Nixon, Kissinger & Haig on Soviet-US relations and Lend-Lease

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Well, Henry, how are you?

I'm getting a little tired.

I'll fix it in the morning.

Yeah, okay.

I don't spend a lot of time here because I don't have breakfast.

I don't know where I'm supposed to run at.

7.15.

I just wanted to get you a quick trip and put your hand on something.

Um, you said you were going to take a step, but I'm not sure.

But, um, please talk to me.

I'm going to.

Uh, there you can tell.

First, on the, uh, land lease and on the trade deal.

Uh, as you know, that was completely deadlocked.

Uh, after Peterson was there.

And they were only talking about land lease and return books which would get exported for credit and, uh...

And uh...

So I let the president get a few million more on his own lease, and I could have gotten it from him because he's had so many setbacks, and I want him to be able to go to the public bureau still to sell me $725 million, which is three-quarters of a billion.

And there are some wrinkles in order to get it off the side deal where they can postpone it in 75 and 76 in the last two years of their five-year plan.

But nevertheless, the total sum will be paid off.

And nobody will know that except you and I and President needs to postpone it.

And that's in the agreement it's permitted to postpone it.

At any rate, I go, President.

Bye.

In return for that, he had to help us out on every outstanding commercial treatment.

He said, what are they?

I said, maritime trade.

And I gave him this trade center.

So he called in his maritime minister, and he said, it's going to be settled by Friday.

And he called in Manjula, his trade minister, and he said, they're going to get a trade center.

They're going to get business facilities.

So I hope it can't.

The deadline is October 10th.

You'll be able to announce a really sweeping trade between us and the Soviet Union in which we are getting a hell of a lot.

We're getting $725.90 in that lease.

We're getting a trade center in Moscow.

We're getting business facilities.

We're getting international after trade.

Of the stupid clans between us and the Soviets and our businessmen don't have regard to Soviet force.

They're going to get conducted.

And it was really the maximum program that we had.

When summit fell today then on FBFR and the European Security Conference, I had bothered you with all the details.

But our allies wanted that troop reductions and European security be conducted in Panama.

been head guardians twice to see, uh, to see what's to be and what's to be next.

The Russians turned it down completely.

They now agreed to let me continue civil life.

But they gave us a definite schedule where there's a preparatory conference on European security end of November, then a preparatory conference on FDFR in January, uh, then there's an European security conference in June and an FDFR conference

in September.

And all of this they gave us in writing as a note to us, which saved me not pursuing normal channels.

But when some had sailed and briefed the NATO Council today, they said, another Nixon triumph, another triumph of Nixon diplomacy.

I mean, they were, and we'll get a lot of value, as I told you, Eve, and the Pompidou, that now, as I said, we'll get it to official channels, but the

And the heart is after.

That's the one I wish I could handle.

What are you going to do?

But he can handle it and stay in the house.

Now what I mean, how are you going to handle it?

Well, I've given him the note.

He's seen the note.

So there won't be any hard feelings about that.

The major job is to keep it from leaking before you make the announcement.

But this one we push to stay in channels.

And...

I don't know what they're saying, but this is what they feel very pleased with.

For six months they've been working on it and they couldn't get it.

And we've got it solved.

We've got a date.

I don't think I would tell you what the date is, but it's November 15th.

You talked about it.

And then come back to us and channel us.

They're going to ask us to do it.

We discuss it all.

They're thinking about it.

They're going to let us know.

But that's something we will...

But what about the announcement from that point in time?

Well, we can tell them.

They wanted to announce it in the community.

They had said no.

We wanted to save that.

But that's a lot of ideas.

But now we'll remove it then.

Give or take a day or two.

No, I think it's good.

Excellent.

MPFR, European Security Conference, it depends how energetically the state pushes these consultations.

That said, it just... That has to be an announcement by everybody concerned, I suppose.

Yeah.

But still, everyone knows that you did it.

And they all know that the State Department was turned down.

So did they.

Oh, yes.

That was a total stalemate.

I mean, he was astonished, you was astonished, that we could get this.

In fact, you said, what did you pay for this?

Because that's what we've been trying to get, and we drove down on salt.

Sentavi, after you, let Holden and tell me what day you want.

All right.

Yeah, I'll work on it.

Let's stay, Sentavi.

And they have agreed to a ceremony for designing on salt.

They'd like to do it when Ramiro is here.

Uh, October 2nd or 3rd.

Yeah.

For the signing of the... You know, for depositing the ratification.

Oh yeah, right, right.

And we could have, uh, Gresham said he wanted us to know, he's counting on the victory, what can he do, anything he can do, I said, I'll keep you abreast from attacking him.

Yeah.

When we do, he said the same thing, he said we should order,

No one is permitted, no official will talk about Vietnam until the election.

Then I'm talking to the Vietnamese.

Good.

And so on the trade deal, Mr. President, I don't think I should tell too many details throughout this tomorrow.

Now, Peterson had a press conference in which he started seeking what I think I will say tomorrow.

Sure.

We'll never hold it.

I think I ought to say.

I ought to explain how the negotiations went.

Then I should say, I believe, that you decided to put this into your direct channel with pressure.

That rather than work with them on individual items, you put it all together into one comprehensive package.

And that that's what was done in Moscow.

That way, when these details emerge, the credit will come to you.

You're not right, sir.

Now I'll tell that to the press.

Oh, I see.

Yeah.

So, that item that you instructed us to come up with a package, to make all these separate items together, manage our agreement, and that you dealt with it directly on the pressure level, and that that's how it was done, because it's obvious now.

Uh, he doesn't leak the whole 99% of reasons today, which we did last week in Moscow.

And Lisa?

Well, yeah, we have the press conference.

He claimed that he didn't leak, so to force all the leaks, he gave it out at the press conference.

We've been through this before, but when we say it, it will get a hell of a lot more of attention.

Oh, sure, sure, sure.

That's not real.

But the appearance of, uh... Now, Rogers won't understand the details, but I will tell him a little less because I don't have any.

Uh, now, I don't know that I should give him the figure on the lengthy seven.

My quarry is... No, I'll say that still.

I'll say that still somewhat.

They're sending him...

They're sending a team over here next week.

I think I should accept that on Monday or Tuesday you may have to put out an instruction, but we only want the figure for its latest possible because the 500 million figure of Moscow leaves immediately.

And I think that's going to be the big punch of that announcement that the Russians are going to pay us three quarters of a million dollars.

On what figures was

Yeah.

What do you think?

Should you tell them who you're talking to?

I wouldn't tell them.

They're all playing golf before I go pass it around there and then they pass it.

Yeah, I guess they're still hung up on the paper, but we're working on it.

He says you can say we're around 600, wouldn't you say?

I could have probably gotten $7.50, Mr. President, if I kept him up another hour, but I...

It was, it was over 30 years.

And I, I had the distinct impression that 725.

What the hell's the difference?

It's making, it's forgetting, it's forgetting.

About 650,000 a year.

I didn't know it was to our advantage.

I had, I had made, sent me a message.

Which I showed him, which said 750 was the minimum you would accept.

I showed it to him.

So when he said he wants to give me to accept the 25, it's already more than the Politburo approved.

I said, well, I have to go back to the president for his own care.

So he said, tell the president.

When I left, he said, tell the president I'm in his step, but I won't be in his step for long.

Well, I think that's fine.

Now, on the Vietnamese, that was an unbelievable meeting today.

Because it isn't so much what their specific proposals were, it was their whole attitude.

I went in right away and let them have it.

I said, first of all, I hope we can save some time.

Because I'm going to tell you 45 minutes without announcing this meeting.

And if you waste the next 45 minutes yelling about it, then you'll be here by the time the announcement has been made.

Secondly, I said you tricked us again.

You made a proposal on a peace proposal.

I mean, I thought that you wouldn't make any proposals in Turkey.

Nixon, Kissinger & Haig on Soviet-US relations and Lend-Lease

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on September 16, 1972

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