National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger∇ entered at 2:38 P.M.
[89:30 on 277A]
President Nixon: Amchitka, we're going ahead with, aren't we?
Henry Kissinger: Yes. We're moving in, Mr. President, but the end of October is getting too hairy to do it early in October as you know from the last [unclear].
President Nixon: Too close to the Russians?
Kissinger: It's too close to the Russians and the Chinese announcement, and the Chinese trip. We're doing it after the demarche, after we have all these announcements.
President Nixon: They aren't going to object to it?
Kissinger: No. They won't object to it, but if the Russians screw up a nuclear test two days before it--”
President Nixon: Yeah, that's right.
Kissinger: --”a summit, it will just look like a very threatening act.
President Nixon: That's right. And you could inform the fellow beforehand. This is [unclear].
Kissinger: The Russians don't care [unclear].
President Nixon: It'll [unclear] the Chinese, though. The Chinese, though, I'd tell them [unclear] Russians did a test [unclear].
Kissinger: No, it's no problem, actually. The problem isn't--”it's simply, if the Russians blew out a test, say, the day before or the day after, even two days before or after the announcement, everyone here would say, --œLook at these threatening sons of bitches. Who wants the summit?-- If we do it a week before or week after [unclear].