Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 566-014
Date: Tuesday, August 17, 1971 at 2:55 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/566-014

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[2:55:49] Yeah, you can talk to him.
[2:55:52] I'll get this back.
[2:55:53] Please.
[2:55:54] Tommy, what is this?
[2:56:30] What you do is simply go visit a campsite, look at the lake, and I want you to know, sir, you do not obtain anything out of that.
[2:57:00] You're all alone.
[2:57:00] You've got a cabinet all to yourself.
[2:57:01] You and Julie live in a very nice house currently, and it's isolated from the other area, and that's it.
[2:57:03] And you have lots of time to see all that out there.
[2:57:47] It's a remarkable government.
[2:58:23] But it's your cell phone.
[2:58:24] I don't want to say that.
[2:58:24] You're going to say it in 40 seconds, is it?
[2:58:25] I don't think you should.
[2:58:26] I'm not going to prefer it.
[2:58:26] You shouldn't use the numbers anyway.
[2:58:27] But I want them.
[2:58:27] I want them.
[2:58:28] That's the way you get them all done.
[2:58:58] I've been through them all.
[2:58:59] Oh, at least it was on Italian.
[2:58:59] Because, you know, they were talking about speaking for 10 minutes.
[2:59:01] And I've been in them all before the collection.
[2:59:02] I didn't get confirmed in all the parts I've been sawed here on it.
[2:59:03] George Hill.
[2:59:03] I've been in Louisiana.
[2:59:04] Mississippi.
[2:59:30] They may not be counting like Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
[2:59:32] Rhode Island, I would think they would have counted.
[2:59:33] I can see why they might not count Massachusetts.
[2:59:34] I'll turn it up because our trip models are more down to just those.
[3:00:16] It's on down here.
[3:00:43] This is Munster, South Dakota, isn't it?
[3:00:44] Oh, yeah, the college library.
[3:00:45] Library.
[3:00:45] General Eagle College.
[3:00:45] We've done Minnesota, Wisconsin.
[3:00:46] Yeah, this is in the campaign.
[3:00:46] Green Bank.
[3:00:47] Green Bank.
[3:00:47] That's right.
[3:00:47] We've got a town for a holiday to keep this true, but... Go ahead.
[3:00:48] We've got some possible events in the next three weeks to keep the momentum here.
[3:01:15] We've got to remember to revive it again.
[3:01:16] Your point is to make speeches.
[3:01:17] Our people have got to say, we're fighting the plague.
[3:01:56] Because if you get all this boost now, then if you get a recharge on it, the Congress comes back because it'll get a whole new thing.
[3:01:59] It's a congressional thing.
[3:01:59] It starts going again.
[3:02:00] The market at 230 was up 10 points.
[3:02:00] It started at 899.
[3:02:01] It may bust to 900.
[3:02:27] It's, uh, it's picking up steam through the day rather than losing it, so.
[3:02:29] Yeah.
[3:02:29] It's amazing.
[3:02:29] Oh, boy.
[3:02:29] I think it smells like a specialist in the lab.
[3:02:30] See, somebody had this smell.
[3:03:39] The content of it was that negative.
[3:03:39] It really wasn't.
[3:03:40] It was a question about media attack, violent proportions.
[3:03:41] Well, I think it really was.
[3:03:41] So what he did is launch a media attack back the other way, really.
[3:03:43] I really think that's it.
[3:03:43] It's the media, isn't it?
[3:04:24] I don't have anybody, but I agree with the editor now, and I have to do so much of it myself.
[3:04:59] You gotta find one guy.
[3:05:32] I don't really want him to come back.
[3:05:33] Because this guy right here, I think he may be a, what we call a speech giver, rather than a speech writer, the guy.
[3:05:35] Okay.
[3:05:35] Come on.
[3:05:36] Come on, let's talk before the meeting, before 11.
[3:05:37] Yeah, I understand what that was like.
[3:05:38] I'll have to get a lot of firecrackers to do the reading.
[3:05:39] Well, they agreed to the signing date of the, I don't know if I should ever worry about it.
[3:06:07] to work it out.
[3:06:09] On the summit, he says he's got to go back.
[3:06:11] He looked at the draft, and he said that looks fine to him.
[3:06:15] But he isn't authorized to agree to it.
[3:06:19] But he thinks there's no problem.
[3:06:55] We'll never get credit for it, but this is significant.
[3:06:56] Oh, yeah, he's in good form.
[3:06:57] Oh, he's a good man.
[3:07:27] in a big way when he moved.
[3:07:28] I said, yes, in everything.
[3:07:28] I said, it's dangerous to crowd him.
[3:07:30] And I think that's the lesson.
[3:07:31] There's still a lot of people on the door from this.
[3:07:33] I don't know.
[3:07:33] I think it's true.
[3:07:50] But what that meant to me, Rockefeller was almost beside himself.
[3:07:54] Well, he could be more honest with me than with you.
[3:07:57] Anyway, it's... all he said is a revolution.
[3:08:33] and the rest.
[3:08:33] But on the other hand, what I think will save us is that the economy, even if we haven't done this, is going to move.
[3:08:35] But we have to get the country to need a psychological lift that free living gets done.
[3:08:37] This is more psychology.
[3:08:37] The country needs a psychological lift.
[3:08:38] This gives them a psychological lift.
[3:08:39] Every day is one of the icing on the cake.
[3:08:40] It doesn't matter when we get it.
[3:09:02] It's time that they got here.
[3:09:02] The media has just really, I guess, been thinking about what they put us through.
[3:09:04] They put this country through, not only through our communities, but through the last couple of years of Johnson.
[3:09:07] But they've already done that.
[3:09:08] These young kids and the rest, that's why the kids have gone bad.
[3:09:09] It's absolutely unconscionable.
[3:09:10] And one could see that they were trying to say,
[3:09:40] The minute you took that away from them, they shifted to the economy.
[3:09:43] They were weeks when you didn't hear about the economy.
[3:09:46] Suddenly, they started this.
[3:09:48] Now they've lost the economy.
[3:09:49] They'd rather go back to foreign policy, for at least.
[3:09:53] Then we'll put them between the eyes again.
[3:10:08] Oh, uh, that stuff.
[3:10:08] What was the date of the victory?
[3:10:09] May 22nd.
[3:10:09] They won't go around with you again, Mr. President.
[3:10:10] They didn't announce it on September 15th.
[3:10:11] Well, it's like I gave them an extra day, 50 per 60.
[3:10:12] If you let me give them another day, you'll have to decide on the 22nd, and I'll give you a choice.
[3:10:14] Well, then you should do research, and it's a good day.
[3:10:45] Yeah, he said, why don't you set a date with China?
[3:10:48] I said, well, he was relaxed.
[3:10:51] He said, are they making demands?
[3:10:54] I knew they always make demands.
[3:10:55] And I said, no, it's a very satisfactory relationship.
[3:11:01] And he said, you know, we want you to know we're trying to restrain the Indians.
[3:11:05] That's a good thing.
[3:11:06] I don't think he wants to tie himself to those.
[3:11:14] to discuss China and Peking, India and Peking.
[3:11:15] I said, look, I won't go into what I discussed in Peking, but we have our own fish to drive in Peking.
[3:11:17] That's true.
[3:11:17] Well, what other plans now?
[3:11:18] Are you going to go to California and stay?
[3:11:19] No, no.
[3:11:53] again on September 13th.
[3:11:55] I don't expect much to happen until the election.
[3:12:00] I won't go.
[3:12:03] Well, it was a close call.
[3:12:06] The reason I
[3:12:28] We had offered them eight points and hit them.
[3:12:32] If they don't attack, then we have got through the Vietnamese election campaign without being hit, without them to be affected.
[3:12:42] And I have to go anyway to set up my trip and to get the details begun for you.
[3:12:46] So for all these reasons, it's a close decision, though.
[3:12:50] I will not go again after that.
[3:13:04] It has one advantage.
[3:13:06] If we go on the 11th or 13th, I get these two alternates.
[3:13:11] It has, it has, and then we don't settle it, which I don't think we will.
[3:13:18] Then on the 15th and 16th, they get hit with a Russian announcement.
[3:13:24] That can be a real show to them.
[3:13:29] Awesome.
[3:13:40] He said to me it will make a settlement more slow, but more sure.
[3:13:43] And he's absolutely right.
[3:13:47] I think part of their stalling is to show us that they were not pressured into it by the Chinese.
[3:13:58] What they will see, Mr. President, is that their two big allies are dealing with us before the war in Vietnam is ended.
[3:14:12] is to make sure that they don't screw it all up because they obviously have their own fish to fry.
[3:14:18] So even if the Soviet Union doesn't do anything, it brings direct pressure.
[3:14:26] The mere fact that they are seeing you, that they're pushing you, pushing them on page 50 again for a month or two while people are yakking them, I should be changing this again.
[3:14:39] We've got them off the front pages, no matter what happens, until the middle of November.
[3:14:43] I asked them for their address, I think, probably early in October.
[3:14:46] What do you say?
[3:14:47] Anything we say, they'll do.
[3:14:48] End of September.
[3:15:08] Announce the Russian summit and then two weeks later announce the Japanese summit.
[3:15:10] That would make it about September 29th.
[3:15:11] Yeah, September 30th.
[3:15:11] Well, September 30th we had the accidental war signing.
[3:15:13] Oh, I see.
[3:15:13] Well, then... Well, my good man, it isn't all that important.
[3:15:14] We could announce it September 20th.
[3:15:15] Yeah, I'd say September 20th.
[3:15:16] Go a week after the Russian thing.
[3:15:39] A little bit later, the other Russians will leave.
[3:16:02] No, Bill, he's got to deal with us.
[3:16:02] I mean, he's got to deal with us for a while now.
[3:16:03] You know, these Democrats haven't had enough sauce in a bad way, too.
[3:16:05] I mean, despite their heartache and the old hungry and the now hungry's battle, a little bit, Muskie and Teddy haven't said a word about this economic.
[3:16:08] I mean, here's the biggest economic story in 30 years.
[3:16:09] In fact, it's taken two days.
[3:16:37] which I think will get the news, isn't it?
[3:16:38] Big news, man, who gets it done.
[3:16:39] You know, why didn't he get it?
[3:16:40] Why does he get off on the Viagra kick and not this kick?
[3:16:42] What gets into him?
[3:16:56] He is outdated, Mr. President.
[3:16:57] I don't think that's the matter anymore.
[3:17:01] I think, but if you manage to think...
[3:17:06] I mean, we are really within sight now.
[3:17:08] If I were in Hanoi, I just wouldn't... First of all, we've made Vietnam a small country in Asia.
[3:17:21] foreign policy Johnson had, and therefore the slightest twitch was a headline.
[3:17:29] I mean, now if they start twitching and screwing up the peace trips of a president, what can they do?
[3:17:38] I mean, supposing they start an attack while you're preparing to go to Peking, which would be the 10th period.
[3:17:46] I wouldn't bet that the American public would turn against you.
[3:17:52] They might do it against Sam at that point.