186. Conversation Between President Nixon and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1
[Omitted here is discussion of the President’s schedule, military developments in Vietnam, and the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty talks.]
[Page 559]Nixon: On Berlin. How do we do that? Don’t worry about this one.2 On Berlin—
Kissinger: Well, on Berlin, we—
Nixon: There, the deal there is all, it’s all in channels, so we don’t have to worry about that.
Kissinger: With the Berlin deal, the only pity is you won’t get the credit.
Nixon: Well let’s try. Well, let’s leak a story.
Kissinger: But we can leak it. I’ll tell you when we get the, after the agreement is signed.
Nixon: No, no I don’t want it before. I want it before the agreement.
Kissinger: Well before the agreement is signed—
Nixon: I’m going to leak the story or we’re going to get screwed.
Kissinger: That’s right.
Nixon: We’ve got to leak stories if we—Well then, why not leak it now?
Kissinger: Well, because it’s too early. But this is going to be obvious long before there’s a signature. We’ll have plenty of opportunities.
Nixon: When do you think Berlin will come off?
Kissinger: Depending on how quickly we can move the Germans, within two months.
Nixon: All right. Send a letter; send a message to Rush and say that he should, should indicate that the President is playing a personal role in these negotiations.
Kissinger: To whom?
Nixon: To Brandt. When he’s talking to him, you know, on background.
Kissinger: Yeah.
Nixon: That the President is personally in charge of these negotiations. Let’s just set that straight.
Kissinger: I think if—Well, Mr. President, if we could wait a week—
Nixon: All right.
Kissinger: Until we could get some answers—
Nixon: All right, fine. As soon as you get the answers.
[Page 560]Kissinger: Otherwise, if it fails—
Nixon: As soon as you get the answers, and you think it’s on stream, have him put out the fact that the President is personally—And have him put it out, it’s much better than having it come from here.
Kissinger: Because at this point—
Nixon: Then you see, then you could, then people, other people in the government, they can’t claim they did it. But I don’t want them to know that we—
Kissinger: Because at this point, Mr. President, we’re not—This is not like SALT.SALT, you can make one big play.
Nixon: That’s right.
[Omitted here is discussion of SALT and Vietnam.]
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Tapes, Recording of Conversation Between Nixon and Kissinger, February 23, 1971, 10:05–11:30 a.m., Oval Office, Conversation 456–5. No classification marking. According to the President’s Daily Diary, Nixon met with Kissinger in the Oval Office from 10:52 to 11:30 a.m. (Ibid., White House Central Files) The editor transcribed the portion of the conversation printed here specifically for this volume.↩
- Reference is apparently to a leak on the SALT section of the President’s Annual Foreign Policy Report.↩