248. Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of Commerce Stans and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1
S: Henry, on these permits to ship to Russia?2
K: What we would like is some noticeable foot dragging. The Russians have done something which is a cheap shot3 and I would like to harass them for a week or so. Is there some way we can slow up the permit without actually withdrawing it?
S: I just wanted you to know that our procedure is that we notify the companies involved immediately, then we notify the Senators. Also [Page 730] we got word that Rockefeller had gotten the word from Dr. Kissinger.4 What would you think of issuing one or two, then waiting three or four days and issue several more a few days later and so on.
K: I would like to drag it out a couple of weeks. Let the Gleason one go and then drag the rest out a couple of weeks bureaucratically. It would be a big help if you could drag it out for a few weeks. I have your interests at heart but we want you to teach them discipline at the start of this thing. Sorry I am such a son-of-a-bitch.
S: It’s alright Henry. We will do it your way.
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, Henry Kissinger Telephone Conversation Transcripts, Box 10, Chronological File. No classification marking.↩
- See Document 242.↩
- See Document 247.↩
- See footnote 4, Document 242.↩