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Conversation 784-014

TapeTape 784StartThursday, September 21, 1972 at 11:55 AMEndThursday, September 21, 1972 at 11:59 AMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.Recording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to discuss managing domestic political pressure from Jewish organizations regarding Soviet emigration policies in the context of broader US-Soviet trade negotiations. Kissinger advised against the President directly calling activists, suggesting instead that they facilitate meetings between those groups and Secretary of State William Rogers to keep the administration at a distance. The pair also criticized what they perceived as a hypocritical double standard in American foreign policy and media coverage regarding human rights crises in Burundi, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, ultimately deciding to recall the U.S. Ambassador to Burundi.

Soviet Jewish emigrationUS-Soviet trade dealForeign policy double standardsBurundiDomestic lobbyingWilliam P. Rogers
AudioNARA Description

On September 21, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:55 am to 11:59 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 784-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 784-14

Date: September 21, 1972
Time: 11:55 am - 11:59 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

             US-Soviet Union trade deal
                -Soviet Jewish emigration

                                        (rev. Nov-03)

                      -Jewish concerns
                      -Kissinger's recent conversation with Leonard Garment
                          -The President or Kissinger’s possible telephone call to Dr. Gilbert
                           Klaperman
                          -Max M. Fisher
                               -William P. Rogers
                                    -H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                          -Rabin
                               -Recent conversation with Kissinger
                               -Activities
                                    -Jewish organizations
                                      -Israel
                                    -Legislative pressures
                          -Rogers’s possible meeting with Fisher
                               -Kissinger’s conversation with Leonid I. Brezhnev
                               -State Department

             Foreign affairs
                 -Double standard
                      -Burundi
                           -Slaughter
                               -Blacks
                           -David D. Newsom
                      -Pakistan, India
                      -Bangladesh
                           -Biharis
                 -Biafrians
                      -Catholics
                 -State Department
                      -Africa policy

             Burundi
                 -US Ambassador [Robert L. Yost]
                     -Recall
                         -Newsom

Kissinger left at 11:59 am.
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.

On this, uh, I talked to Garland about this just to find out who the fellow was.
He thinks it would be a great mistake for either you or me to call him Raja today, because he is under Fischer.
And Fischer has been wanting an appointment with Raja, but he has been able to get it.
It's all that he's trying to get Raja to do.
He thinks the way to handle this would be to get Fischer his appointment with Raja.
To tell Platteman that after this meeting,
He'll get a call from the system.
He's got it.
I haven't seized the point.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
But he's only had...
I've got to watch our own crowd here.
Yeah, sure.
He's only head of one group.
Buzz Fisher is head of the National Hospital.
Push me in.
It's enough.
A call like that can just be done.
That's what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about being in it.
He said he's already started moving on to a major group.
He showed me attention.
The trouble is a bunch of people who can't operate in what he wants in his room.
He promises us he'll cut off all the flesh that's left of the precious.
He can't cut off all this cream, but he'll cut off everything that looks like fresh around him.
But it will take about a week to get it over, and what we're trying to do here is to get Rogers now to see if Rogers would be efficient.
Now Rod just claims he doesn't know what I discussed with Gresham, but he doesn't have to know the truth why they discussed anything with Gresham.
Of course.
Yeah.
Really.
We're just saying that.
Yeah.
We don't care.
The Rockers don't stand in the way of the situation.
All he has to do is listen to them.
And to that plucked impotence.
Yeah.
Clucks.
Clucks.
That's what Spade's supposed to do.
He'll do it.
He'll do it.
He doesn't, he doesn't, well, but we are, we just can't get involved.
We just can't allow that particular matter to torpedo a whole policy.
I mean, that's all there is to it.
He will get blown torpedoed.
It's interesting how he has such a noble standard in these things.
He will get all concerned about one group.
Because Burundi, literally, Burundi, and for 100,000 are slaughtered, nobody said anything because blacks are going to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have
We raised hell when the Pakistanis tried to put down a revolt in their own country.
When the Indians slaughtered the Paks, we don't give one damn.
That's right.
Correct.
There were tens of thousands of Biharis on the start of the death in Bangladesh today.
That's right.
We had a fight and said, here we are.
And I must say, the only time we care about blacks is when Catholics get all about the emperor.
Otherwise, they don't give a damn about the blacks.
But here, of course, is the old story.
Generally speaking, the state just turns its back.
Whenever the blacks do something, the black speakers are sticking with the black cannibals that are in charge.
I don't believe you should do that.
At least we're going to call them up.
We're going to do it.
We have an ambassador.
We have an ambassador.
Call him up.
I put that on there.
That's what the new speaker recommended.
That's it.
All right.
We should have done it.
Right.
We should have done it.
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