Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 862-009
Date: Friday, February 23, 1973 at 11:14 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.; Bull, Stephen B.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/862-009

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:07] You've got these guys really all charged up.
[0:09] Porter and Sullivan.
[0:11] They're right.
[0:15] I just had a meeting with Bill Clemens.
[0:16] Just a meeting with him?
[0:17] Yeah.
[0:17] Oh no, and also what you said.
[0:20] A lot of them in Cambodia have been air-triggered.
[0:24] They needed it, yeah.
[0:28] I just met with Clemens.
[0:30] He's really going to be a good guy.
[0:34] He's a tough guy, and he's a 100% loyalist.
[0:39] He would like to make Mitchell head of ISA defense.
[0:47] I love that guard.
[0:48] Well, that guard was...
[0:55] And Dark is so, I don't know if he has to talk to you about it, he probably has.
[1:02] He's basically a rather thick and straight line.
[1:05] He's totally our man.
[1:06] And that's all you need, fine.
[1:08] But I'll tell you, he's not very smart.
[1:11] He's not very smart.
[1:12] But this we don't have to decide now.
[1:14] We have time until next week.
[1:17] Wait a minute, you want to work?
[1:19] I'd rather have a lawyer, but it's the next lawyer list.
[1:22] He's a total lawyer.
[1:23] So if you want a total lawyer, you should have a second.
[1:27] No, let me talk to you for one minute.
[1:29] All right.
[1:31] All right.
[1:34] All right.
[1:35] All right.
[1:36] All right.
[1:37] All right.
[1:38] I'll come in after about 15 minutes
[2:07] Well, the Egyptians, well, that was Dr. Archer, but I must be more specific.
[2:13] I should have agreed with Teddy to raise the issue, but, you know, the point I want to make is that Archer called me.
[2:19] He says he sees a great breakthrough coming here with Egypt, which is totally not good.
[2:23] And he wants you to tell the Egyptians that he, Archer, has authorized to speak for you to make a strong pitch to them.
[2:32] The trouble is, we've got to keep a very strong line with these people.
[2:39] My worry is that we can't be in a position to tell these people anything until we've talked to these people.
[2:47] It took us 18 months to get these guys coming to us.
[2:50] If we now act like overheated puppets, pleading with them to be permitted to do something, we're dead.
[2:56] What do you want me to tell them?
[2:57] That he is your spokesman if you're going to make a big offer to
[3:02] I don't know.
[3:02] I don't know.
[3:05] That's kind of confusing.
[3:08] I just wanted to do a private thing.
[3:10] I've gone through the paper here, and I've marked down some things that I'm concerned about.
[3:16] One thing I'm really terribly concerned about, we're going to put her, him, and this channel out of the election.
[3:26] The second point is that I've got to be in a position where we cannot let Mrs. Meyer come here and take the same hard-nosed line about the election.
[3:35] That's all done now.
[3:37] Right now, this is going to be settled.
[3:41] And we're going to move.
[3:42] I mean, she's got to, if she comes in with that, I go over and prepare and propose the usual toast and all that sort of thing.
[3:48] And we're all working for peace, et cetera.
[3:51] It just isn't the time to do that.
[3:53] I'll propose the toast and the rest.
[3:55] But I want you to be sure that Rabin knows that she must not come here and say, well, we're ready to win.
[4:03] I told him that yesterday.
[4:04] I want him to come.
[4:06] Probably they don't want to say that.
[4:08] The Israelis probably don't know.
[4:11] If we're going to play this game with these people, they've got to play a more conciliatory game with us.
[4:15] They can't because they give enough, the Israelis.
[4:18] These people are trying to give something.
[4:20] I'm not sure what they're willing to give, but we'll know that after I've talked to them.
[4:24] And then we'll know how hard we can be generous to the Israelis.
[4:29] But in any event, the Israelis have to take a more conciliatory approach.
[4:32] There's no question about it.
[4:33] They can't come in and say we...
[4:35] But the thing that kills us always in the Middle East is when the state goes running like crazy without knowing where it's going.
[4:42] The things we've done well is when we kept maneuvering people until we always had more options than they, until somebody cracked.
[4:51] I mean, every negotiation solved, but then Vietnam, everyone that has worked has been maneuvered.
[5:00] What is the...
[5:02] I just don't want him to... Did you get the word, Rogers, about the... or the statement about the... Well, you know, Sullivan had a thing I called you about last night about the hit and loss.
[5:12] Yes, and they also know about the hit on Campbell.
[5:15] That's really... You're having your men in there now, Elsa.
[5:18] I'll just call up...
[5:20] a border or Russia, that does it, I don't think.
[5:22] Yeah.
[5:23] I'll let them worry about that later on.
[5:25] Solomon or he recommended last Easter.
[5:28] No, Solomon is with us now completely since Easter.
[5:31] I'll come in in about 20 minutes.
[5:35] Now let's go around the island with him first.
[5:41] All right.
[5:42] I think you probably wanted the photograph along with the advice.