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OCR Page 1 of 53Don Oberdorfer/Mr. Kissinger
8:45 p. .m., May 22, 1970
O:
Do you feel this is a revolt by members of your staff?
K:
No one revolts against me -- that's an inconceivable thought.
The figures you gave yourself indicat it isn't a revolt.
O:
We got a tip on this about a week to ten days ago from
Cambridge, Mass. But we didn't know names. We started checking
around but didn't find anything. Is there anything else you could
usefully say?
K:
When you have a group of able, dedicated people working
as
intensely
as my XXXXXXXXXX associates do, they tend to burn
themselves up. I don't want to go into it. I can only say I respect
them.
O:
You feel policy differences were factors?
K:
In a number of cases, certainly not. Anyone who leaves for
policy reasons ought to speak for himself. I think Presidential staff
if they differ from the President should leave. We are not speaking
for the record, but you can quote my high regard for them.
O:
Did these guys say they were leaving for policy reasons?
K:
They all had said long before this happened that they were
going to leave because they wanted to get back to more normal lives.
I don't want to speculate.
I have been preoccupied in recent weeks
and haven't been able to be my usual delicate, thoughtful self. I
can't go into that -- they should speak for themselves. There is no
ill will. I don't think it is correct to make this a revolt of the staff,
but any journalist should draw his own conclusions.
O:
Have you had any meetings with the staff?
K:
Yes -- two meetings recently. One was on the evening of
the President's speech to explain the reasons for the decision. One
was last week. These were at my initiative; not because any of
the staff members asked for it. I haven't had a rebellion. I told
them what was being done and why. There were one or two questions
of a factual nature. Don't quote me on anything except my respect
for and opinion of these staff members.
lds