Conversation 416-035

TapeTape 416StartThursday, March 15, 1973 at 10:39 AMEndThursday, March 15, 1973 at 10:55 AMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.Recording deviceOld Executive Office Building

On March 15, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:39 am to 10:55 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 416-035 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 416-35

Date: March 15, 1973
Time: 10:39 am-10:55 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

       People’s Republic of China [PRC]
            -Top experts
                  -John H. Holdridge
                  -Language abilities
                  -Trips to PRC

       Dollar crisis
             -George P. Shultz
                    -Instructions from President
                          -Europe
                          -Intervention

       John T. Downey
            -Captivity in PRC
            -Two Americans on mission
                  -Questions
                  -Whereabouts

       Vietnam settlement
            -Prisoners of war [POWs]
                  -Escapees, absent without leave [AWOL]
                        -Asylum
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            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                (rev. Mar.-09)

            -Condition after release
            -US note to North Vietnam
       -Quality
       -North Vietnam’s acceptance
            -Economic aid
            -South Koreans
                  -Military equipment to South Vietnam

Laos
       -Souvanna Phouma
            -Harry F. Byrd, Jr.
            -Clifton Daniel
            -Most Favored Nation [MFN] status [?]

Mansfield Amendment
     -Democratic caucus
           -Vote
     -Impact on foreign policy
           -Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy [?]

Message for President
     -Arrival
           -Press conference

Meeting with Leonid I. Brezhnev
     -News summary
     -Negotiations
     -Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
           -Meeting with President

Willy Brandt visit
     -Date

Nuclear Treaty
     -Kissinger’s conversation with Dobrynin
     -Kissinger’s letters
           -Soviet Union’s responses
     -Soviet Union
           -Relations with North Vietnam
                 -President’s letter to Brezhnev
                                                -44-

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                           (rev. Mar.-09)

[Pause]

          Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan’s conversation with Indira Gandhi
               -Restraint

Kissinger left at 10:55 am

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.

President, when you mentioned Texas and Holbrook, you might have been saying there are two of the senior men of China.
Two of them.
And you might say both of them have been on every trip to China.
said today that he had a series of contacts with you as a doctor and that the chance of sort of joining the National Police was not bad.
I've instructed Schultz that you told me to take the position that
to European countries, like, whatever that is currently, which means, in history, that we should not intervene.
I think that's too much on the floor.
Put it on the floor.
Put it on the floor.
That is very competent in the least amount of national order.
Now, there's supposed to be two Americans who were on the...
mission that led to Dane's capture and the Chinese had announced that Dane was never killed.
I had to ask about that.
Do you care to say if you're approaching the Chinese?
I just got a little bit out of there.
I forget who it is.
Yeah.
I had to say this last time about some careful assurances that we've got a lot of people that are, you know, in some good countries.
We've got a lot of people that are, you know, in some good countries.
We've got a lot of people that are, you know, in some good countries.
We've got a lot of people that are, you know, in some good countries.
We've got a lot of people that are, you know, in some good countries.
We've got a lot of people that are, you know, in some good countries.
The others are doing so well that it's just almost like a script.
But it's better every night to see what you do.
But I think you have to know that that's going to be the same thing.
He had volunteered to stay behind and he could have slept with the first time around.
Now, I've checked the reports that the groups that went out there to pick up these prisoners were this time much less well treated.
I don't know if you can remember that.
And I'm just like, I'm a prisoner.
I don't know about anything else.
It may have a number of differences, too.
I don't know.
I think we're going to start to think about that.
We still want to kill them.
I think we've set up a very tough note yesterday and last night.
If we don't get an answer by that time, I think we're going to hold it in track, which is what I think we're going to do.
I think it's necessary to
We won't have any measures that we can expect.
That's what I have to tell you.
I have no evidence.
I have no evidence.
I have no evidence.
I have no evidence.
Never, never was.
Oh, I don't think.
I don't think they are.
I mean, they have to be more spiritual and diabolical than anybody who's ever dealt with it.
If they hang for any other reason, they spend all that time on me.
And what do I do?
Huh?
Do you not know it?
And they spend all that time on me.
And I think it would be great if you'd want to relate it to my life over here.
And why?
Maybe that's exactly the way they are.
Good, Mr. Bixby.
Speaking of the truth.
They could look at things from our side or do things with us.
For example, the couriers that are leaving, they left.
We have not left all their equipment behind.
We say that that is legal, but because we transferred, how do you look?
Before January 27th, I mean, I don't even know if they put any equipment in there.
You know, what I'm getting at is the question is whether or not they, you know, how does that work?
I still think it's a strain on their body.
I think they have to live with it next week.
Just to show them that they can live.
I think there'll be a plan for a few more days, but I don't think it's time to do much of that.
Oh, we've talked to the doctors already.
I don't think that's going to be able to hold on.
I think we're going to have to wait.
Harry Bird and Cliff Daniel there.
And I really let him have it on MFN.
And when I left, he said, just don't drop it too much.
We may be able to make a deal on that.
But today, they have met.
They have voted the Democratic caucus on the math field.
Sure.
Those Democrats, I'm not going to be able to do that.
.
.
.
But he sent a message for us at 11.30 today.
It will be too late for your news conference at this time.
I think he will be here in four months.
Yeah.
For the news conference.
I'm very much sure.
I think we're pleading with .
I don't think that he agreed to .
No, not only did he, but I think what had happened .
I have read that he did not get out of jail, and just the way that .
I think we're going to get something out of pressing a bunch of tools, which we can't actually use.
Good effect, but I don't actually think we're going to get something out of pressing a bunch of tools.
We're not going to get something out of pressing a bunch of tools.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
He wants to come over on May 1st rather than May 8th.
I'd like to talk to you for 15 minutes just to finish on that nuclear treaty, because I've had to work with old Sabrina about it, no sense about it.
No sense about it.
Oh, I got the, uh, I sent back two letters.
I sent them.
I saw them.
I bet it's something.
I tried to get a little bit.
I saw it.
I thought it was better.
They like that.
I'll get it.
I can't believe.
to jeopardize its relation with us.
That's one thing that I understand.
Okay.
At the point I had had a talk with one of the guys about that, he said that she was relatively restrained.
In fact, he was totally restrained when he came in.
Well, if he would have gone home, it would have been more obvious.
You see, good relations are alive.
They won't even talk about that.