Transcript
of Telephone Conversation between President Nixon and the President's Assistant
for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)/1/
/1/
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 370,
Telephone Conversations, Chronological File. No classification marking. The
President traveled to Key Biscayne,
K: Mr.
President.
P: Henry,
I was in the state of play. I just got out of the water.
K: Isn't
that great. You certainly need it. I never had a chance to give you a report
from Vorontsov. I gave him a draft letter/2/ to
Kosygin asking for joint action to stop the fighting. I told him we put it
forward to not get any additional confrontations. I also said they could
[should?] support the British Resolution which is really at the very edge, well
beyond the edge of what is tolerable.
/2/ See
the attachment to Document 312.
P: Oh, I
see.
K: Now the
Indians are unbelievable. The Indians are demanding the UN agree for the
turnover of authority to the Bangla Desh. Now that would make the UN an active participant in
aggression. I don't think we can agree to this.
P: No.
K: Now the
Soviets have just told the British they would veto the British Resolution. If
this plays out that way we may really have to ask ourselves what the Soviets
are up to.
P: That
could be. Although they just may have a very, very hot potato on their hands
with the Indians.
K: That
could be but the political outcome would be the same either way. They have
already humiliated the Chinese beyond expression and they will humiliate us but
we don't have to face that yet.
P: Yes.
K: We did
get a message from the Germans urgently asking to examine the West situation
and that fighting must be brought to a stop.
P: And now
we have a veto of the British Resolution.
K: It
hasn't been done yet.
P: Well,
that lines up the British on our side.
K: Cromer
showed me a message he sent to Mrs. Gandhi and it was really tough.
P: Good.
We shouldn't be too discouraged in some sense.
K: John
Chancellor/3/ told me that he would feature the Pakistani side tonight. I think
Bhutto made a very moving speech in the Security Council.
/3/
Chancellor was a correspondent for the National Broadcasting Company.
P: Yes, I
heard about that.
K: Cromer
is delighted by what we did in the
P: He did.
Good. Incidentally the meeting with the leaders went very well and they are all
happy. They were totally acquiescent so Connally has
a complete running room to negotiate over the weekend.
K: Well,
you did a great job, Mr. President.
P: So the
letter/4/ to the Soviets really didn't settle the thing then as far as you are
concerned?
/4/
Reference is to the draft letter cited in footnote 2 above.
K: No and
that is what is so revolting; that is what we have to ask ourselves. Now I
agree they may have a bear by the tail and that is what we have to be concerned
about. All they promised is no attack on
P: Well,
the Indians have got to consider very seriously now; they may take this but if
they do they will have . . .
K: We
cannot turn around.
P: Well,
let's just wait now. We have no choice but to just wait. It is in the Soviets
hands. We can do nothing with the details.
K: [2
lines of source text not declassified]
P: [less
than 1 line of source text not declassified]
K: Yes,
but that might be overtaken by events.
P: Well,
we shall have to see but the thing is we have to assume it is never as bad or
as good as it seems. But at this time you just wonder. When should there be an
answer?
K:
Tomorrow.
P: OK,
Henry.
Source: Document 315, volume XI,