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TELCON
Paul Nitze
Mr. Kissinger
April 29, 1969 9:15 a. m.
HAK told Nitze that the President appreciated very much what Nitze
had done about the ABM. Nitze said he enjoyed doing it. The President
thought it was a very generous and patriotic thing for Nitze to do.
HAK said the Presi dent had asked him to find out, informally, whether
Nitze might consider being offered an Ambassadorial appointment, or
if it was absolutely out of the question. HAK of course supports it
enthusiastically. The President has not discussed it with State. The
post in question is Germany. HAK personally thinks Nitze could do a really
distinguished job there.
Nitze said he wouldn't turn it down out of hand -- he thinks the German job
is an important one.
HAK thinks it and Tokyo are the two most important Ambassadorial posts.
Nitze said Alexis Johnson asked him whether he would be willing to consider
the Ambassadorship to Tokyo, and Nitze told him he would. Then State
had decided against it.
HAK said the President would be prepared to be pretty insistent. HAK's
own feeling is that there aren't many posts where the Ambassadors makes
a lot of difference - - the exceptions are Bonn and Tokyo.
HAK said it's a very critical post. Contrary to news reports, he thinks
they are going to be shaken by what has happened in France--simply because
another factor of stability has been knocked off.
Nitze said "let me think about this for 24 hours. 11
HAK said "You will not be embarrassed.
11
Nitze said "on the other hand, you wouldn't want to do it if the people in
the State Dept weren't for it, too, because they are the people who backstop
you from day to day. 11
HAK said he didn't know what had happened with Japan, but he did know it
wasn't stopped here. He thinks there have been SO many non-career appoint-
ments they may have thought they wanted a career man in Tokyo. In Germany,
there has been pretty general agreement that they have not yet heard of a
career man of any quality for that job. We've always agreed we wouldn't send
a career man to Germany. This is the only basis he can think of as to why
Tokyo didn't materialize. He knows it didn't come over here.
Nitze then noted, "not that I cared one way or the other. 11
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library
DECLASSIFIED
This document has been reviewed pursuant to Executive Order 13526 and has been determined to be declassified.
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"ocrText": "TELCON\nPaul Nitze\nMr. Kissinger\nApril 29, 1969 9:15 a. m.\nHAK told Nitze that the President appreciated very much what Nitze\nhad done about the ABM. Nitze said he enjoyed doing it. The President\nthought it was a very generous and patriotic thing for Nitze to do.\nHAK said the Presi dent had asked him to find out, informally, whether\nNitze might consider being offered an Ambassadorial appointment, or\nif it was absolutely out of the question. HAK of course supports it\nenthusiastically. The President has not discussed it with State. The\npost in question is Germany. HAK personally thinks Nitze could do a really\ndistinguished job there.\nNitze said he wouldn't turn it down out of hand -- he thinks the German job\nis an important one.\nHAK thinks it and Tokyo are the two most important Ambassadorial posts.\nNitze said Alexis Johnson asked him whether he would be willing to consider\nthe Ambassadorship to Tokyo, and Nitze told him he would. Then State\nhad decided against it.\nHAK said the President would be prepared to be pretty insistent. HAK's\nown feeling is that there aren't many posts where the Ambassadors makes\na lot of difference - - the exceptions are Bonn and Tokyo.\nHAK said it's a very critical post. Contrary to news reports, he thinks\nthey are going to be shaken by what has happened in France--simply because\nanother factor of stability has been knocked off.\nNitze said \"let me think about this for 24 hours. 11\nHAK said \"You will not be embarrassed.\n11\nNitze said \"on the other hand, you wouldn't want to do it if the people in\nthe State Dept weren't for it, too, because they are the people who backstop\nyou from day to day. 11\nHAK said he didn't know what had happened with Japan, but he did know it\nwasn't stopped here. He thinks there have been SO many non-career appoint-\nments they may have thought they wanted a career man in Tokyo. In Germany,\nthere has been pretty general agreement that they have not yet heard of a\ncareer man of any quality for that job. We've always agreed we wouldn't send\na career man to Germany. This is the only basis he can think of as to why\nTokyo didn't materialize. He knows it didn't come over here.\nNitze then noted, \"not that I cared one way or the other. 11\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library\nDECLASSIFIED\nThis document has been reviewed pursuant to Executive Order 13526 and has been determined to be declassified."
}