← 698-007698-009 →

Conversation 698-008

TapeTape 698StartThursday, March 30, 1972 at 5:18 PMEndThursday, March 30, 1972 at 5:30 PMTape start time02:01:37Tape end time02:13:15ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.;  [Unknown person(s)];  Sanchez, ManoloRecording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to discuss logistics and strategic communications for upcoming foreign diplomatic missions, including a stopover in Warsaw during an upcoming Soviet trip and potential visits to Iran. The conversation centered on managing public expectations for the Moscow summit and the importance of securing prime-time television coverage for Kissinger’s media appearances. Additionally, the President reviewed the political optics of the Vietnam War, emphasizing a desire to adopt a firmer stance on the conflict as part of his broader foreign policy and 1972 campaign strategy.

Vietnam WarMoscow SummitForeign PolicyPublic RelationsPresidential Travel
AudioNARA Description

On March 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:18 pm to 5:30 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 698-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 698-8

Date: March 30, 1972
Time: 5:18 pm - 5:30 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger; the conversation began in progress.

     Vietnam
          -Democrats
              -Negotiations

**********************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 2m 41s ]

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 5:18 pm.

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 5:18 pm.

The unknown man and Sanchez left at an unknown time before 5:30 pm.

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

**********************************************************************

     Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
         -Interview with Kissinger
               -Timing
                    -Audience
                         -Campared to George Putnam's show

     Soviet trip
          -Poland
                 -Stopover
          -Possible itinerary
                 -Baku to Iran
                 -Iran to Warsaw
                       -Arrival ceremony
                            -Crowds
                       -Departure time
                 -Washington, D.C.
          -Poland
                 -Stopover
                       -Public reception

                              -Campared to Spain
                              -Compared to Romania
                              -The President’s reception in Warsaw while Vice President
                   -Poles
                        -Reaction to the President's visit
           -Iran
                -Reception
           -Warsaw reception
           -Soviet reaction
           -Kissinger's meeting with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
                -Accommodations
                      -Kremlin
                            -Leonid I. Brezhnev
                            -Soviet reaction
           -Public expectations for Moscow summit
                -Strategic Arms Limitations Talks [SALT]
                      -Gerard C. Smith
                      -Kissinger's talk with Dobyrnin

     Middle East
         -Interim settlement
         -Final settlement
         -Kissinger's schedule
               -Trips
                     -Middle East
                     -The People's Republic of China [PRC]
                     -Soviet Union
                     -1972 campaign
                          -Television
                          -Foreign policy
                          -PRC
                               -Timing
                                     -Democratic National Convention

     European trip
          -William P. Rogers
          -Announcement
                -Kissinger's forthcoming trip to Japan
                     -Announcement
                -Kissinger's forthcoming meeting with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

Kissinger left at 5:30 pm.
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 think we should anyway do that.
And then the only way they knew how to end it is to mock all the sacrifices they imposed on the American people.
If we have to do that, I'll be prepared to do that.
I intend to be awfully rough on the war in any event.
We're going to say they got us in, we got out.
Because in any event, you'll have all the gravity.
In order to be able to say in the negotiations, because if they think we're talking, we've got to be a little, I want to be a little bit more of what's going on.
And then the only way they knew how to end it is to mock all the sacrifices they imposed on the American people.
Oh, if we have to do that, I'll be prepared to do that.
And I said, I intend to be awfully rough on the war in any event.
We're going to sit and we got them out.
Because in any event, you'll have all the draftees.
Now the network CBS has come back and they want to do a full hour in prime time.
They only give half an hour on Sunday initially.
We have to give them an answer on Thursday.
We'll see what they offer.
They've now opened a Thursday night from 8 to 9.
Thursday from 8 to 9.
They work on Thursdays and Sundays from 10.30 to 11.
Yeah, I know, which is out of the question.
You don't have as many Sundays from 10.30 to 11 as they've got in George, Buffalo, and Shaw, California at 7 to 8.
I don't know, just 90 of them.
That's right.
We're going to go on.
It's a question of getting the best time, the best view.
The biggest audience, because once you have done it, you understand the next one.
So if you're going to do it, it's got to be the best time, the best time of the week, the most good.
Absolutely.
That's the only view, but it'll be a hell of a time to do it.
What is the situation, uh, the way this, uh, mosque, uh... Oh, nothing.
Rather, they force all the instructors and people...
He'll let us know on Monday, and then we'll notify the court that we'll accept it.
Well, that makes it an easy way to get back to... That makes it an easy way.
In terms of the physical exertion, it's actually easier that way.
You can go from Baku to Iran.
That's easy.
That's two hours.
You do that Tuesday morning.
Then I think you should leave Iran in time for a late afternoon arrival in Warsaw so that you can get the crowds out of the offices, say 5 o'clock, arriving in Warsaw.
Any time you want to arrive in Warsaw, it doesn't make any difference.
Then leave the next afternoon.
You leave Wausau around 4 or 5.
In the afternoon, you get in here about 9.
You'll get a tremendous reception.
You would think so.
I don't know.
Poles would be scared of that, knowing what happened before.
You weren't.
The only thing that really approached that reception was when the Spanishman, of course, was the visual size.
but to what it really only approached in terms of emotion with Romania.
And boy, I've been through receptions of that one in Warsaw.
It was the dumbest thing for me.
I was much better than you ever saw.
But it won't be that emotional anymore because...
But it's been a long time.
It's been a long time and they've become much more disillusioned to their prospects.
That's right.
But nobody can, they can't control their population.
If they could, they would never... We don't have to think about other spaces.
I think that the foals, fairly apart from anything else, even their prospects are not good.
We want to see a president of the United States.
That's right.
No one has governed the polls in 300 years.
And they couldn't get these guys away from the streets.
And they want it.
That government wants you there to solidify themselves with their people.
For that, they've got to get their people on the streets.
I could be wrong, but if you don't have a tremendous reception in Poland, you're going to have two tremendous receptions.
You'll have a tremendous one in Tehran, you'll have a big one in Warsaw.
And my instinct tells me there are somewhere along the line... One thing he told me was...
that, you know, we are having a little problem about space in the Kremlin.
And he said, for God's sake, don't turn the Kremlin down.
It's the biggest honor the president could pay you.
And he said, above all, the Russian people, that's for the Russian people, it means that there's a solid basis for our relationship and it's a tremendous signal to our people.
to have the president and the president.
And I think that's right.
We're not always complete.
But I think that if I may make a suggestion, I think we should play it very cool about the time.
We should give the impression that not much is going to happen, that we're going to have a lot of results.
because there's too many evil stuff tricking out.
But I know no one really expects much out of the Moscow Senate, and that's great.
We've got the things split up over the bureaucracy in such a way.
That's good.
Well, I think we can play the line that there are a number of things we're going to discuss this afternoon, but we're pretty far apart on this trip, isn't it?
We're pretty far apart?
Yeah.
It's going beautifully down in Seoul.
Is it?
Yeah.
That move don't get Buddy the Smith on the cell phone.
Well, the Russians aren't right.
No, I told the prison again today.
← 698-007698-009 →