On February 29, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), Stephen B. Bull, Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, and Hugh Scott met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 10:06 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 675-008 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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.
I don't know.
Well, it's unbelievable.
I picked up the phone last night and said, wake me at 7.30.
And the operator, the soldier said, I just wonder how proud I was to be able to wake up every morning at 7 and try to see the President and all you people on television working for peace.
I mean, they dropped dead, you know, these are not...
Right, yeah.
And working for peace.
Oh, Mr. President, I think... We changed the mood in that respect.
I think these intellectuals can say, well, the knick-knack has already subsided.
It's like it has subsided so much that I was beginning to wonder whether I should have my back on it, whether I think I should.
Well, I don't know.
Well, I don't agree.
I think it gives, because the writing press is probably by tomorrow looking for an excuse to come aboard.
I think I'd like to see you once again.
I think I'd like to see you, but I have to not say it.
I'm not having it.
I'll have it.
And, uh, well, uh, uh, the part of the bull is he gone?
He did go again.
Yeah.
She's always to be included when they have, they have 18 staff members there and it's always, she will always be there, you know what I mean, for the consumer.
All right, bye.
Uh, Ethan Connell began to go the other way today.
None of you saw that.
But he's not coming to the meeting?
Well, one problem you have, Mr. President, is that the way it's being organized is that Lithgow is doing the inviting.
And Lithgow says, as a matter of principle, he can't exclude anybody.
I just have to repeat, report this to you.
I can't exclude.
Well, no, if Karno gets it promised, to abide by it.
Now, my frank conviction is, and Bill, I'll abide by whatever you say, but I just want you to hear it.
My conviction is that Karno can't do any worse.
That if he's not there, he's got a vested interest to break the background, and then they will all have an excuse to break the background after he's broken it.
And it will look vindictive.
Well, I think they're all going to cut it the other way.
You were...
It's a candle, but I think these guys are looking...
But Kano, I don't feel so strongly about, except that if these passes break the background, then everything will have been broken.
Then the others can excuse the trace.
Saidi, my judgment of Saidi is that it was true it was sitting there and peaking.
No one was telling him what to think.
That's his basic complaint.
Uh, that he's got this reputation as a duck holder.
No, I agree.
Well, because if he can, it breaks.
That's true.
I don't give a damn.
They would take me to Cronkite.
It would be Cronkite with Cedric as the alternate.
We set an alternate on each network.
Reed here with Smith as the alternate there, even though he wasn't on the trip.
Cronkite with Cedric as the alternate, and Chen here with Cedric as the alternate.
Good.
Now my analysis of Friday is, a third of the time he tenses on us, a third of the time he supports us, and a third of the time he's sort of in degree.
Time makes a difference in an analysis type thing.
If Schecter were here, there wouldn't be a question.
Schecter would be much better if we were.
I agree.
On that I agree 100%.
I think you've got to look at having someone in this thing not as any reward to them, but as hopefully a way of using them in this situation.
Cracked?
What the hell's he done for us?
Yeah, we had some.
No, we did.
We had Buckley.
That is not important.
I know, but we had him as a, not as a reward to him, but we had him as a balance to crack.
No, you see, I don't think Buckley's happy if you back down there, because there's nothing conceivable that can come out of Buckley.
And, uh... All right.
Well, you didn't crack down because he was back, so you can leave Buckley out because Buckley was on the balance crack.
I saw the film of your speech.
Did you see that?
I think this is one of the best television things we've done.
You delivered it magnificently, and they showed on the newsflips this morning that last phrase that you wrote in at the end, and we hope tonight that our children can live.
And they back to the children sitting there.
Great job.
It was a beautiful television production.
It was magnificent.
And they focused right.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Are they gonna come?
I feel that way.