Audio: TT Nixon – TS Kissinger

Ngày 23-Jun- 2009 Văn khố quốc gia Hoa Kỷ công bố audio cuộc
đối thoại giữa TT Nixon và TS Kissinger v/v ép buộc phía VNCH
ký … - đoạn trong audio ngày 20-Jan-1973. (Hiệp định Paris ký
ngày 27-Jan-1973).
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Kissinger: But what we should put in the letter from you is that you
must have an answer from him by noon tomorrow whether, even though
you have instructed me to seek that change, he will concur in letting us
initial it.
President Nixon: Letting us, or--
Kissinger: I mean--
President Nixon: Ha ha.
Kissinger: --he will concur in our initialing it.
President Nixon: Yeah.
Kissinger: Because if not, you will have to initial it unilaterally.
President Nixon: Yeah.
Kissinger: And you would then have to call the congressional leaders
in Sunday night prior to my departure and inform them of that fact. I
mean, you don’t have to do it, I just want to give him an explanation why
he has to answer tomorrow.
President Nixon: Yeah.
Kissinger: That once the congressional leaders are informed, aid will
become difficult even if he then still finally comes along.
President Nixon: Yeah, that the congressional leaders will, in my
opinion, be adamant in saying that we should go unilaterally and not
seek further cooperation.
Kissinger: My worry is that if we don’t give him an absolutely
unshakable deadline, he will yield, I will now bet -- I would say the
chances are 99 out of 100.
President Nixon: Which you--that, of course--it’s a question of which
day. I guess we all thought he’d yield Tuesday, and now we thought he’d
yield Saturday and now--
Kissinger: No, I never thought he’d yield Tuesday. I thought--
President Nixon: No, no, I mean some did. I mean--
Kissinger: I thought he’d yield either today or next Tuesday. And what
we have to bring home to him is that Tuesday is too late.
President Nixon: That’s right. Yes.
Kissinger: But [General Alexander M.] Haig and [Ambassador Ellsworth
F.] Bunker and our intelligence chief there, we have--all their units have
already been informed that the ceasefire will go in--
President Nixon: Why don’t you say this, that before--and he doesn’t
need to know that [unclear]--I said that before you leave for Paris on
Sunday evening, I have to meet with congressional leaders, that at that
time they are going to ask whether--that I will have to tell them, yes or
no, whether or not he will concur in the initialing.
Kissinger: Right.

President Nixon: That we will do our best in that, but I cannot

guarantee--but in any event, we will try. But if I tell the congressional
leaders he will not concur, then--that it is my judgment without--that I am
convinced from having talked to Senator [Barry M.] Goldwater [R-
Arizona] and Senator [John C.] Stennis, [D-Mississippi] who are his
major supporters in the Senate, that they will throw up their hands--that
they will in effect direct--they will in effect inform me that the Congress
will not go along on further aid unless he goes along on Tuesday.
Kissinger: Right.
President Nixon: How about putting it that way?
Kissinger: Exactly.
President Nixon: Tell him I’m going to have a meeting with
congressional leaders.
Kissinger: Well, uh--
President Nixon: You see, he doesn’t need to know whether we have it
or not. Or you don’t want to say that?
Kissinger: I think--
President Nixon: You see, I--
Kissinger: We’ll say you’ll have a meeting and at that time you’ll have
to tell them on what basis we’re proceeding.
President Nixon: Yes, that as I--tell him I’m going to have a meeting on
Sunday with congressional leaders before you leave. We should say
with selected congressional leaders before you leave. At that time, the
question will be--I have been informed that the question will be raised as
to whether or not he will concur in our initialing of the agreement. If his
answer is that he will not concur in the initialing of the agreement, that
the congressional leaders in my view without question then will move to
cut off assistance. Is that going too far? In other words, I don’t know
whether the threat goes too far or not, but I’d--
Kissinger: No.
President Nixon:--do any damn thing, that is, or to cut off his head if
necessary, but, uh--
Kissinger: The way to put it, I think, Mr. President, is to say that even if
he should then later come along--
President Nixon: Yes, that is--
Kissinger: --that [unclear--“our assurances,” according to Kissinger
Telcon, but Nixon’s talking over Kissinger] will do him no good because
they will look as if they’d been extorted. [The Telcon says “exploited”
rather than “extorted.”]