Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 893-002
Date: Wednesday, April 11, 1973 at 9:42 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/893-002

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:11] from Franco, and they've made all sorts of appeals just to bring him in for the guaranteed five minutes, just a picture handing the letter over and out.
[0:23] He wants no conversation, but that's been going for months with a personal appeal of Franco's to Rivera.
[0:30] Now they've come back at us again and told to negotiate a new base agreement, and
[0:39] He has a personal letter for you from Franco.
[0:45] I want you to take it.
[0:48] Everybody agrees.
[1:13] This will just be handing over to him.
[1:25] Well, he knows already that it's very tough if you go down three times.
[1:39] Oh, he'll have accepted the ISA, the children have accepted them.
[2:20] You know, he really is a
[2:50] He asked around about nothing.
[2:52] I know, but he said you'd say it's out these days, but he has it very clear.
[2:58] He's coming in now.
[2:59] He's got a 1040 plane to talk about Thailand a little bit.
[3:02] Yeah, last night he was supposed to be in Singapore today.
[3:12] It's a long day.
[3:13] We've got to get a strong investment into Thailand.
[3:34] I don't know him.
[3:34] I mean, I don't know who he is.
[3:36] Henry Curtis is my man.
[3:39] I don't know if he goes there.
[3:40] He's leaving the bank.
[3:41] But he's known the guys for over 15 years.
[3:44] You know him well.
[3:45] He's totally ours, and they love him.
[3:49] Well, Mr. President, I really...
[3:51] I think having a friend there is it.
[3:54] And then Kendra, in fact, when he was in Pakistan.
[3:59] Kendra, I live in Pakistan.
[4:00] I can't vote you.
[4:01] I'd like to talk to... Hey.
[4:01] Well, Kendra, you can't vote.
[4:07] If Cambodia looks too fragile, then we ought to go there.
[4:10] Where's Kitna from Pakistan?
[4:13] I don't know.
[4:13] I look for somebody else.
[4:18] Kitna, oh, my.
[4:21] Now, that isn't it, but we need a top guard.
[4:23] We need an absolute loyalist in Pakistan.
[4:27] Hill, incidentally, really has impressed me.
[4:30] I mean, the pleasure of talking with somebody who's devoted to you.
[4:33] He's for it.
[4:46] That's no crime.
[4:47] But on the other hand, he's totally the worst.
[4:50] He's no use to the State Department at all.
[4:52] And I think he did great upon himself.
[4:55] Incidentally, I had told Hayden I'd given him a composition of a possible government for Cambodia, which the state has been trying to do for three months.
[5:08] La Nol has accepted it.
[5:11] And so we got the domestic situation there as good as we can get it.
[5:15] Now we have to move it into a negotiation.
[5:17] I'll talk to the Chinese.
[5:19] Yes.
[5:20] And, uh... You know, I have to think about it.
[5:27] You see, when he sits up there last night, he says, President, you don't want this to revert to the time we saw it in 67.
[5:37] It reverted.
[5:38] How much more freely you could talk then?
[5:43] Mr. President, with all this crap we read here, we forget that around the world, you are the only one who is holding it together right now, in a way.
[5:53] We know, sir.
[5:54] He has no question about it.
[5:57] He knows.
[5:58] And the Thais know it, and everyone else knows it.
[6:00] It's our goddamn Senate that doesn't know it.
[6:05] Well, I pity the next president, because when they try to run your system and see how many hundred
[6:13] to keep it in balance like it's like everything that that looks effortless along the lines of our discussions
[6:41] I think we can confidently say we're going to get something by the time of the summit.
[6:47] And then all these little guys... Why don't you say that some of it is a reason for the time of the summit?
[6:52] Some of it.
[6:52] Yeah.
[6:55] But you won't get any word of the summit.
[6:57] I think it's time.
[6:59] I think...
[6:59] I agree with you.
[7:00] I just...
[7:01] I wonder how much... Do you think he thinks it's...
[7:03] Does he seem to be worried about it in crisis?
[7:06] No, I think he's worried about the president's decision.
[7:11] Brezhnev is supposed to go to Germany in May.
[7:14] Oh.
[7:15] And they haven't been to Germany today either.
[7:18] Oh.
[7:19] So they might have the central committee meeting next week.
[7:23] You mean they might change him before this summer?
[7:26] They wouldn't.
[7:26] What would they do if they changed him?
[7:27] They wouldn't come, would they?
[7:30] They wouldn't come.
[7:37] They might change.
[7:38] It's unlikely, but that's about to happen.
[7:42] You just don't know it, do you?
[7:43] No.
[7:45] But there's something going on.
[7:48] Because the breeder told me yesterday, the friend, he said, I want you to know, because I knew we agreed it, this is not just a minor matter anymore.
[7:57] This is a very grave domestic matter for you.
[8:00] Huh?
[8:02] You're going to let him know about that tomorrow?
[8:04] Tomorrow.
[8:05] I just want to know.
[8:06] You come in and tell me about what you're doing.
[8:08] Right.