Nixon, Scott & Ford on Vietnam War and People's Republic of China

9:17Well, you did talk to Mike, I guess, yesterday.
9:21What about Carl and Nate?
9:24Well, if they want to come, it's fine.
9:27I'd invite them.
9:28I'd invite them.
9:29Sure.
9:30Mike, there's no need to have because Mike's views are different.
9:35That's all.
9:37Jerry, you're allowed to be asked when you're going to China how you handle that job.
9:41You're allowed to get that question.
9:43I would say that we're going after you and Mike, though, and after the President goes to...
9:49You can't work their schedule out after the President goes to Moscow, but you say the matter is being investigated out.
10:02Is this something that would fit into their schedule?
10:08What do you think you would want to get to?
10:11Well, I think first we should both get this.
10:13We should make the point that
10:18The withdrawal is continuing, not only on, but actually ahead of schedule.
10:23If you permit, we should say that we would expect that there'd be a further statement around the 1st of May.
10:29Well, I don't like to indicate any sense of weakness in that respect.
10:33I would say, well, does that mean there's going to be a further withdrawal?
10:35I wouldn't want to say that.
10:37I don't want to say that now.
10:40There may be, but I think it's very important not to.
10:42I would simply say that the withdrawal is proceeding.
10:46There are no American ground forces involved.
10:48But the leadership, I would rather do emphasize in terms of foreign policy the positive point that the leadership unanimously supports the President
10:57the President's efforts in using air and sea power to the extent necessary to accomplish these three goals.
11:06I would say the reports are that they are doing all the whiting in the ground.
11:19I get off the crescent, they are doing 50% of the sorties in the air, and they are, according to General Abrams' reports, the reports that we receive in battle, they are fighting very well, very significantly.
11:34There has been
11:35no civilian South Vietnamese support for the North Vietnamese invasion, which is, yeah.
11:45Senator, when you're making that point, I think it's good to say that Secretary Laird and Adam Moore had made the point, so that in its court amendment, the president, if not, intends to have about three days
12:07I would say that this, based on the reports that Secretary Atma Moore and General Abrams made,
12:26This is what is happening.
12:27That's right.
12:27Rather than escalating it with my work, I'm saying, you know, so I'm very careful not to say it one way or another.
12:32I'm not trying to judge how they're doing.
12:34People say the reports from papers and the reports from...
12:38The art of the art is fighting well.
12:41Can we say this is a massive invasion with the full support of the Soviet Union?
12:46with the full, with the technical, with the support, I wouldn't say the full support of the Soviet Union in that sense.
12:54I'd say it's a massive invasion of North Vietnam, of South Vietnam, by North Vietnam, with the...
13:05with the support of massive Soviet weapons, including the most modern tanks, the most modern guns.
13:14The next question I'll get when you say that is, did the President give any indication of this effect?
13:21No, that's right, because our views at the present time, since some of them go ahead...
13:27But I think if we say, do you think this is going to the president's office, is that something?
13:33He said, no.
13:36But as far as we're concerned, it's fine.
13:40Mr. President, not only has there been no civilian uprising or civilian defection from the Saigon government, but there are a number of stories indicating that various Buddhist groups and others neutral or hostile to Saigon have rallied to the support of Saigon.
13:53It seems to me this is a very significant factor.
13:56We didn't particularly touch upon it at the meeting this morning.
14:00Well, the significant thing that has been reported
14:04in the briefings that we have received here this morning, and all the briefings, and this is for me to say, I say, who briefed you, Dr. Jenkins?
14:14Well, listen, these are briefings from the field.
14:17Isn't the population of South Vietnam overwhelmingly supports the South Vietnamese against the communist forces, the communist invaders?
14:27Overwhelmingly supports.
14:29There's no evidence at all, and I've heard about it or read about it.
14:32Oh, even this integration, even from the same direction.
14:33So even, I mean, that's, I mean, it's under the press.
14:35Mr. President, one of the things that the leadership asked for in those negotiations, because of what he had with the Thursday meeting approaches, and also because of the pressure appealed today for both the Northeast and the East, the United States, to turn out the table,
14:57We have said up to this point that we're interested in serious negotiations with the federal government, and it's an absolute debate to get back at them.
15:10So should we say that our president has... No, I put it this way.
15:15I put it this way, that we... And say this on your own, that you've got to do two... One, the negotiating record of this administration, private and public,
15:26is one that shows that it is the entity that is responsible and not the United States.
15:31We are ready to negotiate at any time, but the United States is not going to negotiate at the point of a gun.
15:40But the negotiating record, both private and public, as indicated by my speech in Chapter 25, and since then, leaves no doubt but that the fault for failing to negotiate is not that of the United States.
15:57We are ready to negotiate.
15:59At any time.
16:00We are ready to negotiate a settlement, but we are not going to negotiate a surrender.
16:07I put that on par.
16:09And we're not going to negotiate at the point of a gun.
16:13It's an invader's gun.
16:16It's an invader's gun.
16:33Now, as a matter of fact, as I told you, you can have quiet assurance that the negotiated record is good.
16:41Even in this industry.
16:42Right.
16:42Ever since January 20th, believe me, we have gone the extra mile.
16:45You know, it's a good God that you can have that assurance if you go to China.
16:50We aren't going to tell you anything that you shouldn't know.
16:55But it's a good record.
16:57Right.
16:57I've already eaten that.
16:58It's a good record.
17:00But we want to avoid making any suggestions.
17:01There aren't any private talks going on.
17:08Sure.
17:10You've got to say it.
17:10You can say, I think you can say, well, looking, I think you can say, well, you're on the judgment, the basis of the January 22nd speech.
17:19The United States has always been taking the lead in terms of seeking negotiations.
17:27You are competent.
17:29You have every competence of the negotiating record of the administration.
17:32But we are not going to negotiate surrender.
17:52We're not going to be able to shoot them.
17:53We may have to ask a question about the fact that Mike and I were down here yesterday.
17:57I think it's pretty clear that we just simply say to brief this period.
18:01Sure, you could say that the President invited you down because you are going to China, and he will see to it how soon he's going to come down.
18:09Because to discuss your trip to China, you've done various things regarding the China visit, and you had a good talk with an old man.
18:18You'll get the question of whether or not you're taking a letter or a message to the leaders.
18:24It was stated to the President, of course, that the President will be sending personal messages to the leaders of China.
18:31I got that last night at the Oxford-Cambridge dinner, socially, that was pressing me hard.
18:38You suggested that we use every opportunity to prop up, and we got back to talk about
18:46to groups other than just the Sunday talk shows, and already the Overseas Writers Club wants to talk to them.
18:53That's a good forum, I'd say.
18:54Sure.
18:55I'll be sure they talk to us.
18:57That's right.
18:59Well, that's that.
19:01That's right.
19:02Well, thank you, Paul.
19:03Thank you very much.
19:05Your talk, thank you, too.
19:06I don't see you.
19:07I don't see you anymore.
19:08There you go.
19:09Good luck.
19:10Thank you.
19:10Goodbye, sir.
19:13Oh, yeah
21:32I'd like to take a second to get this nomination.

Nixon, Scott & Ford on Vietnam War and People's Republic of China

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Also recorded on April 12, 1972

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