Operator: Dr. Kissinger∇?
President Nixon: Yep.
Operator: Mr. President, Dr. Kissinger's calling you.
President Nixon: Yep.
Operator: Fine, sir. There you are.
President Nixon: Yeah?
Henry Kissinger: Mr. President?
President Nixon: Yeah.
Kissinger: I just talked to Alsop.1
President Nixon: Yeah. Joe or Stew?
Kissinger: Joe. Yeah. And he was just—he said the only reason he didn't call you is because he has a dinner party at his house.
President Nixon: That's all right. I shouldn't talk to him tonight anyway.
Kissinger: And he said he'd write you a note tomorrow. He said it was marvelous, immensely—
President Nixon: Do you think I should call him at his house? He might like that.
Kissinger: You should call him?
President Nixon: You think I should, or not?
Kissinger: I wouldn't do it tonight.
President Nixon: All right. I won't. Fine.
Kissinger: But he said it was marvelous, immensely brave . . .
President Nixon: He liked the speech, then?
Kissinger: He said it—that he was proud to be an American. It was just the way things should be. He said he, you remind him of [Ulysses S.] Grant saying you'd fight on this line if it takes all summer. [President Nixon chuckles] And he said he was—he had a lot of people there who—
President Nixon: What did they think?
Kissinger: —who were not sympathetic to you. He didn't mention their names, but he said—
President Nixon: Oh, I know. [Unclear.]
Kissinger: —everyone was enormously impressed, that it was—
President Nixon: Were they really?
Kissinger: That's what he said.
President Nixon: His friends. Isn't that interesting?
Kissinger: And he said—
President Nixon: It's interesting that his people would think that, isn't it?
Kissinger: Well, that's what I found. That's why I'm mentioning it.
President Nixon: Mmm-hmm.
Kissinger: And he really could not have been more—
President Nixon: He thought it was fine. Good. That's good to know that he feels that way.
Kissinger: Marvelous, he said, immensely brave, exactly right. Well, and the whole impression of—
President Nixon: He didn't think that the last was too emotional, did he? Some may think that.
Kissinger: No, no. He thought that was just—
President Nixon: I did it, I thought, with—I really underplayed it a bit, but I thought I did it with just about the right amount of . . . you know? I felt it very deeply, but I couldn't let the people know that I felt as deeply as I did, you know, but I hope it got across.
Kissinger: I just got a—somebody just handed me a news ticker saying that—which [Senator Robert] Byrd∇ and [Senator Hugh] Scott are supporting you.
President Nixon: Good. Good. Byrd is particularly important.
Kissinger: And Byrd is a fine person.
President Nixon: Well, he's important because he's a Democrat. Good.
Kissinger: Right. Right. But Alsop was deeply moved, he said, and all of his dinner guests were profoundly impressed.
President Nixon: Good. Good deal. Fine, Henry. If you get anything else that's interesting, call me.
Kissinger: Right, Mr. President. Bye.
1 Joseph W. Alsop, newspaper columnist. (↑)