Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 13 › Conversation 013-042

Kissinger phone call on James C.H. Shen and Diplomacy

Friday, October 29, 1971 · 6:03 PM–6:35 PM ET · White House Telephone · 12 sec

ParticipantsKissinger, Henry A.; White House operatorConversation013-042 on Tape 13 (tape position 01:29:15–01:29:27)StartFriday, October 29, 1971 at 6:03 PMEndFriday, October 29, 1971 at 6:35 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 013-042 ↗

AI Summary

Henry A. Kissinger directed the White House operator to reroute an incoming call from James C.H. Shen, the Ambassador of the Republic of China, directly to his office. This brief administrative exchange facilitated a private line for Kissinger to communicate with the Taiwanese diplomat. No substantive policy discussions were captured during this short logistical interaction.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Mr. Kissinger, will you switch that call to my office?
Yes, we will, sir.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On October 29, 1971, Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:03 pm and 6:35 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 013-042 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 013-042

Date: October 29, 1971
Time: Unknown between 6:03 pm and 6:35 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Henry A. Kissinger talked with the White House operator.

     Call to James C.H. Shen
           -Rerouting to Kissinger's office

Also recorded on October 29, 1971

  • 013-038 4:10 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz talked on the telephone from 4:10 pm to 4:11 pm.
  • 013-039 4:11 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:11 pm and 4:55 pm.
  • 013-040 4:55 PM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John C. Whitaker talked on the telephone from 4:55 pm to 4:56 pm.
  • 608-001 5:20 PM · 49 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Charles W. Colson, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:20 pm to 6:08 pm.
  • 013-041 6:03 PM · 25 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:03 pm and 6:35 pm.
  • 608-002 6:19 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:19 pm to 6:35 pm.
  • 608-003 6:35 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:35 pm to 6:42 pm.
  • 013-043 7:56 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 7:56 pm to 7:59 pm.

All 65 conversations from October 29, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 013-042, October 29, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/013-042 (accessed September 25, 2026).