Nixon, Kissinger & Smith on International Relations and Energy Security

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Well, what the hell?

He knows who the boss is.

We'll get the picture out of the way, then I want to give you some.

Come over here.

Come on.

I think, you know, one of the years you've struggled with those bastards.

But, you know, three years.

One of the years you've struggled with those bastards.

That's what I'm doing.

I'm ready to shoot.

There you go.

Of course, if the colonial-liberalism breakdown went on, the League would have had 150 entries in it now, and it would be just as ineffective as the U.S.

I was wondering if you thought that if we had gone into the League, with the poison of the Treaty of Versailles and what that would have did to the Germans.

I agree with Jerry.

I think the League is many better than what the governments were willing to do, and we wouldn't have done more being in the League than we did outside the League.

The Germans would have left.

The Japanese would have left.

Would you like to do anything in the way of a... First, what are your plans?

I think I'm going to make an association with a law firm.

Let me ask you, would you like to do anything in the way of any temporary special assistance?

Yes, sir.

We are very engaged.

I haven't really, I haven't, I've talked to Henry about this, but there are three or four of us that are leading governments, you know, who, who, who we heard, or we do have things that, well, Henry Henry, he sent Tyson over to negotiate something recently, you know, and the U.S. Steel guy, he was behind on that.

Yes, I have one commitment.

I've made already that David Rockefeller is the head of a Japanese-American-European group to try to get a better tone in Central America.

That's right.

I think that's going in the direction.

That's very useful.

Very good.

And then one of these things, sir, that comes out of the blue, we have Jerry on the English, you know.

And, uh, that's a good one.

Another thought once again that I thought that we, that I think, and not Jerry's, but the negotiator, you know, that would be very helpful is, uh, is, uh, you know, wherever it gets down to the, uh,

I think he was one of the most impressive fellows in the state that I've seen.

Marvelous man.

You know, I would suggest he's going to run the Georgetown Center, you know, like Berkeley, early Berkeley, about 72 years old, 31, not Harley, Berkeley, whatever.

But he's starting to run seminars and everything over there, and I would hope he would cooperate with your group.

That's the kind of thing that he ought to hear in Congress, business, and other, you know, and it's a good group to build up.

That's just the first class of that.

He came into state with really a lot of opposition and handled himself superbly and gained everybody's respect.

The Congress and the department here .

What we're going to try to do is to have a research council, which will have representatives from all of the research institutes doing studies .

I think Mackie Bundy's going to put up a good deal on Ford.

Take his money, not his ideas.

Some of his ideas.

Some of his ideas, but you keep your head in Jesus.

We will cooperate, incidentally, with you on that.

Let me say that, Henry.

I've got to watch that.

If Jerry and David have something that they think that I can give them a little pat on the back or in the cabin room or something one day, I'll do it.

But when you're ready, when that research council gets together, this might be...

When you get to the council together, you're welcome to say that it has the enthusiastic support.

I'm delighted that you're going to do it.

And when you get it together, if you'd like to do it, just give us a ring call and I can go in the cabin room and sit down and

Very good talk.

Very effective.

Because also, I think it'll help you get, it might help you get some of the people, too.

I mentioned the Research Council, because this is the start of the pandemic, and I'm sure Andrew Brzezinski is going to be the director of this.

We're going to have about 30 people from Europe, Canada, the United States, and Japan as an executive committee.

And they're going to take the results of these research studies and

Time and time, put them on this manifesto.

Are you going to get it to such a subject as energy?

Yes, we're going to go across the whole floor and everything.

We're going to, one of the few things that we're not throwing out of the White House in this reorganization, and I say throwing it out, putting back into the departments and so forth, is energy because it cuts into too many.

There's no department that you can put over the other.

But I would say that is, that's what we're reading.

where the Japanese, the Europeans, the Americans, if we ever had a common interest, it's there.

Yes, think of a Japanese interest in the Middle East.

I don't see why in the next 10 years one couldn't think of getting a Japanese to help us with the political load in the Middle East.

That sort of thing, I'd like to hear.

That makes sense, sir.

Speaking quite candidly, I raise this subject.

in the Middle East, aren't you?

Why?

Because I...

I know why, but I want you to tell him why, because this is a very important point now.

I'm frankly not sure what the ultimate political orientation is going to be, and it's quite conceivable to me that they'll be very nationalistic and may try some sweet plays in the Middle East.

It's inevitable, so...

It was not true of some of them when he was there, but Tanaka is a clever...

The foreign minister, as Henry says, he's a cross between a shark and a barracuda.

I'm not sure if that's Henry's evaluation.

I don't know.

Dave, you've got to listen.

They'll play a role there.

Whatever Terry's project can do to channel it in a constructive direction is mainly useful.

They're going to play a role.

The Japanese have got to feel part of the whole deal.

Part of our community.

That's what it gets at.

I must say, I'm uneasy about them, as everyone else is.

You may be sure that we won't be pushing anyone to touch base quietly with somebody in your administration, so that we're not going to be... Let me say this.

Why don't you feel free to touch base with anybody, but feel free to touch base with Henry on this.

Because I'd like to watch this with myself.

I think it's

I'm all for it.

I plan to put out a little statement as to what this would be in the open.

On top of this, the 30-man executive committee, we're going to have 150 people from these three areas.

I think with just the general process of getting people mixed up in private,

I think it's an excellent idea.

It's very instructive.

We need more organizations of this type that will get the great industrial nations of the free world to work together rather than to

I appreciate the generous statement that was put out today, Mr. President.

Thank you very much.

Mr. Jerry Lee Warren called me up.

He had the spell written.

I don't know whether he... Where's the house that you have eastern buildings in your house?

Yes.

Is it near Tom and Kate's?

I was over there once.

It's in eastern.

I think he's a little bit north of us.

Here's your presidential ice cream.

That's what I'm getting.

I get it.

You've got a coffee, sir.

That's what I think I've got.

Well, I'll give you another pair of cups.

I'm sure you'll like them at least.

I wish somebody would go through with your motor game.

Oh, my Japanese shirts are out here.

There it is.

No, I don't have any.

You don't have any.

These are those.

Well, then give me a pen for Mrs. Smith, then, too.

This is the new pen.

We'll see.

That's all you've got to do.

It's a nice little thing.

We don't have any of those, but I've given them to the members of the cabinet.

And they're not, they are all nice, but it looks like Steuben actually isn't.

But it's an ashtray that they glassed with a seal.

Tell me who it is.

I'll tell you.

I'll show you.

Yeah.

Good luck for all of your work beyond colony.

We wish you the best.

We'll be seeing you.

Thank you.

Nixon, Kissinger & Smith on International Relations and Energy Security

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on January 4, 1973

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