On May 27, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, King Malik Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, Isa Sabbaugh, Camile Nowfels, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:36 am to 11:50 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 504-004 of the White House Tapes.
Transcript (AI-Generated)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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.
The last time we met was in Australia.
I was out of office and he was 65 or 66.
He had to talk about some of the problems with that part of the world.
He had to talk about that.
When the Majesty talks with his friends like yourself, Mr. President, he is very sincere and very straightforward.
Because we consider that the interests of the United States are the same as our interests because of the good relations that exist between us.
Mr. Secretary Rogers is very pleased with his talk with His Majesty, and I engage him in full report.
Mr. Rogers is very pleased with his talk with His Majesty, and I engage him in full report.
Mr. Rogers is very pleased with his talk with His Majesty, and I engage him in full report.
Mr. Rogers is very pleased with his talk with His Majesty, and I engage him in full report.
It's so good to see you.
I don't know.
It's not easy.
It's not easy.
It's not easy.
It's not easy.
It's not easy.
Thank you.
Thank you.
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Thank you.
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.
Thank you.
We, of course, are interested in our between our two countries.
at the time when he was about 14, and then in the U.S., and his father was a head of state, a fellow with experience and knowledge.
Mr. President, certain newspapers and magazines did publish that... Mr. President, Mr. President...
The other gentleman was also from Faisal.
I see.
I see.
And in our process of strengthening our relations
with others, me too.
Okay.
In the absence of this, I continue not to yield to hungry ghosts.
Actually, I ain't, uh, I didn't forget your order.
Oh, dear God.
So long as there's a sense of love.
and I would like to talk.
Does his Majesty have any matters involving our bilateral relations that he would like to bring up with me?
Or does he feel that at other levels of the Defense Department that those matters are not being handled?
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Our country is not a country where we can do anything.
Our country is a country where we can do anything.
Our country is a country where we can do anything.
Our country is a country where we can do anything.
I would like to reiterate with a sense of pleasure that the relations between the two countries are fine, proportion is fine.
However, there are certain things which pertain to our country, he says, the two.
Let's pray.
But there's one thing which the embassy would like to bring to your attention, Mr. President.
You know that it's important that the President of the United States should know that we in the area have access to the embassy.
The interest of these two agents, so to speak, that is the burden that sticks.
There are a few things that I'm constantly conspiring, but that is a burden.
It's a tremendous thing in opposition to what they actually need to know.
I've been working with a study in the University of Asia.
I've been working with a whole study in the University of Asia.
it is made like in the Hamas as well.
Now of course, this is really inspired by the Zionism and the Zionism of the Christian faith, to actually, we mean to, to twin sisters.
The origin seems to us to be the same.
What do we know of the Shaft and Shadrach, which are the two originators of the Shadrach and Shadrach?
That's why we have to explain it to separate religions.
She said to me, you look for the scientists.
I have a mission.
I need to save our planet.
I've got a mechanism to save the planet.
It wasn't a dream.
Terrorism seems to be taking and driving or jumping or they're moving down, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, moving
I don't know.
I don't know.
In fact, I didn't mention at this point what you said with Rajasthan.
I hope that he brought it to your attention.
What I said was that we are really worried about the United States of America in the sense that we are worried that Zionism, through encouraging communism,
What's that?
I don't know what to say.
workers, or students, or extremists from one side to the other, calculated, and those who call themselves anti-war, anti-Soviet war, really, those are really the result of clever calculation in order to cause peoples in the United States, and therefore in the United States of America, less capable of understanding the challenge
Zionism by seeking every method
to bring in United States of America to an Indian slot by way of all assistance and so on to Israel.
To us it seems not obvious that the ultimate design is to get United States of America to have an almost irretrievable estrangement or even the most people there are one.
No, no, no.
In any case, as far as I am concerned, we are in a state of security.
I mean, as far as I am concerned, we are in a state of security.
I mean, as far as I am concerned, we are in a state of security.
I mean, as far as I am concerned, we are in a state of security.
I mean, as far as I am concerned, we are in a state of security.
We, as Saudi Arabia, will not permit such pressures.
to affect our relationship with the United States of America.
We believe strongly in that.
However, even if we were to be subjected to an increasing pressure from the communists, I don't want to speak of even more enemies than those we have used up now, it is necessary to ensure that the relationship with the United States of America is stable.
I believe the attack of the United States, the group of our leaders,
Unfortunately, I mean, you know, Mr. President, World War I is almost in the light of communism.
They did appear to have inflamed emotions by saying, well, of course, because
through the support that the United States is going to have.
The force came to Israel and opposed Israel's response to the war.
Israel's industry therefore, he will keep Israel's industry up.
You know what I mean?
You know what I mean?
You know what I mean?
You know what I mean?
When I mention this case, it does not mean that I'm advocating what I'm saying, the theory.
If Israel were to disappear, and a political entity has a name, this does not mean, you know, that I'm stating the education of the Jews and so on.
No, but just as a theory, if Israel were to disappear and name, if some other country like Syria or Syria would disappear as a name, the United States would not suffer the result of that.
In other countries, you know, the United States
and he spared some ordeal which is both violent, extremist, and religious kind of problem.
.
Because the way we see it, we seem to have the impression that a lot of the internal disturbances and things that caused the good American people to suffer certainly was
are the result of the a bit too much kind of thumbs and fingers of the Zionists or some other agitators allied to them in the internals whose will be in the ranks of their workers or of management, or business, or government, or elections, and so on and so forth.
Would you personally, I know you have run this wonderful company, would these extremist statics, the Muslim al-Hafiz al-Ijlal al-Ma'af, or even al-Arab, get related?
the ultimate
aiming to go, that which they seem to advocate, is that there be set up in the territory of Palestine something to be called the State of Palestine.
It shall not be called Arab State or Jew State or Muslim State or Christian State or whatever.
It's an empty, wherever we were living, we couldn't...
Yes, but we see those reasonable leaders are also saying they are good.
Find, so you can understand, an arrangement created to us, namely,
that everybody then would be able to live on equal terms with everybody else, we would be absolutely equal, we would bring back those Palestinian refugees who are still following the Muslim world, and you can be a problem actually because of their sense of restrictions on the world.
I have a question.
I have a question.
I have a question.
I have a question.
I have a question.
As we have seen what has happened in Jordan and Lebanon and some other countries, the Palestinian elements are driven into this kind of life.
And they could co-exist.
Well, it wasn't used in other areas within the territory of that state.
Not that I'm curious, not that I'm wondering.
I'll be good at what you get.
One of the other observations that I'd like to bring to your attention was the question, namely, the notion of the part of the psalmist, including, the psalmist is so deeply entrenched now into the radar that it would be absolutely difficult for us to try and mark the psalmist, the psalmist, and so forth.
I, said His Majesty, made the observation, he said, because it was there upon the conference, that there was a direct feeling, a direct feeling of persecution, as we would like to assure you, and that which is known as the Australian Troublem, or the Arab-Australian Troublem, so forth.
We have almost a certainty that that would be the best scheme
Yes.
You have to do it.
And if I may be so bold as to suggest to you, Mr. President, I'd like to suggest that now, precisely, is the time to end this war to hell.
This war to hell, the battle of housing, all those things.
Mr. President, it is managed to be believed that Sadat can die or...
his recent rather drastic purge of his cabinet to all of the forces that may interfere with him.
Mr. President,
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It all depends on what is done and how fast it is done.
If Sadat at this juncture is kept supported in a way as to expedite the solution,
The world would love to stand up to any malicious intruders, because then you would say, well, God, this is what I stood for, and this is what my ancestors have been doing.
In other words, you would stand to die for any possibility of an encounter with one of your supporters.
But the procrastination sets in, and we deal with daddy, and we don't support him, and we don't strengthen his hands, or of course, he would be very vulnerable then.
Maybe you'd have to have a way of saying that.
So the army, up to now, is the same thing true as you think of the King of Jordan as the King of Saints in the same position.
He had some sort of progress on some disease, I believe.
As a promise.
I mean, let me talk very candidly with His Majesty about our policy.
His Majesty, knowing our country well, is aware of the fact that this is a very
political issue in the United States.
But I have, before Secretary Rogers took his trip, throughout my term as President, I have insisted that our decisions
Again, the page will not be enlarged by the way it was arranged in our stage.
And before the Minister of Justice is given the floor, and even during my time here in the presidency, I have insisted that our decisions regarding the Middle East should be based on, and not dependent on, internal elements.
We have told all of our people that we want to seek a normalization of and good relations with all of the countries in the area.
So let's do it.
We'll do it, Lieutenant.
We'll do it, Lieutenant.
Now, we will continue to stand by our commitment that Israel has a right to exist
But we in this office have told all my advisors that we shall
to all concerned in that area and that we will not tilt our policy in the direction of one state due to political considerations of the United States.
Now this is difficult, but I believe that His Majesty
that we know that we now have in Washington and administration that will be fair and even-handed
in trying to work out as quickly as possible a solution to this problem.
It's not the time to get into the specifics whether the solution to this problem should be solved first on an interim basis and how and so forth.
But I want His Majesty to understand
that my position is one of supporting the Secretary of State, Rogers, in his efforts to work out some progress towards settlement as quickly as possible, and particularly to create a basis whereby we can normalize our relations with the UAR, with the Sudan, and for that matter, other countries in the area.
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I think it's very important that he has taken a leadership role in the country's continuous to the maze.
His interest in the Indian Ocean, for example, the fact that he has very good relations with the Shah in Iran, because if we look at the Chinese Communists and the Soviet Communists,
They are dead in those waters, and it's very important.
His Majesty, you know that we strongly support Mounir's Majesty, and so we shall, in their efforts, to... the radical elements taking over that very important part of the world.
I would like to thank you, Your Excellency.
I would like to thank you, Your Excellency.
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Which influence does he consider to be even more dangerous, the Chinese Communist or the Soviet Communist?
In that area.
Yes, in that area, right.
Not for a while, but in that area.
What is your position in the police?
What is your position?
What is the most dangerous thing in terms of liberation?
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
The source seems to be the same, the pernicious source.
Shiaism is Shiaism.
Communism is Communism.
And now, unfortunately, some of the countries in the region that were not associated with Shiaism, have now started to be associated with it.
There are two Shia nations that are associated with it.
They are Iran, Kuwait, and Iran.
Unfortunately, the Majesty of Iran
States which up to recently were considered very friendly and on the side of the United States of America, but even some of those states in our area, those states have started establishing relationship with a common country.
We are in Iran and Turkey.
We are friendly with Italy, Greece.
We are friendly with the United States.
There are those who we know as far as to say that this kind of establishment of the British and the French-Chinese is at the behest and request of the government of the United States.
This is the problem, Mr. President.
This is the problem, Mr. President.
Yes, there is an increasing camera there, it seems to us, advocating that what's wrong with Communist China, let's have a look at Communist China.
Those elements
In those countries that you mentioned, even the countries in East Africa and Somalia, you mentioned the influence of the communist peace in Syria.
It seems to me that there are patterns between Europe and the southern part of the Arabian, which is a very sensitive area vis-a-vis the Arabian Peninsula.
It seems to us that the communist Chinese are concentrating precisely now on southern Arabia so that it would be a jumping board, a base for them to go and infiltrate and start mutting the voices in our own country.
This is why we are trying our best to, with the help and support of our friends in the United States of America, to stem that tide, to stop them in their tracks, to eradicate that communist Chinese influence, and to bring about a better, more solid working alliance.
I think that we have a lot of work to do.
We have enjoyed stopping Tetanus.
But the YAR, the Iranian Republic, the whole part with which we have been fighting as Muslims until our time, we didn't help them and so on.
Do you have any diplomatic relationships with that country, the YAR?
If you could, it would be tremendous.
I would like, Mr. President, to be in terms of situations in that aspect, because really, I would like that.
to know the tradition that sometimes the President of the United States finds himself in, to take firm decisions in the interest of the United States of America, curiously.
And this is precisely the point that I have made, the point of the management, and talking about it, with all the... this will come with the...
The fourth question is about Israel and its hostility.
Israel is the one that is attacking Israel.
Israel is the one that is attacking Israel.
Israel is the one that is attacking Israel.
Israel is the one that is attacking Israel.
Israel is the one that is attacking Israel.
Of course, your point, Mr. President, is very well taken about your commitment to Israel and its rising systems.
We appreciate that.
However, as to the reference to, say, human borders,
Of course, you know that it wasn't Israel, actually, which overstepped those borders and went in contact with the military campaign, operations, and so on.
So, what we don't like to see, if we may say so, is that in the principle of no profit accruing as a result of military operation or aggression and so on, which Jung's present advocate to the government, so this is a very important practice,
then the president would fall into the pattern.
If the result of the aggression were to be eradicated, it is right for it to be made to go back to the borders that existed on the other side of the border.
That's the problem.
It's not the right thing to do.
It's not the right thing to do.
It's not the right thing to do.
Well, when I'm saying this, I'm saying it as a friend.
It does not mean that I'm recognizing Israel right now.
I'm reading the book, I'm talking to you.
But, but it's a joke.
If a settlement is agreed to by the more continuous Arab states, countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, then it is imperative.
Yes, but back to the point of the majesty.
Yes.
Yes.
and then the maximum time when it would be almost 30 minutes, and we couldn't find a place.
in the essence of the question, which couldn't be posted.
Those elements didn't get represented.
I don't want to be encouraged further into thinking that, well, everyone should be on the side of Thomas because that probably, at least, give us the optimism, support, and security of the United Nations, etc.
So the picture would be like that.
I don't want to talk about this.
I don't want to talk about this.
I don't want to talk about this.
I don't want to talk about this.
I don't want to talk about this.
Well, a couple of reasons.
I mean, it's one of the observations from me to you, especially to them that I don't mention these things.
Because I think that's probably best, I believe.
The Majesty and I, and Jeremy, and Sam, and many,
Thank you.
Thank you.
Mr.
Ambassador, could you sit over here?
I want to get a picture of this.
Come on, Gerald, sit here.
That's fine.
Here, now.
General.
You know, General Hagen, my staff, and the National Security Council said the law of the midges of the moon is dead.
You want them to do it for you?
Your Majesty, I have a very good talk.
That's what they're on.
Oh, yes.
We had a very hot lead here at the fire department.
Or as far as our bilateral relations are concerned, naturally we also discuss the very difficult context too.
I have a picture of the other thing.
It's been involved in broader areas of security committees and, uh, many other things, and all these great emotions.
And, uh, this administration has come in, receiving a normalization of production trusts all around the country.
Uh, His Majesty recognized, hoped to help, probably have,
Yes.
... ...
I remind you that every time you come here, Mr. President, you have to go to the governor's office and ask him for these issues, especially since he has not been appointed yet.
And we want to, under the threat of the communist threat, and you say that in a widespread manner, in such a way that all of us in the future will not have the opportunity to demand it.
His message said, of course, he would have to reiterate his appreciation to you, Professor, for what you have done.
In mind, the deep appreciation that he has for you makes a more ambitious way of bringing about a settlement, a solution, problems in the area, because I'm afraid, as you see, that if things do come on and no solution is brought about, I would say, tomorrow, but within a reasonable...
time limit, then the Communist Central and the Communist Intrigues and all the other extreme elements in the area would go to a point of no return.
Then it would be very difficult to talk about this.
I share His Majesty's concern about the dragging on.
We saw this beyond our control.
But as far as we're concerned, we consider it the highest priority
to progress be made on these problems.
Mr. President, Your Excellency, I agree with you on this point, especially the parallelization and the settlement, because these things did not happen in a short time.
And I would like to say to you, Your Excellency, that this is one of the points that we have given the highest level of responsibility in their political and political debates.
Mr. President, I would like to ask Mr. President,
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
One point which he did not mention to you as the President, which touches on the Israeli situation, namely, would it take just that request of the most disparaging system in Israel policy to keep the boundaries or borders?
One is going to ask, what does that mean?
As far as we know, Israel has not changed its tune.
It wants to change its shape.
It wants to evolve.
It wants to go down high.
It wants to go up to the bank and be roasted into the middle.
What does that mean?
As far as Jerusalem is concerned, we would never agree to have Jerusalem remain under the domination of Israel.
The way we see it is that Israel could, if they had the bomb, to go back to the boundaries which were attained on the eve of their aggression.
In 1967, the reality of adjustment, the insignificant adjustments would be made, which is why they're called that, too.
That's that's cool.
This is the reason why we are in Egypt, because first of all, it makes it easier for us to live, and secondly, it makes it easier for us to pay our salaries.
But the danger in it is that the houses of the pro-government parties make it easier for them to reach some of the Arab and some of the Indian people.
There's one point I don't remember mentioning, Senator Rogers and Mr. Scott, when they visited our country.
I meant to, but therefore this is a good opportunity to mention it.
The business of the reopening of the Suez Canal, as you know, Mr. President, this would be advantageous to us in more than one way.
The opening of the Suez Canal would reopen the channels to all Congressmen for export from, would make us
perhaps pay under the best cost of the payment that we are paying now as a result of the closure of the Swiss Canal.
So, of course, the advantages are plentiful, as we have seen.
But what we should not forget is that precisely the Communists are advocating to reopen the Swiss Canal because it is, of course, open for them to say that their country,
The Red Sea, the Gulf, the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, West Africa.
This will make it easier for them to understand.
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It was acknowledged that the U.S. policy was, up to some time, against the reopening of the Suez Canal as just a part of the solution or a solution by themselves.
His Majesty replied that, well, the suggestion really came from one of us, the parents, to reopen the Suez Canal.
And so, had there been any real serious radical change in the U.S. policy in the Suez Canal?
There is no doubt that the opening of the canal, obviously from a strategic point of view, gives access to the Soviet Union as well as access to the United States.
Our own feeling is that any interim Suez Canal agreement cannot become a substitute for an overall agreement because it leaves untouched
problems that Your Majesty in particular is interested in, such as Jerusalem and so on.
It doesn't touch the fundamental problem of Palestinianism.
It doesn't touch the fundamental problem of the Rashidis.
But our hope is that we can achieve an interim canary, that this will facilitate discussions towards the overall settlement, because it will be a practical
and if we can get the parties to then move from there on to discussions on an overall settlement.
This will help stabilize the area.
And the Silk Age Union is derived and benefited from the turmoil.
This is the key.
In circumstances of peace, in circumstances of stability, one can hope that one can begin the process
of either neutralizing Soviet influence in the area, or even possibly beginning to reverse the trend, so that the political efforts which the President has initiated, bullwarked by strength of America.
You'll recall the President took a trip to the Mediterranean last year,
Our diplomacy in this area, to keep credible, has to be backed by America's strength.
I know that you agree with this.
And so to the degree to which our active diplomacy can ring about in the first instance and keep them settled, which will help ongoing negotiations towards the overall settlement,
This will help me, I think, in trying to create the kind of political conditions that you, your majesty, wants in the area.
Conditions of stability, conditions where circumstances are favorable to our common interests, where a climate can begin to develop, where possibly Soviet influence can begin to be reduced.
As you all know, the American political situation is getting worse and worse, especially in Switzerland.
I know that the situation in Switzerland is helping Belarus, and of course it is helping many other countries.
But our first and foremost intention is that this is not a partial or temporary solution.
Instead of having a solution, why don't we have a solution?
Every time I look at it, I see that it is a solution.
I am in Switzerland, I am in Switzerland.
I am in Switzerland, I am in Switzerland.
I am in Switzerland, I am in Switzerland.
I am in Switzerland, I am in Switzerland.
But there is a bit of tension here.
It is easier to look at other issues that have been raised, for example, the Kurds, for example, the Palestinians, the Palestinian refugees, all these elements.
I don't know if I should say that I am a Christian or not.
I am a Christian.
I am a Christian.
I am a Christian.
There has been a lot of discussion and discussion and debate.
There has been a lot of discussion and debate.
There has been a lot of discussion and debate.
There has been a lot of discussion and debate.
not to respond to the change of the Soviet Union, as we have already said, but to stay away from it.
Therefore, God willing, we will cooperate with all of them, and we will continue to cooperate with them.
But, Mr. Major, I would like to point out that this is not a solution to the problem that has been raised by the Shia, because the Israeli government, unlike the ordinary people,
And these rights will continue to exist.
And the last thing I want to say is that when will it end?
Or how long will it take for it to end?
Until we can agree that it will end.
Before it ends, we will have to wait a few more times.
There will be a lot of danger ahead of us.
He would like to bring to your attention
Again, the element of time and timing is of the essence.
Okay, so the reopening of the Suez Canal, we agree, will not be a substitute for other roles, but in the interim, how long will it take between the agreement on the reopening of the Suez Canal and the next step or the next result on the issues important as they are by the war treatment?
Our fear is that in between, with the reopening of the Suez Canal, the communist influence
would increase with the added facility of the open space.
Therefore, I would appeal to you to bear this in mind and resort more or less immediately to point number two and get that out of the way.
I think there is no disagreement among us about the urgency of this problem.
To talk about this fantasy more, I'm going to break up now.
Of course, I am not saying that there is no difference between them and the government, but there is a real difference between them and the government.
will be, and will continue to be, to defend and to oppose the case of Soura al-Mustaafi al-Adidah and Ma'al al-Mustawiyah.
I would like to say that I think that this decision will be made immediately because it is not possible to resolve the matter and reach an agreement.
Because the current situation is that
If you enter it, you will find all the help you need.
But at the same time, it may be difficult for you to return, but it is still within your reach.
So, if you find the help you need, if you find it, if you find it, if you find it, if you find it, if you find it, if you find it, if you find it,
to be given the assurance, which
would cause it to lull into that sense of security of what we could do, what we didn't, and us did good.
Naturally, Israel is not going to be encouraged to move along in the path of getting its riches in the second half.
No, not at all.
And we do not want to have it.
I want to say that Israel represents socialism more than the rest of the world.
It was a socialist state, and it is a socialist state.
But it seems to us also this is something which not many people are aware that we feel strongly about, namely that we consider Israel is more representative of the communist camp than actually the free world, although the publicity is always the reverse, you know, bastion, democracy, etc.
That is not true.
Israel was created
with more the support of the Soviets or the Communists, really, than with the United States.
America's support of history, obviously, is too much.
We are aware of this.
The Communists in Israel have the strongest party in existence.
They are limiting it, that's why.
And I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Should there be a miracle?
I'm saying this as an opportunity.
If there were to be a miracle, as we have to say, so America would kind of stop helping Israel.
Or even threaten to stop having a threat.
then I fear not predict that we will see the Soviet Union become as Russian today as we see it today.
Because it is important for the Soviet Union to focus on the region, because it is based on the foundations of the Soviet Union, and it is used, based on the Soviet Union, regardless of the distinctions that exist between the Jews and the Russians and the Russians and the Jews and the Russians.
Because it's to the interest of the communists.
They wanted to be a thorn in the side of the area, a thorn in the side of American relationships, in spite of all this genes of operatic acting.
Meaning that the Israelis and the Soviets are as long as they don't like each other, etc.
And we know that things are a bit different.
Even now we are on our way to Finland to attend the conference of so-called socialist parties of the world, which are not just another name for communism.
Oh wait, yeah, I thought I was going to have you stay right here, man.
Hey, I'm not sure you're going to stay here.
In other words, what's in your hand?
What's that?
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Thank you.