Extracted text

OCR Page 1 of 49
TELCON Nick Thimmesch/Mr. Kissinger 3:30 p.m., December 20, 1972 T: Hello, Henry, how are you? K: Okay. T: I thought I would write a column In fact, I've written it but I wanted to check a couple of things with you. I was a little demused by all the doomsday that's been in the papers since your briefing on Saturday. K: Yeah. T: Well, the two areas -- One is that negotiations have broken down and we're doomed to months of hopeless war and the other is the detente is jeopardized. From where I sit I don't think either one of those is true and I would just like to -- K: agree. T: There will be negotiations again. K: That's what I had hoped. T: Do you have any idea if it's going to be weeks or months K: I just don't want to -- T: Le Duc Tho or what? K: I just don't want to estimate that. T: Are you still in communication with them? K: I don't want to comment on that. T: It seems to me that the Soviets and the Chinese have too much to let Vietnam stand in the way. K: That's right. And I don't think the negotiations have broken down. T: Right. Well, I've already written this and -- Well, it hasn't moved yet but I just wanted to hear you on this little bit. K: No, I think you'll be proved right. T: Do you think, Henry, that there is more realism now since -- Well, North Vietnam can now count on what kind of force comes back in return when they carry on the way they did in the last few weeks in Paris.