Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 451-023
Date: Thursday, February 18, 1971 at 6:16 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/451-023

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[4:38:17] That's all right.
[4:39:26] because the North Vietnamese are not limited by troops, by mass hours.
[4:39:31] They're limited by the difficulty of access.
[4:39:34] And, uh, and, uh, take that profit itself by putting the Chinese in there.
[4:39:43] If we went north, if we landed in Hong Kong, or if we landed in Vinh, or something like that, then it's conceivable.
[4:39:56] I don't think that the presence of consensus had come in.
[4:40:07] But if I had a duty now, yeah.
[4:40:10] Oh, they moved back in, didn't they?
[4:40:11] Oh, yeah.
[4:40:11] They practically don't make it in time in the future because they're part of the intelligence.
[4:40:16] And they're so confused or they're walking out of their community.
[4:40:20] No, that's what they're going to do.
[4:40:23] Well, now they're pretty sure what it is, and they're moving it whenever they can.
[4:40:33] Well, they're still pulling some.
[4:40:35] They're not moving anyone from the coast.
[4:40:38] But again, they tried one, and they're trying another one tonight.
[4:40:44] They did one, but they're doing another one tonight.
[4:40:51] Now, some people scream that that's a violation of the understanding.
[4:40:54] I'm sorry.
[4:40:57] Yeah.
[4:40:58] Because they're technically part of me.
[4:41:00] But I mean, because they think that he did violate the understanding of me with that.
[4:41:19] Oh, I see.
[4:41:21] I see.
[4:41:21] And they're probably in the sand.
[4:41:24] Yeah, but all the tax would sell for most of the time.
[4:41:31] What are they going to do?
[4:41:33] They're going to fix this.
[4:41:35] In fact, they claimed they sank eight ships last time.
[4:41:43] I don't know if that's true.
[4:41:44] Well, they've got one more schedule.
[4:41:47] It's already open.
[4:41:48] I am.
[4:41:48] That's all that's authorized me to do.
[4:41:49] What's your reaction?
[4:41:50] Well, I'm here with people of Western Interest.
[4:41:53] They all feel the same.
[4:41:54] I've seen them thrive.
[4:41:55] They're not good at it.
[4:41:55] I haven't seen any of these players.
[4:41:59] Well, they have a little bit of copy, but I have practiced with them this morning.
[4:42:03] Oh, you've seen them?
[4:42:04] Yeah.
[4:42:04] I have practiced with them.
[4:42:05] I've seen some of them.
[4:42:09] You've seen some of them?
[4:42:11] Yeah.
[4:42:12] Laird is a funny guy.
[4:42:13] He's numerous like a main character in this film.
[4:42:15] Sorry, Laird.
[4:42:16] You can taste it.
[4:42:17] And he's also loyal to you.
[4:42:17] Very nice.
[4:42:19] So I, uh... Well, he is, he's a...
[4:42:22] I rather like him, yeah.
[4:42:27] He's a rascal, but I'm going for a rascal.
[4:42:34] I didn't do it.
[4:42:35] I'm listening now.
[4:42:35] I've got it.
[4:42:36] I'm listening.
[4:42:37] I'm listening.
[4:42:49] For us, you can call this thing, sucker, get out of there.
[4:42:51] But the key would be, I guess it's not that we want the drugs, you know, it's not that we have to lose an election, but we're going to have to lose this war.
[4:43:03] That's my view.
[4:43:05] My view is that we're going to have to allow this.
[4:43:11] I thought the weather had been on and on for the next three days.
[4:43:16] It's expected to be perfect.
[4:43:18] It's perfect now.
[4:43:20] And they're sounding them.
[4:43:22] They're putting every 52 they've got in there.
[4:43:25] They're putting tracks there.
[4:43:26] They're pounding them around the block.
[4:43:28] Well, there's the grounder, and we've got it.
[4:43:42] I think 150 yards of the, of the front line crew.
[4:43:44] And, uh, those other enemies, they're running on these, uh, and it's going to be awfully tough for them to take this problem.
[4:44:00] They, they took it as an obvious case, actually, years ago today.
[4:44:03] And they're going to run for us.
[4:44:08] And we're going to have to shoot up a lot of their troops.
[4:44:12] That's going to be, if it's still done, I don't know if the press is going to try to cut it out.
[4:44:16] The main event should be over.
[4:44:19] And if they are, if they keep their hopes cut, they are going to tell them the club operation is going extremely well.
[4:44:29] Yes, everybody's free.
[4:44:30] That's what I heard.
[4:44:44] But if they would roll over and fly that 10 miles from their point, then this is completely true.
[4:44:51] On the other hand, all of the units are going to lose up there.
[4:44:59] He does not feel ready to put an event like this next year or later this year.
[4:45:10] The future itself is East by 12.
[4:45:13] They're going to be standing here for years to come.
[4:45:18] I guess if they fight well, North Vietnam can never be North Vietnam.
[4:45:22] Never.
[4:45:23] Because North South Vietnam has more people than North.
[4:45:26] That's more equipment for us.
[4:45:27] Those three members will be at the end of the supply line.
[4:45:31] If the other people work against it.
[4:46:21] 3,000 are in reserve, so that's April 4th is an active reserve, whatever.
[4:46:27] And then there's another division he's got in reserve, too.
[4:46:33] We've just got to stay cool now and shove in whatever reserves are needed.
[4:46:37] It's going to be tough, and we'll need the strong will the next few weeks of the panicky moment.
[4:46:45] But I think, having paid the drives, we ought to stay in there now, isn't it?
[4:46:49] Look at the energy, just look at the energy from the stars.
[4:46:51] And just shoot them up.
[4:47:01] We got it all taken in terms of being able to stay at home.
[4:47:09] And Moro gave me some statistics today of helicopter losses.
[4:47:12] But actually they lost only six more helicopters.
[4:47:19] I wonder if...
[4:47:20] I wonder if...
[4:47:38] Yes, sir.
[4:47:39] They took a trip up and said, you know, this is kind of all getting together and going at this time.
[4:47:44] They aren't all going together here.
[4:47:46] And so it's quite a lot.
[4:47:49] What I'm beginning to think, who I'm going to go for, who I'm going to take to common is this one.
[4:47:53] They're all going to Santa.
[4:47:55] And I think I'm going to go to Santa.
[4:47:59] That's great.
[4:47:59] So he's got his staff and Helter, who used to be on my staff for three months.
[4:48:03] He was...
[4:48:06] which is chief aide of our maintenance.
[4:48:08] And at some moment, I heard some memos that Halpern wrote for me.
[4:48:11] He was trying to butter me up.
[4:48:13] He is John Halpern, your kid.
[4:48:14] Son of a bitch.
[4:48:16] What can I do?
[4:48:17] I find Halpern is alive.
[4:48:22] He must be just a man who played in peace.
[4:48:24] I know he must be pure, and I think he's a man who played his core down in the war.
[4:48:37] He's certainly not in charge of policy research, which is what he thought he was going to be.
[4:48:47] And I don't think Lake is, A, he's in the heavy, B, his knowledge is not very out of date.
[4:48:54] Helga doesn't have any inside knowledge anyway, because he was across the street writing think-tanks.
[4:48:59] For me, he didn't even see any documents.
[4:49:04] As I said, I'll get rid of him in July 69.
[4:49:06] But Halton is probably the saddest of the list.
[4:49:15] I know.
[4:49:15] I heard that he is.
[4:49:19] I don't know.
[4:49:21] I don't know.
[4:49:21] I don't know.
[4:49:22] I don't know.
[4:49:32] That is a tragedy.
[4:49:33] At one stage, I thought God meant it, but potential, so I took care of it.
[4:49:35] Uh, here in your house, it's a tragedy.
[4:49:36] It's hard to get in.
[4:49:37] It's got to be smoking.
[4:49:37] It's hard to get in.
[4:49:38] I said it yesterday.
[4:49:40] It's over there today.
[4:49:41] It won't be in the water.
[4:49:43] You can't help it.
[4:49:44] It's here in the house.
[4:49:48] It's just a bunch of slime.
[4:49:51] You can't stop it.
[4:49:52] It's here in the mouth.
[4:49:55] Two sides.
[4:49:55] You can't do that.
[4:49:56] I think it's got to be in the water.
[4:49:58] I said it yesterday.
[4:49:59] It's going to be in the water.
[4:50:00] It's going to be in the mouth.
[4:50:01] You can't help it.
[4:50:03] And so, you know, to say your policy is a policy that leads to more war, what is their alternative?
[4:50:10] If they have the guts to say, don't get out, but then they don't have the guts to say, I may have guts to...
[4:50:35] It's a pity to see a man of this kind in a covered house.
[4:50:39] Henry's in New York.
[4:50:41] You've got to see him financially.
[4:50:45] I have noticed that thanks to Paul, he tried to sign his financing of Stein.
[4:50:49] It's a way left, you know.
[4:50:51] Yeah.
[4:50:52] How exciting it is against his past since 2011.
[4:50:54] These other investments he made, he's got two.
[4:50:58] Paul Stein, isn't that amazing?
[4:51:00] Here's Stein, one of the richest men in the country.
[4:51:03] He's in 2011.
[4:51:10] Oh, yeah.
[4:51:48] And, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh,
[4:52:06] I can see it all over this government.
[4:55:27] I don't think this is the time.
[4:55:29] I think we're going to be lost.
[4:55:30] That's what I think.
[4:55:31] I think we're just a piece of this.
[4:55:32] We're a piece of this.
[4:55:33] We're a piece of this.
[4:55:33] We're a piece of this.
[4:55:34] You know, I just want to give you a little test here.
[4:55:36] I'm sorry.
[4:55:37] Come on.
[4:55:38] You know, I can't do a test.
[4:55:39] You know what I mean?
[4:55:40] Yes.
[4:55:40] I'm sorry.
[4:56:23] And I told Sandler this, I said, I love you, but... And I said, but can you really feel that it's different?
[4:56:31] Democracy in this country wouldn't be taught to me.
[4:56:35] He asked me, wouldn't you?
[4:56:37] I said, the thing you never get that it's for is you've kept it right in this country related to this, to the government.
[4:56:49] We're in all normal situations.
[4:56:54] had to do this difficult thing.
[4:56:58] And so you'll still turn out to be the best protection of the students who are riding against you, even though they'll never thank you for it.
[4:57:09] Because the alternative to you in 1960 was not a liberal Democrat, but a Wallace or a Reagan.