, I have to mention this, because if you know about the investigation, I'm going to say, oh, I need to look this up.
[56:31] And therefore, I would like to go here, there, and I could be having to set up.
[56:33] It was his idea that I take the first trip around the world and look across the space and look there.
[56:37] .
[57:05] .
[57:05] .
[57:06] God bless you.
[57:30] Thank you.
[57:58] The main thing on that trip, in the terms of what she did, I mean, it makes me think of something that's impossible.
[58:16] It's like that, you know, it's like that with the place where they all went.
[58:17] And I had a question for people on this trip.
[58:18] I was like, I met the people.
[58:19] And it was, you know, it's a matter of perspective for us.
[58:20] There are people that go out and give you the things, like, I'm going to tell you something.
[58:22] You know, don't worry about the things.
[58:23] But sometimes, you know, it's like,
[58:34] Absolutely.
[58:55] So it's true.
[58:55] But my point is that he suggested I do that.
[58:56] And then the next time I came, I called the other trips that I went to.
[58:58] One was the inauguration of Rome, basically.
[58:58] I went.
[58:59] I went.
[58:59] We were halfway there.
[58:59] I was the first to go.
[59:00] I was the last to go.
[59:00] So I was the last one to go.
[59:01] I was the last one to go.
[59:01] I was the last one to go.
[59:02] I was the last one to go.
[59:02] I was the last one to go.
[59:03] ... ... ... ... ... ...
[59:33] ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
[1:00:05] I didn't make any mistakes.
[1:00:26] I knew it.
[1:00:27] I redefined it by dropping me constantly.
[1:00:28] He doesn't say, here's what I can do for the president.
[1:00:29] He says, I need to condescend.
[1:00:29] He says he doesn't want to do good things.
[1:00:30] He wants to have a negotiation so that he can get his name into a team.
[1:00:32] It's very tricky for a vice president to want to do that anyway.
[1:00:33] He can't be vice president.
[1:00:34] I know he's done that.
[1:00:34] I know everyone.
[1:00:37] All other people, the vice president is basically the vice president of the presidency.
[1:00:57] It's like being the vice president.
[1:00:58] You can, and I can, too.
[1:00:58] You know what I mean?
[1:00:59] Even the secretary of state.
[1:00:59] But I can never be the vice president.
[1:01:00] There's the other part, isn't there?
[1:01:01] The negotiator must be in a position that if something goes that the vice president can move away.
[1:01:03] But my vice president, when he speaks, he speaks for the president.
[1:01:04] I view it as...
[1:01:05] It's never, it's never used.
[1:01:32] What he has heard each time, I think,
[1:01:42] .
[1:01:55] .
[1:02:05] .
[1:02:05] .
[1:02:05] .
[1:02:05] .
[1:02:05] .
[1:02:05] .
[1:02:06] .
[1:02:06] .
[1:02:18] ... ... ... ... ... ...
[1:02:47] And the need is fine, but why don't we have to do it in the future?
[1:03:11] Why don't we have to do it in the future?
[1:03:12] Why don't we have to do it in the future?
[1:03:13] Why don't we have to do it in the future?
[1:03:15] Let me say that I want to announce your trip.
[1:03:37] I have a question.
[1:03:38] I'm not going to answer your question.
[1:03:38] I don't want to.
[1:03:39] And I want to also tell you that I'm very good at this.
[1:03:40] I'm very good at this.
[1:03:40] I'm very good at this.
[1:03:41] I'm very good at this.
[1:03:51] Oh, that's right.
[1:04:08] You don't need to announce.
[1:04:08] I think the reason I'm testing you guys...
[1:04:20] This is one that's right.
[1:04:43] If you will, I don't know what I'm planning.
[1:04:44] It's based on personal experience.
[1:04:45] In office, it's much less limited.
[1:04:45] It's much less limited.
[1:04:46] It's sort of an office variety.
[1:04:46] So it's to talk around, not just talk, talk, talk, talk.
[1:04:48] Right?
[1:04:48] It's got a little bit of a standard.
[1:04:48] It's got a little bit of a standard.
[1:04:49] Yeah.
[1:04:49] Yeah.
[1:04:49] Yeah.
[1:04:55] No, no, no, I didn't.
[1:05:19] I'm pretty sure I'm going to need it.
[1:05:20] I will need to look at it on Monday night.
[1:05:21] On Monday night and Monday night.
[1:05:22] I think it's Monday the 29th, so the Q&A, on that, you must prepare.
[1:05:41] And, uh, Steve would have decided to appeal the 27th instead of the right to the 28th, because, you know, that was the 23rd, so that was, um, it was a big announcement, but we were due to, due to, you know, no one expected it.
[1:05:46] I mean, yesterday, you know, I was going through the other bills, and I was, I was actually going to thank you for the people who swiped me off, and I don't know what they're going to do all day.
[1:05:50] Thank you.
[1:06:34] Let's think for a moment.
[1:07:11] That's right.
[1:07:40] That's right.
[1:07:40] Well, they said it had him.
[1:07:41] That's right.
[1:07:47] So now, of course, what they have to prove is that the settlement is going to be approved.
[1:08:08] And they're going to get back to that meet now.
[1:08:09] That's what they're going to get back to.
[1:08:09] But we don't think it's going to be like that.
[1:08:10] So, you know, I think it's possible.
[1:08:11] This is going to be a discussion that's going to be in my, like, 10 or 15 years from now.
[1:08:13] So he's not going to have to be here.
[1:08:14] He's going to be here.
[1:08:14] He's going to be here.
[1:08:15] He's going to be here.
[1:08:23] So, it wouldn't be just a total disaster.
[1:08:43] It is so tough.
[1:08:43] Oh, yeah.
[1:08:44] And there, there's no question about it.
[1:08:44] You're going forward, but you're not necessarily going to be successful.
[1:08:46] Now, it's not inconceivable to me.
[1:08:47] That's when the fear goes away.
[1:08:52] I'm sorry, I can't go along.
[1:09:16] I read it very much.
[1:09:16] It was rather unnecessary than I had to do.
[1:09:17] It was like, period.
[1:09:18] But it's taken quite a while.
[1:09:23] All right.
[1:09:30] All right.
[1:09:30] All right.
[1:09:59] I just don't really know.
[1:10:18] I really, when I read the instructions, when I read those reading the pictures, I think I see some truth.
[1:10:20] He's just not talking to any of his opponents.
[1:10:21] On the ground, when he's going to check, he's going to give him all sets of paragraphs and letters.
[1:10:23] He put in each letter something good, something bad, something good.
[1:10:25] I don't know if that's a truth or not.
[1:10:25] I don't know if that's true.
[1:10:32] He's moving towards it.
[1:10:57] No question.
[1:10:58] You know, we told him when we said something, every time we made a concession to him, he accidentally said it.
[1:11:01] ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
[1:11:33] I don't want him to think there's any damn option.
[1:12:01] He knows that.
[1:12:01] And that's why I think that I don't know what he's talking about.
[1:12:03] I'm not going to travel one damn mile.
[1:12:30] ... ... ... ... ... ...
[1:12:53] I think you should announce that you're going to stay out of everything.
[1:13:06] You should tell them, rather than telling them, you just tell them to come back and try to help.
[1:13:08] In case of this, you might have to sign it.
[1:13:09] If you don't sign it, I should not stay over there.
[1:13:10] It's much better that I put it down and you send me back.
[1:13:23] That's the only question I have.
[1:13:48] Whether I can go on and say Jesus is here.
[1:13:49] You might say, this is what we do.
[1:13:49] Maybe I can't do it.
[1:13:50] I mean, I just think it's possible that it's not.
[1:13:51] I think this is it.
[1:13:51] That would be one hell of a lesson.
[1:13:52] If I walk out,
[1:13:53] So the beast is here, and everybody says, rah, rah, rah.
[1:14:18] And the next day, Jesus says, where the hell?
[1:14:19] Where are you?
[1:14:19] Where are you, Christ?
[1:14:20] So there's no way he finds us.
[1:14:20] There's no way he can find us.
[1:14:21] There's no way he can find us.
[1:14:22] I agree.
[1:14:44] I agree.
[1:14:44] I agree.
[1:14:45] When I go on, that's the only part I've got to be prepared.
[1:14:46] I'm just thinking of the worst.
[1:14:46] I'm just thinking of the worst.
[1:14:47] I'm just thinking of the worst.
[1:14:53] ... ... ...
[1:15:23] ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
[1:15:53] You're going to go ahead and go straight to that.
[1:16:12] I have no question about that.
[1:16:13] The question is, what follows after that?
[1:16:14] And that is, that's not a reason.
[1:16:15] My question there is, Henry, you were there, you were an agent.
[1:16:16] So I had to step out there and say, you're an agent, you're not an agent, you're a raven, and you're Jerry Rodgers, and you're just a person that went through Saturday to Sunday.
[1:16:19] So that was very, I would not mention you at all.
[1:16:29] And then he said the next day, I was writing, and he put it on the stage and he said, I had this.
[1:16:45] He said it was like, I don't know, he said, I don't know, he said, I don't know, he said, I don't know.
[1:17:01] Thank you.
[1:17:31] I don't know.
[1:18:02] ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
[1:18:30] Now, let me ask you a word about, like, when do you report the price?
[1:18:59] I don't think you can pick them up.
[1:18:59] Well,
[1:19:00] So I'll tell you what I'll do.
[1:19:15] You go over there and meet your friends.
[1:19:16] I'll lay the prices.
[1:19:16] I've had a couple of sentences that I was talking about.
[1:19:17] I can't.
[1:19:18] I want you to sit over there and listen to me.
[1:19:19] It's fine.
[1:19:19] It doesn't really matter to me.
[1:19:19] I don't know.
[1:19:20] I think it would be helpful if you could bring me up to five.
[1:19:21] I don't know.
[1:19:30] Thank you.
[1:20:00] Alright, bye.
[1:20:16] And I'll send it over at 1130.