Library of Congress - Kissinger Papers

1972-03-03

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Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and President Nixon, Washington, March 3, 1972, 12 p.m.

Foreign Relations of the United States
Volume E7
Documents on South Asia, 1969-1972

Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 397, Telephone Conversations, Home File, Jan–Apr 1972. No classification marking.



Washington, March 3, 1972, 12 p.m.

[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.

[Omitted here is conversation that does not relate to Bangladesh.]