TELCON (TAPE)
The President/Mr. Kissinger
April 14, 1971
K:        Mr. President.
P:        Hello, Henry.   I was wondering how the — have you checked in to sei how they played the Chinese thing today.
K:        Oh, yeah.   It was tremendous, it was the lead item on every     I did; see it myself, I was with Bob Griffin, but I talked to Haig.
P: Yeah.
K:        But he says it has been a tremendous thing on television, it has been the lead item on every television thing and on
P: You mean rather than Vietnam for a change.
Ki        (laughter)  Yeah, it's gone on, and on and on.   And I found it helpful also with these Michigan Editors.
P:        How did it go with them?
K:        Well, they asked the usual questions about Vietnam and I just said, look, we know what we are doing and there are always more things going on and they were very'mtrigued with* China.   They asked the usual questions about Vietnam -- do we think the South Vietnamese can stand on their feet?   But they were not hostile.
P; Yeah.
K:        They just had heard so much stuff about the Vietnamese not being able to make it and so on and so forth.
P:        Yeah.   Well, this is one thing we are sure — well, we are not as competent about the Vietnamese as some may be; we're a hell of a lot competent than the press has lead them to believe, you see?
K;        That's right, and these — many of them were smalltown newsmen, Muskegon and Kalamazoo and Flint and stuff like that.  And they wer on the whole very eager to — they weren't asking hostile questions, they were asking informational questions.
P: Right.
a
K:        Because we spent about 1/3 of the time on Vietnam, 1/3 on China an 1/3 was miscellaneous stuff.
TELCON (TAPE)
The President/Mr. Kissinger
April 14, 1971
Page_ 2
P:        Now on the China thing what we have to realize, Henry, is that in
terms of the American public opinion, it is still against Communist China you know,
K: Right.
P:        So we are not making any votes with this.
K:        No, but we are quieting the intellectuals and the newsmen.
P:        The intellectuals will worry, they will worry about something,but • as we know as we move from the October 7 thing, that doesn't mean rthat we .get much from them, it will just worry them.
K:        That's right.
P: They will think something else is up and the whole thing has got to be played in terms of -- how about the Taiwan thing, that's sort of worrisome, not a damn thing we can do about though is there?
K:        What Taiwan thing?
P:        Well, I mean their concern about what we have said.
K:        Right, but they haven't expressed it yet, have!they7"I don't think so.
P:        Oh, I think there was something in the paper indicating that Taiwan was -- [complaining].
K:        Oh, but that's inevitable, they have to say that.   And Bob Murphy goin out there I think will --of course they will be concerned, it is bound to be a worrisome thing to them.
P:        Well, Henry, the thing is the story change is going to take place, it has to take place, it better take place when they've got a friend here rather than when they've got an enemy here.
K:        That's righ^^^^^a^ii^e^fyE^i it has to happen to Chiang at the end of his life but we have to be cold about it.
P:        We have to do what's best for us.
TELCON (TAPE)
The President/Mr. Kissinger
April 14, 1971
Page 3
K:        And in the long term it is essential for the values that he represents that there be continuity in our government here.
P:        Yes, and that he has here an Administration that is not going to just stand by and let Taiwan go down the drain; we're trying to hold their position as best we can.
K:        Exactly.   For every reason we have got to have a diversion from Vietnam in this country for a while.
P:        That's the point isn't it, yeah.
K:        And we need it for our game with the Soviets.
P:        Yeah, yeah.
K:        I mean it would be absolutely impossible     we would be doing the
Soviets the greatest favor if we rejected this overture and we would get nothing for it, it would lead to tougher relations between us and the Soviets, rather than easier.
P:        That's right, that's right.   That's what they would like for us to
do, they would like for us to sort of slap the Chinese in the face but we're not going to.   We're not going overboard but we're saying well, "if tHey_open the door, we'll open the door.
K:        That's right.   And actually now one would have to expect the Hyades ( of a few weeks.
P:        Oh, of course, nothing is going to happen for a while but that's all
right, just let this rest awhile. You know, mitter around about it for a while.
K:        And of course with some luck, we will get some nibble on the Soviet front now.
P:        Yes, we might.
K:        Well, it isn't even luck so much, it really logically ought to happen.
P:        Ought to happen logically, that's right.   If they are at all logical, it damn well better or they are a lot more rigid and stupid.
K:        I mean there is nothing new they are going to learn about SALT, they
TEliCON (TAPE) Page 4
The President/Mr. Kissinger April 14, 1971
P:        I talked to Colson and I told him to -- Dole was in and said that both Case and Brooke were making speechs on the floor today about it. Essentially to set a date and all that sort of thing and I said get hold of Brooke and tell him to keep shut for a month.   You know, that's all you can ask of Brooke.
K: Right.
P:        And without promising a thing, you see.   Just wait a month and then wait, you know what I mean, you can't expect him to do more than tha
K:        Right.   Actually it doesn't make any difference what Case and Brooke say because they have been saying that for a year.
P:        True, but if we could just get a few of our own to quiet down --
K: Right.
P:        It's very important anif the other thing flSaTI iald is to --got to talk about this too ;is thaj^the whole thing that Dole expressed is that the POW wives, we must not let them go off on a tangent here.
K:        That's why we've got to keep that residual force thing alive.
P:        I know that but I meant they've got to not fight on one of these withdrawal programs or something like that, you see.
K: I don't think they will.
P: "Well, don't be too sure.   Remember everybody is working on them.
K: Yeah.
P: And we've got to watch that as closely as we can.
K:        Well, I am seeing them again in the middle of May and if there are any danger signs, I'll see them before.
P:        Yeah, but we don't want them to move before then, you think
K:        Well, but what makes anyone think they are moving?
P: Well, Dole was concerned about it. You know he sees and hears fror them and so forth and boy, we just don't want these gals who have so much at stake
TEIjCON (TAPE)
Tlie President/Mr. Kissinger
April 14, 1971
Page 5
K; Yeah.
P:        Their husbands and so forth.   They just can't throw it down the drain, just for that.
K:        That's right.   Wg 11, McGovern has been after them, I know that and I wouldn't be surprised also if Clifford also were.
P:        He's working on them, that's right.   Well, let's keep our eyes very
closely peeled on that and in the meantime, we'll work the other thing as well as we can.
K: Yeah.
P:        Okay, Henry, thank you. K:        Right, Mr. President.
Further conversation. K:        Mr. President.
P:        The thing I forgot to mention was that the DOW went to 9. 32 today so that's
K:        Oh, isn't that grand!
P: Well, it's a good thing. That means that 300 points now, the low, but also it's now it's above what it was when we came into office, it wj 9. 30 when we came into office.
K:        Oh, really.   I didn't realize that.
P:        That's right.   So, it's come a long way and I think you ought to get your friend Howard Stein
K:        Yeah, I'm going to call him tomorrow.
P:        Yeah, just say, now look here, Howard, things are moving  -- cause he talks to a lot of people.