Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 817-017
Date: Thursday, November 30, 1972 at 1:11 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.; Bull, Stephen B.; Butterfield, Alexander P.; Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/817-017

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Is there any tone that I should strengthen the meeting to?
[0:03] No, same as yesterday.
[0:04] Same as yesterday?
[0:04] Yeah.
[0:05] Which is a?
[0:06] Yeah.
[0:06] Not a?
[0:07] Sorry.
[0:08] Okay, fine.
[0:08] Yeah, yeah.
[0:10] So I'll just add, I was thinking that.
[0:11] You mentioned the State Department.
[0:13] Yes, sir.
[0:13] All right, good.
[0:15] What did you get in those things that I cut across?
[0:19] Words and flavors.
[0:21] Yes, sir.
[0:22] Not in the course of the briefing, but I've been to UPI.
[0:27] I've been shown the star.
[0:32] Then I'll be asking on it tomorrow.
[0:36] But I'm just very sure he used the words that I used.
[0:38] I didn't.
[0:38] I used everything that I used.
[0:39] I used the stenographer to add a part of it.
[0:42] He used a tall man on top of the job, top of the ground, trying to make a reflection on the scene.
[0:48] He used the light to help him shake up in the morning service.
[0:51] He flies to the embassies across the land and gets to the country.
[0:55] He's the one who ends up being the spokesman for the country.
[0:59] He's a useful person.
[1:00] That's a good story.
[1:03] I made a point that this would be carried out by the .
[1:14] Okay.
[1:16] We'll go now.
[1:17] All right, sir.
[1:24] What's that?
[1:26] You already got the sign.
[1:27] I got the sign.
[1:35] Thank you.
[1:35] Thank you.
[1:35] Thank you.
[2:14] President, I think you've done anything that human language can do.
[2:17] I think you've shaped them.
[2:19] Well, you know, shaped them in my view.
[2:23] Because they don't have the qualities I do.
[2:25] I'd like to say that as an institutionalist, I would say.
[2:32] Yes, Kelly.
[2:33] Sorry, five minutes.
[2:35] I've got to five minutes more.
[2:37] All right, Scott.
[2:39] Five minutes.
[2:39] When you're ready to say it, I'll say it.
[2:43] Yes, Lord.
[2:43] 4 o'clock.
[2:43] We've been talking about it all night.
[2:44] I had a different experience than that guy yesterday.
[2:46] I think he did a very good job.
[2:46] He had a whole list of that.
[2:47] He was able to offer churches to be more supportive.
[3:13] I'm going to break this alliance.
[3:14] That's that.
[3:15] No, but I think they're going to do it to each other over the next week.
[3:17] The funny thing is, I don't know what the hell you can do.
[3:18] You can't go and do your goddamn thing with an R-15 so they don't go along and make sense.
[3:20] Stop the line.
[3:21] Stop the bombing.
[3:21] Get our prisoners right.
[3:22] There's a wrong decision.
[3:48] Number seven, they'll demand military aid.
[3:49] Oh, for that?
[3:50] They demand that we stop military aid.
[3:51] Oh, you don't need to worry about it.
[3:52] I got you the advice, and that's going to be cut again.
[3:53] We'll say yes, fine.
[3:54] It's exactly what we need to do.
[3:54] And they'll do it, and then we can be quick.
[3:55] Of course it is.
[3:56] I understand that.
[3:56] That's what these guys and some of the other guys are doing.
[3:57] Yes, we'll take it from there.
[4:18] I mean, we're not finished.
[4:19] The Congress isn't facing this deal.
[4:21] If you strike at this point, it doesn't change anything.
[4:23] If the Congress sees that, it'll be 98 votes to 2 in the Senate, or 98 votes to 3.
[4:24] This is not a deal.
[4:25] They've got themselves into a position that's insane.
[4:26] That's what they've achieved with this.
[4:48] Now, Mr. President, if I compare what you asked us to threaten this summer with what you achieved, you are a hell of a lot better off than what you chose to threaten.
[4:54] You won.
[4:54] We achieved more than we ever have than you wanted.
[4:56] Together.
[4:57] When you talked to the President, you didn't say you wanted to withdraw the proceeds from the project.
[5:14] At that time, we were willing to throw in an election as a recognition of truth.
[5:34] Do you think that you think the message from the NARC is going to knock off the meeting?
[5:36] I think the message from the NARC, I had noticed that I didn't want to meet in their place anymore, but that I wanted to also actually be one of ours and one of theirs.
[5:40] Or meet in a different place, like after we split bands.
[5:41] I think it would work that way.
[5:42] If they want to knock off the meeting, just to figure it out, knock off the meeting then.
[5:44] It's made a big decision to keep going.
[6:04] I don't think they do though.
[6:05] I do know about it.
[6:06] They knock off the meeting.
[6:06] They say they blow the debriefing.
[6:07] They back off the debriefing.
[6:08] They won't do it.
[6:08] They need to have the brief.
[6:09] They have to prepare.
[6:10] They need to have the brief.
[6:10] So this is what they do.
[6:11] They back off.
[6:11] The tragedy is, Mr. President, we could agree to this agreement.
[6:13] It's a tremendous history.
[6:14] It doesn't do it inside out.
[6:14] I don't know if they come along.
[6:36] I think it's a good idea.
[6:37] I think it's a good idea.
[6:39] I agree.
[6:39] Something that happens.
[6:41] I'm sure.
[6:42] Also, it gives you a chance to make a commitment to the