407. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and President Nixon1 2
[Omitted here is conversation that does not relate to Bangladesh.]
K: Well Joe Sisco called me yesterday and said could I give him a little information about Bangla Desh?
P: Don’t give him anything.
K: Well, I made a horrible mistake. I said that the President agreed not to do anything for about four to six weeks, give them advance warning first. I will be God damn if it isn’t in the papers today. I should have had sense enough but.
P: Well, I may not do anything about Bangla Desh. You know how I feel about it Henry. I may just wait. For the Chinese it is worth it, just wait a couple of more weeks. What do you think?
K: I think now that they have done it I think we should wait until the middle of April.
P: That is right and I am just going to say—I am just going to drag my feet on it. There is no great hurry on it.
K: You saw yourself we have made a lot of points in China by going as we did. We are not going to get any points by rushing it.
P: Yeah, I suppose State could say that they didn’t say anything more than was covered in your backgrounder.
K: No, I didn’t mention it in the Backgrounder. On Shanghai.
P Yes. The point is that they are just restating it. They are rubbing it in.
K: To state it on the record is quite different than to say it in general on backgrounder and it wasn’t really so(? )
P: Exactly. Exactly.
[Page 2][Omitted here is conversation that does not relate to Bangladesh.]
- Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 397, Telephone Conversations, Home File, Jan–Apr 1972. No classification marking.↩
- Nixon and Kissinger discussed the timing of recognition of Bangladesh. Nixon said “I am just going to drag my feet on it.” He and Kissinger considered delaying a decision until April.↩