Foreign Relations, 1969-1976, Volume E-7, Documents on
Released by the Office of the
Historian
Conversation between President Nixon and his Assistant for
National Security Affairs (Kissinger),
Kissinger: I just wanted to read over what we got from
the Russians. It isn’t as much as he
told me earlier, but we’re getting it.
"The first contacts with the Government of India—Please
convey to President Nixon: The first contacts with the Government of India and
personally with Prime Minister Gandhi. . . " [unclear]
[Omitted here is conversation unrelated to
Nixon: Go ahead now.
Kissinger: "The first contacts with the Government
of India and personally with Prime Minster Gandhi on the question which was
raised by President Nixon testified to the fact that the government of
Nixon: [unclear]
Kissinger: "As far as other questions—
Nixon: Coffee, please.
Kissinger:
—"raised by the President are concerned, the answers will be given in the
shortest of time."
Nixon: Hmmm. Well, that doesn’t go as far as he
said.
Kissinger: No.
Nixon: Except it does, well—
Kissinger: It’s—there won’t be military action. It’s
just a question of how to wrap it up now.
Nixon: At least they’ve indicated they’re not going
to take action against
Kissinger: Against West—
Nixon: I mean
Kissinger: Yeah. Of course, it depends how they define
Nixon: Don’t kid ourselves into about, you know—
Kissinger: We’ve got to turn it another—
Nixon: Now, now your thought is to, is going forward
with the
Kissinger: Yeah. In fact, I’ve got to get to the
bureaucracy.
Nixon: Fine, you’re going to do that. This second
you’re going to send a hotline thing to Brezhnev.
Kissinger: I’ve got that here. "I’ve just received your interim message
concerning the grave situation in the Indian subcontinent. However, after
delaying 72 hours in anticipation of your reply to my conversation with
Minister Matskevich and Counselor Vorontsov,
I have set in train certain moves in the United Nations Security Council at the
time mentioned to Counselor Vorontsov. These cannot
now be reversed. I’m still prepared to proceed along the lines set forth in my
letter of December 10, as well as in the conversation with your charge d’affairs in my talk with your Agricultural Minister. In
view of the seriousness of the situation and that we’ve both considered action,
I propose that we continue closer consultations through established
confidential channels."
Nixon: I don’t know if you’ve gotten out the fact
that I cannot emphasize too strongly that I consider the need for immediate
action to be—rather than seriousness, the—get me, get me a stronger word.
There’s just [unclear] You see what I mean? I think
you’ve got to get something out. You know, this is—what have you got—in view of
what? [unclear] I cannot emphasize too strongly that
time is of the essence. That time is of the essence. Failure to act, no,
failure—that time is of the essence. Just put it that way,
that time is of the essence. That, I think that failure to pursue,
failure to workout a peaceful settlement, could set in motion—
Kissinger: I think time—
Nixon: —undesirable
consequences beyond our control.
Kissinger: Well, the danger is then they’ll think we’ve
colluded with the Chinese, so we’d better not do that.
Nixon: [unclear] Time is of the essence to avoid—and
to avoid—to avoid undesirable consequences, or whatever. The—well, you get what
I mean? I don’t think that message sounds tough, strong enough in terms of the
urgency.
Kissinger: Yeah.
Nixon: And you?
Kissinger: Well, I’ve actually—I’ve tried to have this
one a little softer because we’re kicking them in the teeth at the Security
Council, publicly.
Nixon: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Kissinger: Why don’t we just say, "In view of the
urgency of the situation"—
Nixon: In view of the—let’s see. I think there’s a
better word than the ones you have. But maybe that’s where, what I’m trying to
get at. Where you say "the serious situation in the
subcontinent." Let’s cut that one down, instead of
"serious." What do you think?
Kissinger: How about "urgency"?
Nixon: Ah, the—in terms of the problem we face. It’s
something in the [unclear].
Kissinger: I’ll make sure he doesn’t inform the press
before we have some assurances.
Nixon: We will. Oh, this press thing is fine
Kissinger: Yeah, but I’d like to [unclear] you first.
Nixon: Oh, I see. All right.
Nixon: Well, I guess that—all right. Making some
[unclear] urgency in the—
Kissinger: Well, we—why not just say, "I cannot
emphasize too strongly that time is of the essence"?
Nixon: "That time is of the essence to avoid,
to…"
Kissinger: To prevent, not to run away with us.
Nixon: Yeah. "To avoid—to avoid—to avoid
frightening consequences that neither of us want."
Or something like that. Or, it’s too strong?
Kissinger: Yeah. To avoid—
Nixon: To avoid—
Kissinger: —events running away with our capacity to
shape them, or something like that.
Nixon: They won’t know what that means. Events—
Kissinger: To avoid consequences—
Nixon: To avoid consequences that neither of us
want.
Kissinger: —that
neither of us want. Consequences neither of us—
Nixon: Neither of us want.
Kissinger: —neither of
us want. That is clear.
Nixon: To avoid consequences that neither of us want.
That’ll be, that’ll, that understates it a bit and
gets it across.
Kissinger: Good.
Nixon: Good. Now basically by this we’re putting the
Russians on the spot. Want to realize that we’re putting,
by our public statement we’re putting it to the Indians.
Kissinger: Right.
Nixon: Now by putting it to the Indians we have to
do that for the four reasons that you mentioned. The argument against putting
it to the Indians is, as you know, that, well if you put it to the Indians then
they will sit on their backs and say screw you.
Kissinger: They won’t.
Nixon: Well, my view is that, is that, well
understand I’m just, I’m running it through this drill. We’ve talked to the
bureaucracy about [unclear]. My answer there is that, well what do you do about
the Chinese? What do you do about the Russians? What do you do [unclear]. But also as far as the Indians are concerned,
they’ve got to know that, they seem to be affected by world opinion. To the
extent they are, goddamnit, we’re going to get it
across that world opinion is against them. Their play, do you agree?
Kissinger: Completely agree.
Nixon: But how, how are you going to change—
Kissinger: Mr. President, I’ll tell you the truth. I’m
not going to answer any arguments. I’m going to tell them for 72 hours they’re
going to play the President’s game and we’ll stand and fall on our game. This
is the strategy, this is what you gentlemen are going
to do.
Nixon: Yeah.
Kissinger: Anyone who wants to protest can do it after
the events. But this is it now. We have 15 minutes, I
haven’t got time for an argument.
Nixon: That’s right. Just say the President dictated
this. Fine.
Kissinger: So I’m—
Nixon: Also, you’re going to tell them about the
hotline?
Kissinger: I’ll tell Johnson.
Nixon: Tell Johnson. Say, I’m doing it. In other words, we have this. Johnson knows
about the conversation we had with Vorontsov and Matskevich.
Kissinger: I’m showing, going to show Johnson this
message.
Nixon: Yeah.
Kissinger: And tell him what the game is so he
understands.
Nixon: Okay, fine.
Source:
Doc 179, vol E7,