Nixon & Haig on Vietnam War and Nguyen Van Thieu

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Yes, sir, but he's not going to tell them what the plan is, but to hold their hand a little bit and give them a general picture of what the situation is.

Yes, sir.

I personally study this proposal greatly and have to conclude that it is the best we can do to stop the attack.

It is the best we can do to stop the attack.

Let the proposal be accepted.

And you can also, you must, you must also talk, if you're talking in the strongest terms, that for four years, no, for four years as president, and for, during all the years I've been on the office, there's been no American public figure that has more consistently stood up for South Vietnam.

Entering in person.

Also talking that he can be sure that he can follow up and continue to support them.

that at the end of this race, in terms of the original react, that I will react to.

Also, that I...

It's a desire to do so.

Or before the arrangements.

The purpose of your thought is to indicate that my whole life support

I am not trying to blackmail him, and I am not trying to bulldoze him into a settlement for election process.

I want him to come along as an equal partner in the spirit that we establish in the big world.

I'll put it in there.

I'll put a cover thing in and attach it so we can show the cable clean.

Right.

I think you can pass it on.

I think he feels a little more confident now, especially because the three-quarter area doesn't look so bad.

Henry feels confident, too.

Henry does, and Chu apparently was willing to discuss his going to Vientiane and Hanoi, and that's like saying you can sleep with my wife on Sunday after I give you permission for Saturday.

So I think he must be moving on.

What's your judgment about it?

It's a good offer.

I think before the election, I'm not so sure.

It would have to be an awfully neat abided by arrangement.

Well, you could put it basically there that you might say, I like the election, and we'll try it before the election.

Yeah, I think it's far better for you when you make your announcement to make it very short, and very much like the Chinese thing, which I announce this.

I want to thank you, those who have served,

I pay my tribute to those, particularly to those who have, to the next generation of those who have died, given their lives, to the realities of those who have failed obvious and fine days, and to the American people.

And there's still much to be done to have this thing succeed, and you intend to do all that's necessary.

All right.

What is necessary?

I know, I think it should be very, very hard to do it.

I did it in maybe three or four minutes.

Yes, I have now made you ten at the outside.

No, no, I'm going to do ten minutes.

No, you see, the trouble is, I know what will come of it.

It will be one of those gobbledygook things about this and that.

I'm not going to go into any details.

I'm not going to do it.

That should be done.

We can film it.

I just want to say that we have...

And we must, because of the long and difficult, the longest and most difficult war in history, thank the American community.

I particularly want to thank the American community that supported us, and I want to thank those who have served, and I want to express gratitude to the nation, to the next ten of those who have given their lives, and particularly thanks to those who have grown with us, and finally, to all the Americans.

You have made it possible for the United States to pass this war with honor.

That can be said in four minutes.

It's much better than ten minutes.

No, I think it's briefer, just the bare essence.

And with a thread of determination, and by God, if they break it, not to say it directly.

One sentence.

Just one sentence.

We have, we have, it is our intention to see that this agreement, on our side we intend to keep this agreement, and it is our intention to, and we expect the other side to do so, and we shall take what action is necessary to see that the agreement is kept.

That takes care of it.

I can't wait.

Well, he may.

He just may, because this is politically, it's a solid plot.

The more I think about it politically, he reads that, and he's smart enough now.

He'll screw that thing up beyond belief.

He's going to be president.

He's going to have the thing that's going to be paid.

He's going to have military assistance.

He's going to have economic assistance.

And here are these assholes from the country, from D.C.

If he can't handle that, there's something wrong.

He knows these guys are at the end of their limit.

Or they wouldn't have given him those political terms.

Now, basically, you know, what this really is, is a settlement of military issues.

Without a settlement of military issues.

You know, that's what it is.

And I told the leader, I said, don't knock down the idea that they're going to try to force a coalition government.

Not these jackasses, like, rather.

Somebody, some vexer put that out yesterday, and that just...

Exactly.

I want them to think we're going to sell the whole Ghanaian farm.

That's right.

We're going to force them to have a coalition government.

You can see that's the one point we've got to hammer.

There's no coalition.

We have to be a coalition government.

And do we have it?

Not now, because it's a crisis for the world.

At this point, just let them all gas around and jackass off.

They're old.

Well, I think Rogers is trying to keep his people in line.

Oh, I didn't know that.

Because he's all for it.

But it's good that you have a disagreement over here.

I am coming with that agreement I got over with the State Department.

I am coming.

The way that place lives in.

We've been out there.

The whole thing.

We'll be in the Dan New York Times.

Now we've got so much disagreement.

You are keeping all the copies now.

Yes, sir.

I don't want to see.

I have my copy.

They're not even allowed out of my office.

Don't let the copies out to anybody.

The most important thing is to keep that agreement.

Here.

Don't let it leak.

I think we'll know tomorrow.

Maybe it's another way.

But it is.

Frankly, I'm relaxed about it.

If he delays, then he just has to tell, you don't have to go to the FDA, I suppose.

Just tell the director, I'm sorry, we can't do it, but we'll make the deal the day after the election.

Great.

And then tell him, you must keep it.

If you don't keep it, we will bomb you after the election.

That's the way I look at it.

We'll make this deal after the election, but if you don't keep it, we'll bomb you after the election.

There it is, John.

President keeps his word both ways.

They don't want anything given on that creator even thing.

That's what I was saying.

The Rogers.

Not in all circumstances.

You were keeping the Rogers in the farm.

Well, Sullivan's probably keeping him in the farm, so... No, I'm keeping him in the farm.

You kept him in the farm?

Yes, sir.

You see, he's well-abressed.

I haven't given him this one yet.

I always come to you first.

I appreciate it.

Talk to him first if you want him to come.

Give him a brief message.

It's tough.

Yesterday it was tough going.

I think some progress has been made.

I sent a message of reassurance to you, to you, so that you thought it would be helpful in getting this free.

I was asking that.

But I sent a personal message of reassurance.

Yeah, we've got, I'm told that

To give us a few more goodies to sweeten the military pride on certain types of aircraft.

Before the ceasefire, were you going to make any replacements?

Replacements, but to do it in this package that we have for airlift in, which we won't make the decision to do until it's agreed, and that would be tomorrow.

But there's a period of time you can airlift in without having to do something, that's what I think.

Can we replace the props with jets?

I don't think so.

Not fair.

But we have enough ready to go in quickly.

We have enough to go in there before the ceasefire takes place.

Jets?

Do they have any jets inside?

No, we have to give them these 830s.

I don't think so.

They buy this package, they're just not going to start again for a long, long time.

As long as I remember, they're always at the deadly fear, I think.

And we can start... See, that's the beauty of having somebody in office who doesn't have to face the fact that we're ready for re-election.

Because I can just... George is exactly right.

And also, we start giving them that aid.

They'll get used to the bucks and getting the place filled up.

And I thought so readily like me after this 20-year slaughter of their people.

Once we can get the things stopped and get the benefits of peace understood and accepted and be

Like the Soviet Union at the end of World War II.

They just couldn't take on another thought of crisis.

They backed away every time they went down through the 40s and 50s, like 40s and 50s.

... ... ...

I think Illinois is going to have that same problem.

But I think, you know, we've just got everything working for us here, and this is going to work out now.

Right.

Either before the election or just after.

It's going to happen.

We'll figure it out before the election.

It'd be great.

I think it would.

over time and if difficulties develop as they will then it would get more of a mixed bag but the initial two weeks of this thing would be just total solid

It couldn't be otherwise.

This will be the miracle of your four years.

You've done everything you've set out to do.

We ought to do it.

You ought to do it.

Also, would you tell him that I brought him to this superb job?

Nixon & Haig on Vietnam War and Nguyen Van Thieu

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on October 19, 1972

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