Ask the Scholar
Page 70 of 97
I can add historical knowledge about this page.
Page image
OCR
TelCon
The President/Mr. Kissinger
8:30 pm, March 2, 1973
K:
Mr. President.
P:
Yeah, Henry.
K:
Information is just very fragmentary. The Major who, the Sudanese
Major who brought out the information now admits he didn't see any
bodies. Now he admits, now he claims that the Belgian was alive.
P:
But he says the Americans are dead.
K:
Well that's what he says, but it is even possible, Mr. President,
that nobody was killed.
P:
Hmmm, really.
K:
Well I wouldn't want to hold that out, but I would have thought that
if these Arabs wanted to establish their credibility, I mean, why
would they kill the Americans in order to--
P:
That why I wondered, why they would kill us and not the Belgians.
K:
They would do it to increase their credibility towards the remaining
hostages. To do that it would be better for them to exhibit a body.
P:
Yes, also to keeping them alive in order to keep squeezing us.
K:
Well, if they keep them alive, people might think they wouldn't kill
anybody. I can imagine that they'd kill somebody just to show they
can do it, that they are determined. But then one would think it
would be in their interest to produce a body.
P:
Uh huh. Well, Henry, I guess we've got to go ahead - - we've already
put our statement out and lowered the flags and all the rest, and we
just let that go, huh.
K:
I think we should let that go. But I'm holding up on the cables a few
hours,Mr. President.
P:
I see. Yeah, because -- the cables--
K:
To the families.
P:
Yes, yes, yes. But my God, we've already ordered the lowering of
the flags.
Page data
- Page
- 70
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- 48bc624282c234f9
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 498693968
- Core
- doc
- Type
- document
DTO data
{
"id": "498693968",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/498693968",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "March 1-5, 1973",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/498693968",
"collections": [
"National Security Files (Nixon Administration)",
"Henry A. Kissinger Telephone Conversation Transcripts (Telcons)"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-nsf/579113/Batch0002/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01-001.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-nsf/579113/Batch0002/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01-001.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-nsf/579113/Batch0002/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01-001.jpg",
"imageCount": 97,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "498693968",
"label": "March 1-5, 1973",
"core": "doc",
"dtoType": "document",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/498693968"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "498693968",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/498693968",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "March 1-5, 1973",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/498693968",
"collections": [
"National Security Files (Nixon Administration)",
"Henry A. Kissinger Telephone Conversation Transcripts (Telcons)"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-nsf/579113/Batch0002/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01-001.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-nsf/579113/Batch0002/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01-001.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-nsf/579113/Batch0002/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01-001.jpg",
"imageCount": 97,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Document source extras
{
"url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/498693968",
"naId": 498693968,
"levelOfDescription": "fileUnit",
"recordType": "description",
"ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}
Page context
{
"seq": 70,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-nsf/579113/Batch0002/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01/37-natsec-kissinger_telcons-579113-19-01-070.jpg",
"mediaId": "48bc624282c234f9",
"ocrText": "TelCon\nThe President/Mr. Kissinger\n8:30 pm, March 2, 1973\nK:\nMr. President.\nP:\nYeah, Henry.\nK:\nInformation is just very fragmentary. The Major who, the Sudanese\nMajor who brought out the information now admits he didn't see any\nbodies. Now he admits, now he claims that the Belgian was alive.\nP:\nBut he says the Americans are dead.\nK:\nWell that's what he says, but it is even possible, Mr. President,\nthat nobody was killed.\nP:\nHmmm, really.\nK:\nWell I wouldn't want to hold that out, but I would have thought that\nif these Arabs wanted to establish their credibility, I mean, why\nwould they kill the Americans in order to--\nP:\nThat why I wondered, why they would kill us and not the Belgians.\nK:\nThey would do it to increase their credibility towards the remaining\nhostages. To do that it would be better for them to exhibit a body.\nP:\nYes, also to keeping them alive in order to keep squeezing us.\nK:\nWell, if they keep them alive, people might think they wouldn't kill\nanybody. I can imagine that they'd kill somebody just to show they\ncan do it, that they are determined. But then one would think it\nwould be in their interest to produce a body.\nP:\nUh huh. Well, Henry, I guess we've got to go ahead - - we've already\nput our statement out and lowered the flags and all the rest, and we\njust let that go, huh.\nK:\nI think we should let that go. But I'm holding up on the cables a few\nhours,Mr. President.\nP:\nI see. Yeah, because -- the cables--\nK:\nTo the families.\nP:\nYes, yes, yes. But my God, we've already ordered the lowering of\nthe flags."
}