Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 422-022
Date: Thursday, March 22, 1973 at 10:35 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Scowcroft, Brent G. (Gen.); [Unknown person(s)]
Recording device: Old Executive Office Building
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/422-022

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] I would like for you to get a hold of the .
[0:25] I would like from the field of the letters, messages, their statements,
[0:32] I mean, there...
[1:02] We did what was right.
[1:11] We're proud of what we did.
[1:24] Thank you for bringing this back.
[1:37] ... ... ... ...
[2:11] Okay.
[2:17] So now, with regard to where we stand, I forgot to ask you, are we announcing the DOW party today?
[2:38] Yeah.
[2:39] Thank you.
[3:18] I don't feel by myself that we ought to do that.
[3:48] Okay.
[4:13] So you'll follow through on that.
[4:20] Well, with regard to our situation, is there anything new in terms of those nine POWs?
[4:34] No, there isn't.
[4:37] There is a little lorry currently inside .
[4:52] That's right.
[5:13] That's right.
[5:16] But what's that worry ?
[5:18] Well, they're complaining now.
[5:20] That's right.
[5:21] Well, I think you see the specific agreement on the release of the knowledge is basically more of our understanding.
[5:45] I know it's not accurate.
[5:45] That's all right.
[5:46] Yes, it is.
[5:51] It's a protocol.
[5:55] It is.
[5:56] Well, it's not a formal protocol, but it's a written understanding.
[6:01] But I'm going through.
[6:06] I'm sure this press conference said that we have assurances on this, and this was one of them.
[6:13] preconditions for the whole thing.
[6:17] But I think we can use that.
[6:21] Are you sure you got it back?
[6:28] No, they haven't.
[6:33] They've not set a time.
[6:35] That's right, that was an offer.
[6:36] I'm arguing with you on that.
[6:42] We said we would withdraw in charge of the agreement, and all U.S. prisoners in the U.S. have to go to court.
[7:04] Right.
[7:05] We'll stick to that.
[7:05] That's right.
[7:05] We'll have to go to court.
[7:06] That's right.
[7:06] As I say, we'll have to work some way so we don't disclose understanding as such.
[7:08] But I'm sure you can cover that.
[7:08] We haven't covered that yet, so they should have some sort of government decision.
[7:10] They're getting it out right now, isn't that right?
[7:20] Here's the problem.
[7:41] What I would like to do is that I tell you that I want to make a statement that I think that is anti-valid.
[7:55] I've heard all Americans who have gone and all prisoners who have gone.
[7:57] I want to say something.
[7:57] I would like to say that I applaud the people who got hit for your confidentiality.
[7:59] I'm not going to put an end to that sort of development at all or anything.
[8:00] I'm just hoping that everybody in the staff can see that I didn't take out what you should have done.
[8:03] So that's what our goal is.
[8:07] If we can't work it out, make sure we don't make mistakes.
[8:09] We'll make it the next day.
[8:09] But the statement cannot be made until all of you know what's going on.
[8:17] And as far as the voting is concerned, we're going to make sure it's not that loud.
[8:24] They're just, yes, as a matter of fact, they've had that loud for a few years and gone back to San Diego.
[8:42] I think it's a moment.
[9:04] It really was based on how internal loud developments of what we were saying.
[9:16] Thank you.
[9:48] Thank you.
[10:29] Thank you.
[10:58] It's goddamn hard to find, at this time, the provocation or the pretext for this kind of an action.
[11:21] That's the problem with this.
[11:22] That's right, and I think it's just a matter of how important and how they would receive the message that you're prepared to use force to enforce the major prohibitions.
[11:27] could work just the other way
[12:02] And if they do not stop,
[12:29] or to very, very, very substantially increase.
[12:54] To make this critical, or to make this critical just a last, last little number before you get out.
[12:56] To make this critical, you have to be quick the next time you start selling.
[12:58] So that would be an extension to
[13:00] I think that would be true if it hurt him that way.
[13:21] But hit them on the trail, it doesn't hurt him that way.
[13:24] It isn't.
[13:24] Let's face it.
[13:25] We take them to the ball, maybe, and we tender it after it's bad.
[13:27] We don't want that now.
[13:29] We don't want them cracking the trail.
[13:30] I just wanted to slap the wrist.
[13:41] Oh, there's no question about that.
[13:42] That's the problem.
[13:42] That's right.
[13:42] The key to it is how would that register that thing?
[13:43] Is it looping backwards?
[13:48] They are, they are, but it's not a very acute question.
[14:13] I would simply say that part of the reason why we were convinced that we were on the first line of duty, and that's a fair assessment.
[14:36] That's a sensitive point.
[14:36] That's a comprehensive point.
[14:37] We were in violation of our jurisdiction.
[14:38] Another question is justification.
[14:39] .
[15:07] .
[15:07] .
[15:07] .
[15:07] .
[15:07] .
[15:09] that this thing lasted at least long enough so that we can demonstrate that peace is a fact, a truth, and not simply our way of getting it, not other ways of getting it.
[15:35] I think that's the danger I see in this case.
[15:57] As I said, Henry's feeling is very strong.
[16:05] Hold on a minute.
[16:07] He was very wrong for it last week.
[16:19] He would have paid it off three times a day.
[16:21] I'm not sure.
[16:21] I'm not sure.
[16:23] But he had to go.
[16:26] Yes.
[16:26] The first paragraph, which I'm sure is predictable, saying the opposite of the first paragraph.
[16:32] The point is, well, how much does this have to do with that?
[16:55] How much for one instance and second, how do we follow up?
[16:56] That's a good question.
[16:56] Do we need to re-follow up to say it's more of a regression curve?
[16:58] Yes.
[16:58] Correct.
[16:58] Yes.
[16:58] And I think we need to watch that very closely and see .
[17:08] You got a message out to him, didn't you?
[17:23] Yes, I certainly did.