149. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between the Presidentʼs Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and Representative Roman C. Pucinski 1
K: I am terribly sorry I didnʼt get back sooner. The message got lost. Itʼs as inefficient as any government office.
P: The Polish Govt. is trying to buy oil refining machinery from us. The company is based across the street from me. I understand itʼs under review again in view of the fact we sold this kind of equipment to Romania. I understand itʼs in your shop.
K: When a bureaucrat doesnʼt want to make a decision he says Iʼm the bastard. While that may be true I am not to blame on this. There was a decision made on foreign policy grounds and nothing to do with the merits of the thing which we can review later this summer.
P: The people here to see me from Chicago say that the Polish Govt. has to be making a decision and will buy from the U.S. or Russia. You can imagine where they want the business. Itʼs for American dollars and exact same that went to Romania.
[Page 361]K: Yes but at the time the request came in the Polish Government had been difficult on other matters.
P: I am behind that decision. I am sure you didnʼt see a note I wrote to the President in which I said if he kept his fingers crossed like everyone else on Gehrig [ Gierek ] it seems they are trying to move. K: I will try to look at it again.
P: May I say that you are doing a good job? I am very much impressed with the way you are handling this. And I say that as a good Democrat.
K: Thank you very much. I appreciate that.
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 698, Country Files—Europe, Poland, Vol. I 1969–1971. No classification marking. Pucinski was a Democratic Representative from Illinois.↩