Conversation 661-011

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Now we've got John Hall working on Welder.

I'm not totally sure.

Did you fill him in on Rigobon?

Oh, sure.

OK. Because I'm trying to get it fit together.

He's also called my name.

That's awesome.

Good.

All of our troops have you.

Try to think of something we can do on the environment.

I suggested a outdoor meeting in San Clemente perhaps in the lawn or an all set up chair and so forth, you know.

Sort of get a different deal.

Or, uh, and then he thought that we ought to go to the White Reyes up there.

He said that's the best thing you've done.

We could have a meeting and we could fly out there and spend the day in Park.

Well, it is a good one, and it's a sensational park.

Everybody's going, it's terrific.

It really is.

It's, it's a... You said it's the best in 10 years.

It's a spectacular view.

And it's, if you've got a decent day, it's foggy up there all the time.

Second thing to do in the, well, July.

It's late spring.

April through May is a pretty good time in California.

Sometimes it's more foggy in July in San Francisco.

There is a certain pattern in San Francisco that's quite different from Southern California, if I recall.

Well, we talked about, you know, maybe being out there in that Easter period to miss the gridiron and a few other things.

And, uh...

I'm not going to work something like that.

To be perfectly honest with you, I have not dug any concrete in the goddamn gridiron.

You'll do anything during the election year.

Or put it this way, if you don't want to do anything, it's going to be Rachel and Dr. Dean, Ms. Fager, and Dan Fager.

Do you feel you ought to go?

I don't.

They're socialists.

God damn it.

Of course you don't go.

I don't think you ought to go.

And the argument, the only argument anybody else makes that you should is because of the vote.

Nobody's arguing you should vote because of the reason.

That is not the reason.

Now sure, some of your, the problem you'll get is from some of your buddies, you know, the Don Kindles and the, and the old Louis's of the world, who, and the B.B.

Rabosas, who, who like that sort of stuff, will say, you know, gee, you ought to be there.

They've never done something good before.

No, you aren't going to talk, never again, you know, you aren't going to talk about history, we've got not a pissing thing for it.

And there's no way you can top that.

You couldn't try to, really.

You'd have to go in and pretty much do a straight thing.

If you did it, what you ought to do, I would think, is a very serious straight thing.

You just go completely the other way.

Whether this is a great country and that kind of stuff.

They won't work, right?

Oh, they will.

Well, let's wait until after we get back and try to feel it out then.

It'd be easier for you to be looked at.

Thank you.

It was hard for me really to see Graham.

It was tomorrow after the breakfast.

And you might say that you'd like to come over.

But you come in with him so we can talk a little more politics.

Okay, good.

Okay.

One other thing tomorrow morning, which might be an easy way out of this.

You've done nothing except a phone call to the Apollo 15 crew.

They're arriving in Washington at 5.30 tomorrow morning after their tour of communist countries.

They've been to Yugoslavia and Poland.

And which one is this?

This is the... Can I do that again?

Scott Irwin and Warden.

They've been there.

They've been to the moon back there the last bunch.

You called them after they got back.

Pretty impressive.

And the thing is they've made this good little tour of Eastern Europe.

They're here.

They would normally just stop for a couple hours and then go on down to Houston.

We could have them stay long enough to come in and see you tomorrow morning.

which would give you the, the thing with them without getting into a, spending the night with them.

I don't think I should do the dinner.

It's fine for them, don't you agree?

But let's give them the campaign.

You promised, probably promised them a dinner.

Well, that's bad.

Do you think we promised them a dinner?

Well, let's just say that because of China, I can't do it later.

No, I can't do it right now.

But we would like, while I'm in China, for them to go to the campaign with their families.

Let's give their families the weekend they can't leave at this time.

How about that?

I just don't want to ruin the goddamn dinner at the White House again.

Unless we just apologize.

Henry, I have an idea that you may be completely out of the question, but I wanted to get rid of my idea, but my taste in some concepts is not incredible.

Harry Schwartz was in from the New York Times, and he said they're just going crazy.

Who?

Harry Schwartz, the one guy on the editorial board who was a reporter.

Schwartz.

Oh, Harry Schwartz is a good man.

And he's for us, and he says...

He always has.

He says Harrison Salisbury and the whole gang are beside themselves.

They don't know where to turn.

Why?

Because of the peace thing?

Yeah.

Jesus, did you see the New Republic?

No.

You know, they do, once in a while, they start an article and they're covered.

And then it just carries over to the editorial page.

And they did on this one.

And they said, we've been opposed to this war and what everybody's done about it up until now.

And they said, by God, Nixon's finally done the right thing.

Unbelievable.

Well, Dan, we have done the right thing.

You know, it's just...

What more could you offer?

They piss off little bits and pieces here and there and all that, but they say that this is funding a set.

We are killing them.

Today they published their nine poems.

And they're slight variations from what they gave us.

The variations are, they don't change the substance, but they are variations so that it doesn't look anymore as if we had taken verbatim some of their formulations.

So tomorrow I'm going to get Ziegler to release the nine points they gave us.

And just say very coldly, there are no major differences.

The only reason we are releasing it is so that you can see that we picked up their verbatim formulation.

We've got them totally on the defensive.

And again, they didn't reject it at the press conference today.

The thing I was going to ask you, I remember meeting Henry Melrose.

Yes.

I don't remember the conversation.

Maybe you do remember.

I told you afterwards.

What did he talk about?

I don't think I was present.

I remember afterwards I told you.

Actually, I was so impressed by him.

I didn't know he said it.

But, I don't know what you read, but he is a genius.

And I read the first, among others, I've also read the beginning of his epic memoirs, which of course is, I just wish I could read it in French because I can see it's losing a hell of a lot of translation, you know.

Oh, it's marvelous French, the phrases I remember from having studied it.

You've probably read it in French.

But anyway, I was wondering,

Is he still in favor, or is he out?

Oh, no, he's in.

Do you think he could come over and have a talk with you before we go to China?

I think it's an interesting idea.

He's a brave man.

He knows Chow Lai and Mao Zedong.

He would tie in and Pompidou would be over.

Well, the way to do it is to call Desai and say he would like to do that.

But you don't want to do it if it offends anybody.

But he arranged for...

You know?

Yeah.

The president has read his book and would you like to...

I think also it's a good public relations move.

Well, I thought so.

And you might.

You were thinking about getting into your board of trans governors.

Yeah.

You have to take them carefully, of course.

We don't have people that are totally...

They are a goddamn dry well.

You know, it may be good PR.

Then don't let us do my role.

It's for the China scholars here.

I've gone through the bloody China scholars, but it may not be bad.

Well, it's a drive-off.

I really believe Melrose would contribute to my thinking.

I really do.

Melrose would.

He's great.

He knows men.

He knows what they think, what makes a pick.

He probably knows me.

You see my point?

And I think our just sitting and being exposed to a genius for an hour, he's very useful.

Or you don't agree?

I agree.

What I'm thinking is, if we're realistic, Mr. President, if you invite him, you've got to give a dinner for him.

He's a very distinguished man.

Or a meal.

Or a lunch.

No, no, no.

I don't want to have a lunch, but I can even smoke it.

Why don't you have a dinner that's just you, you, John, have you, well, then we have Bill, and you, Bill, Marshall Green, Marshall Green, no women.

That'd be fine.

And I'm quite concerned.

You have to invite women.

I think it's a brilliant idea.

Oh, he's one of the great men.

I know his background.

Oh, yes.

Did you know an interesting thing about him is I read about him and his grandfather in the funeral and everything began.

And his grandfather said he was probably an L.A. Semite.

But his grandfather, because the Jews in this little town, they were kicked out of their synagogue, but his grandfather, by God, gave them a place for their meetings.

When are you thinking of that again?

Oh, I wasn't thinking of any time that you were talking about.

But I think it could be very quick.

I'm starting to believe it pretty soon.

But I guess, as I read that stuff, it would be nice to talk to somebody that just...

I don't think there's anybody in the state we're talking to about it.

No, I... You've gone through...

It's a very happy meeting with them, and it's just...

It's torture.

I'm going through the torture of listening to them and making them write papers so that they can leak to the press they've done everything, but... Bill's raised the point I was going to talk to you about that

because it would come up with the president anyway, that he wants to be involved in that.

And he also thinks that, for appearances sake, the president should meet with the group just for a few minutes so that it's, you know, the point made that we're all going to try together kind of stuff.

At this point, all we are doing is doing the papers.

When the papers are all done,

I mean, that's absolutely typical.

The city's going to talk to you about it.

I'll tell you what I'd like to do.

As soon as their papers are finished.

I will read them, and then get them in and thank them for the papers.

That's what we want to do.

Because there are any comments that you'd like to say about this?

All the papers, never any check.

That's right.

They've made zero contribution to substance.

We've yet to see their first paper.

But I have no objection, Mr. President.

But at this stage, it would be a total waste of your time.

They have yet to produce one.

I'm not going to see them at this stage.

I'm going to make them think it through first.

After you have, after the books are completed,

I could do it without the next week we leave.

In other words, I'd like to do it Monday or, you know, so that I'm not bothered with it until then.

As for his involvement, that's entirely up to you.

I didn't come any time.

But I can't sit, I can't, I'm not going to sit with these people until they're, until they have thought of it.

Would you agree?

We haven't got any, we have yet to get one paper from them.

I'm going to produce my chapter.

Thank you.

I mean, there's nothing to discuss yet.

The only books that exist are the ones we've done, and he doesn't know about those.

Because we want to pretend that it's all his work, so we...

I mean, I've got a set of books ready for you.

And for him.

For him, too.

Now, the one thing he's asked

Well, I've sent him Soviet...

I've now sent him a watered-down version of the reading.

I've sent him all... a set of memcams of my meetings with the North Vietnamese.

I've cleaned them up.

I've sent him all our proposals.

The trouble is, I bet they'll start leaking out of the...

How did they go to him?

Does he mean, is he putting them out?

No, no, he won't leave if he doesn't give them to his abhorrent spirit or us.

He does not leave.

That's one thing that we don't have to worry about.

What does he want to do if he wants me to start sitting in his meetings with him?

I must do that.

I must waste my time.

He wanted to be in the meeting.

so that, you know, everybody's working together.

And he thought, you ought to spend a few minutes.

I owe Dan.

No, he was already at this meeting tomorrow, or this first meeting, just to show us a combined effort, everybody.

And you just said, I'm going to owe you to get this put together and all that.

I think he said, let me put it this way, Henry.

As far as I'm concerned, I don't want to go ahead and say, look, I want you to do all these papers and so forth, or what do you want to order?

Do you think we should wait till the end, or what?

But I'll do anything.

No, I'll do whatever.

It's such a revolting thing.

Anything he wants.

I mean, they haven't done, up to now, they haven't done a goddamn thing.

We've yet to see one thing.

They've put all these things together.

So they've not sent it to us.

There was supposed to be a meeting today that she cancelled on the ground that they were reviewing the papers.

I might be right.

Let me suggest that.

Here's what you tell the book.

You tell the book.

He knows me very well.

And I abhor bull sessions.

I despise them.

I will not participate in them.

So too busy.

But I learn from the written word.

And then, based on the written word, I can ask intelligent questions.

that as soon as the papers are in, I want to go kick them in the ass and get their papers over here.

Then, at the conclusion that I'm studying now, at the conclusion of that, I'd like to meet with the group.

How does that sound to you?

Doesn't that make sense?

Or don't you mean so long?

Yeah, he knows that's the way I work.

The job to get the papers over here, Lenny is clarifying not to get, yeah.

Yeah.

And just say, fine, that I, Tom, and I'm reading, I've been reading some books and background material and so forth, but I'd like their papers as soon as possible.

So, preferably this weekend, so I tell them I need them this weekend.

Excellent.

You should have been here a long time ago, but you're not, you're in good shape because we've got another set of books for you, which he... Yeah.

Well, I understand.

But isn't it interesting that did Schwartz come down to see you?

He was down anyway.

But he wrote me a letter during the Anderson episode saying that we should remember that the whole editorial staff there and the whole newspaper directors hate us for our Vietnam politics at that time.

And

hate us for our success.

We should never forget that.

So I dropped him a note telling him how much I appreciated that and we had a chance.

Whenever he was down, he could drop in.

We came in today and he said, we have no idea.

We have no idea that it's comfortable.

We put these people in.

And last week on the op-ed page, they had only critical articles about us.

on the op-ed page, not on the editorial page.

So he went to Harrison Salisbury and he said, why don't you let me write an article to prove that there's a respectable other point of view.

Harrison Salisbury said, we have no interest in making this a battle page.

Imagine, that's an op-ed.

That's the whole point of the op-ed page.

That was the reason they put it on, was to get the opposing view.

Well, I hate that though, but we have got them in disarray at the moment.

Totally, he said.

He said, they don't know what to do.

About the peace thing.

About Vietnam.

And every revelation makes it worse.

Now, every document in North Vietnamese, the North Vietnamese, for example, released our October 11th plan today.

They themselves said it's substantially the same as your plan this week, which is what you had in your speech.

Secondly, in its first point, it had that complicated saying,

which offered withdrawals for prisoners before anything else was implemented.

So they're making...

But that point is made.

Yeah.

Will it be made?

Yeah, well, we made it already in the press conference, but now I can illustrate it.

Because now I have the text, which we didn't have before.

Then, they put out our notes asking for a meeting.

In those notes, we said, we're willing to consider your point of view, too.

So, uh, and they put out a slightly different version of the nine points from our version, from the version they handed us.

And they handed us an English version.

And the only point of it can be to show, to deprive us of the possibility of saying that we picked up their language.

So we'll hit them again tomorrow.

We'll get Ziegler.

Probably do.

Well, or maybe I'll step in for five minutes and I'll just say it.

proposal they gave us yesterday.

They gave it to us on June 26.

The version that was published yesterday is slightly different.

In substance, it's the same.

The only reason they're putting our version, the version they gave us out, is so that you can compare yourself, that our proposal actually picks up the language of the nine points which we had in our possession and walk out.

See, it's very conciliatory, very...

I do think that you also might...

I don't know if you don't want to fight off with our... Now that you might make the two-phase fight, even though you've made it previously, you will note that in our October 11th proposal that we have, we have, we have, we offered as a first phase, an immediate...

The beginning of withdrawal...

The beginning of withdrawal from prison.

Even with all the other stuff that...

And make those two points only in walking.

So that they have to say that... You don't want to get cross-watched with Mansfield.

But the liberals are in one hell of a spot now.

Why do we get cross-watched with Mansfield?

Mansfield's saying now that he, you know, it's an admirable proposal and all that, but he regrets that you didn't separate the military and the political.

For Christ's sakes, that was our first proposal, I know.

Yeah, but this doesn't get us crosswise, Mr.

Chess.

No, it clears up the point, which is it needs to be done.

They're going to do that anyway.

But if they don't want to do it, I'd suggest that maybe we ought to take med school on that.

Otherwise, obviously, we can't because we've got a little support for them.

We've got to maintain that as long as we can.

Well, you should say that without another name, we say you will not know.

That's the third point in relation to the ninth point and the fact that the

First, finally, the October 11 proposal does say, in two phases, we'll move immediately, we'll go to this and that.

And thirdly, let us, let me emphasize again, we have offered to negotiate the military separately, without the political.

And they have turned that down.

That's why we have offered the political side of the matter.

Hit that hard.

Oh, yeah.

But I think it would be a really...

in outstanding shape.

And they're making desperate points now.

Yesterday, the New York Times' Terence Smith had an article saying that the proposal for six months withdrawal is the same that Johnson made in Manila.

I'm going to get Frankl to pull back from that because what Johnson proposed in Manila is that we start withdrawing six months after the North Vietnamese had withdrawn

that the violence had subsided.

We are proposing that we would withdraw within six months, no matter what the North Vietnamese do.

In other words, exactly the reverse.

Johnson's mutual withdrawal, basically.

No, Johnson was... No, Johnson was prior withdrawal by Fort North Vietnam.

Do you remember... Why the hell is Karen Smith right that he knows... Do you remember, Mr. President, the second night you were in office, you went to the Ford Theater, and I came to your...

to the residents.

Within the first week, you went to a theater.

I came to the residence to go over a telegram with you in which I had recommended that we change the Manila formula, which was first the North Vietnamese withdrawal and then we follow, to simultaneous mutual withdrawal.

That's right.

And you authorized it.

You told me to backchannel large that he should recommend it.

That's when we started our maneuvers.

Mutual withdrawal, aren't you?

Bill Bundy, when I said we have to have simultaneous mutual withdrawal, said this would disintegrate our relations with Australia and everybody else.

So within three days, you changed the Manila formula of being in office.

Well, I can think that Franco ought to really clean up the errands.

Good God.

Oh, yes.

But it's good for us if they make egregious errors from which they have to pull back.

You think he will pull back?

Oh, yeah.

They have no choice.

It's a egregious, total misstatement.

I mean, this is not debatable.

Well, I know what was happening, necessarily from the pullback.

Yeah, maybe if that was the time, simply can't...

I told Bob today, Stuart Alsop is in.

Oh, he is singing your praises.

He said it's a disgrace.

that you should be saving the WASP establishment from itself, that you are the only one who is standing for the honor of this country, while the Democrats are standing for immorality, defeatism, surrender.

And he's practically foaming at the mouth.

He went up to my line.

When he says that, he usually sits down and writes.

No, he's gonna write it.

He's gonna write it, but also, Bob, he says at the parties, yeah.

Well, he called Kay, you know, Kay Graham called me Saturday morning and said, if you have any complaints about my editorial, why don't you tell me?

Well, don't, you know, do Elsa.

Apparently, Elsa, they called her and said you're a traitor.

She is.

Well, they pulled way back.

I don't know whether you saw the editorial yesterday.

Well, coming back to Frankl,

As you know, he's on the list for China.

Son of a bitch, you better don't tell him he's on it yet, but he's better, he damn well better start playing around and doing something that's right.

Frank will ought to clean that up.

That's just dead wrong.

What will you do, call him inside?

I'll call him, I'll say, Max.

I'll just say it's like saying an elephant and a fly are the same animal because they both have legs.

Yes.

Because Johnson's proposal was the first that North Vietnamese would withdraw.

Six months after the North Vietnamese had withdrawn and the level of violence had subsided.

Until the Manila formula, we proposed that the Vietcong had to withdraw.

That requires them to get out and have a ceasefire.

It's everything.

First they had to withdraw, and then we stopped withdrawing.

There was no deadline on our withdrawal.

So you missed the point totally.

Well, it's almost so badly missed that it's a misrepresentation.

Why don't you write this article?

Well, the rest of the article is actually quite good.

It says, basically, it says many aspects are not new.

For example, the six months withdrawal.

Other aspects are new.

So they are giving us credit.

So the one thing he said wasn't new is new.

So it was not a hostile article.

And the Times editorial yesterday was basically good, if you think so, Bob.

You might do the Mauro thing I was thinking of, the week we leave, say on Monday or so.

Even if it's next Tuesday, is it really the only time you can have a dinner next week?

How about the following Monday, adjusting to the...

The following Monday would also be, I think that's a little better possible, for 14.

We're leaving for 60.

70.

Oh, we're leaving for 70.

I think that Monroe is an excellent idea.

Well, it just appeals to me.

Look, all these little clowns around here who are China scholars are shitheads compared to Andrew Mauro.

Mauro was a brilliant man.

They all recognize him as being their superior, don't they?

And I think the fact that I thought, well, I've met him in Paris, and I want to talk to him, also ties the tension a bit.

I think it's a difference that will be flattered beyond description.

Uh, it's a superb... Well, it follows a name that's known.

I've never read it.

Oh, it's beautiful.

But we have it in the library.

I've dipped in it a couple times.

It's hard reading, mainly because, you see, it's written in another language.

He talks because he comes out in these torrents of... Yeah, he's a sheer, sheer genius.

He's now got a twitch and a lot of other things, but that doesn't bother me.

I just think that I like to talk to the right people.

I read that piece you had clipped out somewhere along the line, on the Long March.

Yeah.

That's easy.

It's beautifully written.

Even in English.

He writes like a poet.

He's a great man.

And I think this is a superb idea.

I don't know whether you know the Russian poet Yevgeny Tchenko, who is dying to meet you now.

The only reason to see him is cold-blooded PR.

Bastard is an opportunist.

But he's the darling of the... That's what I'm bouncing around town.

Darling of the one dove.

Well, not of the dove so much, but of this sort of...

It's a pure piazza.

Well, you'd have to say he wants to tell you he's an absolute egomaniac.

I know it.

What he wants is to, A, to promote himself, I have no doubt, and secondly, to pour out his soul to you.

What is his soul for?

Well, he's a sort of an opportunistic opponent of the Soviet system.

He's just opposed enough to get a cachet over here, but they're supporting him.

He wouldn't bother us.

Why is he bothering the Russians to see him?

No, no, Dobrynin.

I've checked with Dobrynin.

It sort of has a cultural... Dobrynin would approve of it.

Yeah.

I'll see you.

I think it's a sort of a half hour.

It's a nice touch.

He's here now?

He's in New York.

Okay, this is a better read than the next.

It's only a half hour.

I don't know where you ended up with your energy.

Well, you were going to tell me.

Well, I'm trying to find out when your people have been done.

Oh, they're checking.

I think we should just schedule it and make this work.

Well, he can't schedule it and make Connolly know that he has to testify.

Yes, it's Connolly that we want, so I think Wednesday afternoon sounds like the best time.

I'd like to go see it Wednesday morning or Tuesday.

Morning fine, but if they have to testify Wednesday afternoon, offer Connolly the option.

Wednesday morning at 10, Wednesday afternoon at 3.

That's fine.

So should we... Well, Bob will have to figure it out.

Who checks the comms?

Who does this?

Well, my people at that level.

The first thing is, I didn't know you were on this phone, but I didn't see you.

We walk around full of options.

But if you, uh, if you want, yes, Tichenko, if you give me a time.

But I need about three days because it's going on.

I mean, three days ahead of time.

It's a sort of a nice ploy, sir.

I must warn you, he's a, makes me appear humble.

Yeah, in a sort of, yeah, in a sort of effusive way.

Well, Thursday is the time to do the work.

Okay.

You know, you can do that one week, we can take it at 3 o'clock Thursday afternoon.

You get the athletes at 2 o'clock.

All right.

The drug, the drug then.

Thursday at 3.

Okay.

The reception's at 5, see?

Mm-hmm.

Interesting that Stuart Alsop has been following that line, Henry, for two years, actually, you know, about the, you know, the, after the Armored Third thing, you know, the breakdown of the establishment, the fact that, because he runs with that goddamn crowd.

Oh, yeah.

He's pretty disgusted with it.

Oh, he was at a dinner the other day.

He tells me at Harriman, where they were all being in favor of cutting off all support, and, and,

I don't want to live in a country where people hold such views, and I pray to God your views never prevail.

Oh, he's really seen that.

If he's going to write it next week, I think he's going to be... Well, if we can only find a way to help him.

Thank you.

I'm not sure they're going on offensive, though.

It's not going to help their point of relations one goddamn bit.

President, this reaction exceeds anything that I expected.

I thought that by now they'd be after us again.

Don't you remember not over 70 yet?

But in October 1970, there was one big difference.

First, the North Vietnamese brutally turned it down right away.

The North Vietnamese weren't on the defensive for one day in October 1970.

Secondly, it was produced by the special circumstances.

We made a mistake in October 1970.

The Democrats were looking for a way of getting on your side.

And we gave them a vehicle.

They didn't really mean it this time.

They're looking for a way.

They're looking this time.

You know they're doing it against their wishes.

What they would most like is to have hammered away on Vietnam day after day in the new session of Congress.

They have no reason to get on your side now.

And so the tactical circumstances are entirely different.

In October 70, they were scared out of their wits

Incidentally, I think it's worth, Henry, you're talking to Mike, just to, and just straight up deadpan, because I already told him, you know, that we're going to suggest that he go over to China after we are, you know, and all that business.

He knows that we're going to put that line.

But I think he should say, Mike, just so you know, we have offered.

and the alternative.

Either way, they have flatly rejected us.

We'll be glad to come back to them.

I'll call it tomorrow.

And we'll be glad to come back to it, you see.

And we want you to know that that's on the table, and you would say the President mentioned that Porter will reiterate that at the next meeting.

I gave Stuart a few more tidbits.

Likewise.

But he asked me, why do you think they pulled back from the November 20th meeting?

I said, well, now you write it as your own.

I'm giving you a Henry Kissinger opinion.

It's not a government opinion.

I basically think it's partly the Senate's action in shutting off foreign aid, because that gave the review, which I happen to believe, incidentally.

Oh, Henry, listen, every time that we ever make any progress, there's any question, I don't know whether it makes that much difference, any question, it cooled it.

Every time, every goddamn meeting, why did they screw around in June?

Because the Senate was screwing around.

They wanted to see whether the Senate would cut off aid to Vietnam unilaterally.

In that case, they didn't have to deal for it.

But when they called the press conference today, I thought for sure they were coming after us.

It was basically a quite conciliatory press conference.

They're pointing out that the secrecy was at our request, not at their request.

And, you know, they have a hell of a problem explaining why they had secret nine points and public seven points.

Well, you never know how our press will play that, of course.

We just have to constantly keep putting the truth out.

We've got them tomorrow.

But make those three points tomorrow.

I think we've got them.

Don't be in a public running debate with them, but make those three points and I'll tell them.

I'll have to take one or two questions.

You're just going to do it.

Okay.

Good night.

You're right about this.

I've just wasted my time talking to a bunch of idiots.

I don't know who the other man is.

I'd be very safe to present this all for him.

But it's a question of when.

He'd like to have the papers first.

So he knows what questions to ask.

And we'll have a meeting.

We'll go through it all.

But he just pays attention to what he wants.

Thank you.