Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 24 › Conversation 024-045

Nixon, Mitchell & Butterfield on Vietnam War and Blockade

Tuesday, May 9, 1972 · 11:35 AM–11:39 AM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Mitchell, John N.; Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation024-045 on Tape 24 (tape position 00:58:53–01:04:11)StartTuesday, May 9, 1972 at 11:35 AMEndTuesday, May 9, 1972 at 11:39 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 024-045 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and John N. Mitchell discuss the positive public reception to the President’s recent televised address regarding Vietnam, specifically focusing on the new blockade strategy and peace offers. Nixon reaffirms his resolve to maintain the pressure despite potential diplomatic fallout with the Soviet Union, emphasizing the psychological impact on North Vietnam. Additionally, the two men coordinate efforts to pressure Republican candidate John M. Ashbrook to withdraw from the 1972 presidential nomination race, with Nixon approving a European trip for Ronald Reagan to ensure his cooperation.

Audio

Download MP3 · 7.3 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello.
Mr. Mitchell, sir.
Hello.
Mr. President.
Well, as an old Navy man, I hope you think we finally did something.
Well, you did it just right, and I thought your presentation last night was just terrific.
I think it's probably the best of all of them.
Well, I had to do it under a pressure cooker, you know.
I wrote the damn thing over the weekend and didn't get the final draft finished till 5.30 and then had to go brief these goddamn senators and then...
then just walk out there almost panting.
Well, I'll tell you, your presentation was the best, and I thought the context, the content was just absolutely right.
Just put it right at where it should be.
I just talked to Rebozo.
He called me, and he said he's had the goddamnedest reaction in Florida.
Of course, I suppose he would down there, but he said Democrats, Republicans, everybody just saying, go to it.
That's great.
My God, we finally did something.
I don't know what you heard, but of course the Democrats...
The politicians are doing just what we expect.
They're laying in the bushes instead of supporting the president.
But, by God, they ought to be hit for that.
They will be.
As you know, we've got this apparatus going over here.
Right.
And the only problem is that the telegram offices are so jammed up that the people can't get through to them, and the telephones are so jammed up last night that you just couldn't get the volume through.
But what is the reaction you've found in just talking to folks at the ground?
Oh, great.
No, no, no reaction.
Nobody is opposed to it that I've talked to or found.
I think everybody has a little concern about the ongoing problems of the summit and so forth.
Yeah, well, we're going to, as if and when it's canceled, which it very well may be, we think, we're just going to say, well, we expected that, we'll have it at a later time, but we're not going to have the American president go to the summit when Russian tanks are rumbling through the streets of Hue.
Well, I thought you put the ball in their court just right last night.
And I think the American public will accept that without any problems whatsoever.
So I just think it's great all the way around.
And I have a very deep gut reaction.
It's going to have some large psychological effects on the government and the troops.
That's the main effect, you know.
As you know, this kind of operation, it's not technically a blockade, but that's what it is.
It only has an effect over a period of time, but I can tell you
that if it doesn't work psychologically, I'll keep the goddamn thing on and lose the election if necessary, but boy, right after the election, we'll just level Hanoi.
I mean level it.
I don't believe that's going to be necessary.
I think you're tying it into the...
prisoners of war and the ceasefire was just in the right... That really, John, is an offer that how the hell can anybody say we should do more?
They can't.
That we say, all right, with a ceasefire and P.O.W., we'll get out in four months.
You heard what Church said.
No, I didn't.
Yeah, you came out and said it was just right.
Did he agree with it?
Yeah, he agreed with your terms.
good.
Last night he did it, which surprised the hell out of me, but it shows people that are thinking correctly and not acting politically recognize the rationale of it.
One thing I was going to suggest, wouldn't this be a good time for you and Buckley to frankly get Ashbrook in and say, look, John, for Christ's sakes, get behind the president on this?
I've already started that this morning.
I mean, he really ought to get out of the race now.
He really ought to.
I started it last week, but...
It didn't fly, but I think it's got a much greater possibility now.
And you might give Reagan a call and ask him to call him.
Could you do that?
Sure.
I don't think it'll fly because this guy's got a little bit in his teeth, but it certainly will pull some of the troops away from this.
Yeah, we'll get Reagan to call some of his troops.
Could you do that?
Tell him that you and I talked.
I have approved a trip for Reagan to Europe, incidentally, so he's all set on a nice little junket, so he ought to be happy.
What's the purpose of that?
He just wanted to go to Europe.
Oh, did he?
Where is he going?
I don't know.
You know, just, just fart around.
It's all right.
It's all right.
Well, that's fine.
Give him some more traveling time.
We'll get more done in California.
Yeah.
We, uh, also in, uh,
Alex, just a second.

NARA Description

On May 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, John N. Mitchell, and Alexander P. Butterfield talked on the telephone from 11:35 am to 11:39 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-045 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 24-45

Date: May 9, 1972
Time: 11:35 am - 11:39 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with John N. Mitchell.

[See also Conversation No. 338-17A]

     Vietnam
          -The President's speech
               -Mitchell’s view
               -Preparation
               -Briefing of Senators
               -Presentation
               -Content
               -Public response
                     -Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo's report
                           -Amount of support
                     -Democrats

                         -Position
                    -Telegrams and telephone calls
                         -Charles W. Colson
                         -Backlog
                    -Public support
         -Blockade
              -Soviet Summit
                   -Possible cancellation
                   -The President's stance
              -The President's speech
                   -Public support
              -Impact
                   -Psychological impact
                   -Forthcoming 1972 election
                   -Bombing of Hanoi
                         -The President’s view
              -Peace offers
                   -Prisoners of war [POWs]
                   -Ceasefire
                   -Frank F. Church
                         -Response to speech

    1972 Republican nomination
         -James L. Buckley
         -John N. Ashbrook
              -Withdrawal
         -Ronald W. Reagan
              -Request for a call to Ashbrook
         -Ashbrook's candidacy
         -Reagan
              -Trip to Europe
                    -Purposes

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 50s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

*****************************************************************

The President conferred with Alexander P. Butterfield at 11:37 am.

[See Conversation No. 338-17]

[End of conferral]

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 14s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

*****************************************************************

Also recorded on May 9, 1972

  • 024-043 11:32 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:32 am.
  • 024-044 11:32 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:32 am and 11:35 am.
  • 338-015 11:32 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 11:32 am.
  • 338-016 11:32 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:32 am and 11:35 am.
  • 338-017 11:35 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John N. Mitchell, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Patrick J. Buchanan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:35 am to 11:42 am.
  • 024-046 11:40 AM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 11:40 am to 11:41 am.
  • 024-047 11:41 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:41 am and 11:50 am.
  • 338-018 11:42 AM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:42 am and 11:50 am.

All 96 conversations from May 9, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 024-045, May 9, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-045 (accessed September 21, 2026).