Nixon & Haig on Vietnam War and Military Operations

4:13He just put 50-caliber scout cars around, and he's put out the word that anyone that's not with his unit will be shot, and cleaned up that mess very quickly up there.
4:15We still
4:16There's nothing to justify the kind of reporting that came out of there yesterday.
4:22Well, it's the UVI.
4:23It's always a little Cleveland in this, on the way to Shattenburg.
4:31It's really horrible stuff all the time.
4:33The air has been very effective in the last 48 hours.
4:36We're starting to get some...
4:39bomb damage assessments from what they've done in the Bellahoy, Quantree area, primarily, and in MR1.
4:48They've gotten 69 trucks and 16 guns in just the last 48 hours, which is very good.
4:59Is it?
5:00Yes, sir.
5:01That's quite a bit.
5:04As I told you last night, four tanks.
5:13Well, they take them and hold them under a tree or something that can't be seen from the air.
5:17And when they're attacking, that's when they're vulnerable.
5:25Right.
5:26They have, the North Vietnamese have, they have definite information that they've had a merge of those two divisions in the ICARB, and to make one very under-strained division.
5:40So they've taken a pounding in your professional direction?
5:43Yes, sir.
5:44They've taken a hell of a pounding.
5:49Now, in the wave perimeter, they've got a river line set up on the northern flank there.
5:55They've pulled back to a riverside water barrier.
5:59And they've got their forces all consolidated inside.
6:03So they're in good shape in terms of getting ready to defend there.
6:11And they've got, what is this, actually two?
6:20They have three cavalry squatters.
6:21They've got two divisions defending, the 1st Division and the Marine Division, which they pulled together for the first time instead of fighting in separate brigades.
6:32Their performance has been superb.
6:35In addition, they've created a mobile reserve of three cavalry squadrons and an Arvin regiment.
6:42from the 2nd Army Division.
6:44They pulled up two battalions from the 2nd Army Front of Staff.
6:51Now, he's reassembling his Airborne Division, which has really been the shock unit.
6:58They've moved it all over the place in this conflict.
7:02and his objective is to attack north as soon as they take the attack then they have the second marines and the airborne well they should have been able to attack it
7:28They weren't moving with the kind of mobility that they should have.
7:34And he's also very goosey about that airport.
7:37He uses them in the key places, but he never wants to put them in a place where they get trapped.
7:41And he's pulled that one brigade here.
7:43He's pulling it out of Khantoum.
7:44So I think in his mind, he figures that Khantoum is
7:51something that he'll have to write off if necessary.
7:54Now, they put B-52s all around Khartoum yesterday.
7:59And they're reporting that they got a lot of hurt to the enemy.
8:08But I think that's going to be very hairy when it hits.
8:12They haven't really assaulted yet.
8:14They've been pouring a lot of fire into the enemy tanks.
8:21They still haven't linked up on Route 13, but they're very close to it now.
8:27Let's see, I want to know the friendlies coming up Route 13 to open up the road to Anlock.
8:35They are very close.
8:38There hasn't been any other heavy fighting in 3 Corps at all.
8:41We're still getting them there, though, I suppose.
8:45Yes, sir.
8:46Oh, yes.
8:46They might get them.
8:48And they killed 45 in Foucaulon yesterday in just one airstrike, so they're being attributed.
9:00The funniest thing that started to happen is the Navy, all along the coast, they've shipped a lot of guns out to engage these naval ships, so they're really hurting them.
9:10Those guns might not want to be used anymore.
9:14That's right, yeah.
9:16The air operations in the north yesterday got four trucks, 33 boats, five bridges knocked down.
9:29We haven't been getting very good reports of those air actions.
9:34In other words, we haven't been getting much damage, is that it?
9:39They haven't been reporting them.
9:40They're getting the damage because it's been fairly intense in the state.
9:52Oh, the PIO problem, yes, sir.
9:55They're trying to find out the guy that filed that story.
10:02And the Army is going to, GDN is going to throw them out if they can get them.
10:08Well, just so they can clean it up.
10:12Clean the press out of there, too.
10:20But, you know, they go stir out the people and try to scare the hell out of them like they did out in the core of Europe.
10:27Exactly.
10:29Well, you know, and they report that an American building is burnt, which shows anti-Americanism.
10:35And it was done by a D.C. firebomb line, and goddammit, that's a dishonest report.
10:42Exactly.
10:43Did I believe that?
10:45They have denied it, yes.
10:47The Star had a story last night that there was no looting or raping.
10:52There was some... Star?
10:54Well, the Star had a headline that there was looting.
10:57Well, the... That was another story.
10:59That was another story.
11:06Smart boy.
11:09Yeah, he's...
11:10He's got the controller.
11:18just isn't an awful lot happening tonight, except for we're doing it in the morning.
11:27Will you try the, uh, will you try to concentrate it?
11:40Well, the chairman, particularly the way, let me say the way I look at the way
11:50like we're done it's a hell of a symbol it's a very important area and the way is a place where they should fight in the last season without being enemies that's my theory i think they're not that's something like that there's got to be decided from here aiden will understand that kind of thinking he doesn't really understand that sort of thing you know he's thinking of the whole order of battle and all that but there are places that are worth saving and there are places that are not like the russians fought for stalingrad
12:19Therefore, I really feel that just rather than saying, well, we have 30% here, 40% there, 20% there, why in the name of God can't he get them around and talk about the other people right away from the government?
12:37That's all I'm suggesting.
12:39Well, this is what he's going to do.
12:40This is what I talked to the chairman about last night.
12:45And, uh,
12:46You use that thing.
12:48Basically, it's a redundant situation.
12:50It's a terrible symbol.
12:52We've got a cold wave.
12:55The wave of condoms and all that is what we wanted to go with.
13:02No, I think this is right.
13:03And I think putting a drone up there and taking some 2nd Division troops and putting them in there.
13:12But what I'm thinking of is an enormous artillery
13:24Yes, sir.
13:25I mean, you see, our wing is as close to the port as we just don't have them.
13:31Jets are not good for close support.
13:33No, they're all right.
13:34You have spotters?
13:35They're doing fine.
13:39I think the real problem has been that these guys haven't stood and fought.
13:46The air is doing very well.
13:48Oh, I know.
13:48That's good to be able to let us help.
13:57Anyway, let's try to really, really, really work this away.
14:04All these trucks and things that they got yesterday, they've been getting mostly at night.
14:08They keep the battlefield illuminated with flares.
14:12And they just bring attack air in as over data.
14:14And the enemy, of course, used to move at night.
14:20So that's been helpful.
14:31Keep eating those BIOs.
14:32Yes, sir.
14:32I understand.
14:32And he says the hawks want to stick it in the barn.
14:36Chase is one of the special guys.
14:44Did you reassure them that we were getting the hell out of them?
14:48I did.
14:48I got damn tough with them.
14:50What'd you say?
14:52Well, this guy Derwinsky is a big mouth.
14:54Right.
14:55And he stood up and gave a little speech about the company's leadership and why the hell are we letting them get away with this.
15:02And I just didn't wait a goddamn minute.
15:07I said, uh...
15:09I sit there where I know where the decisions are made, and I said, it's good for you to sit over here and pontificate the work we've done about it.
15:17It's up to you people.
15:17Where our threats have always been from the Congress of the United States, cutting off funds, not supporting defense budgets, manpower cuts.
15:25I said, that's your responsibility, and we need your help with it.
15:29He said, do you have any problems with the command of the chief?
15:35He said, we've been hearing this for three years.
15:36He said, we'll go to Russia.
15:38We'll go to China.
15:40Goddamn, there were some of them.
15:43But this isn't real.
15:44Well, you were telling me about the strikes we were putting in.
15:47The amount of stuff we had out there.
17:01But as a rule, a man's true greatness

Nixon & Haig on Vietnam War and Military Operations

AI Summary

Audio

Transcript (AI-generated)

NARA Description

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on May 4, 1972

Cite this conversation