Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 82 › Conversation 082-002

Nixon, National Security Council & Agnew

Friday, November 12, 1971 · 5:03 PM–11:59 PM ET · Cabinet Room · 1 hr 16 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); National Security Council; Agnew, Spiro T. (Vice President); Rogers, William P.; Laird, Melvin R.; Lincoln, George A. (Gen.); Mitchell, John N.; Irwin, John N., II; Helms, Richard M.; [Name withdrawn]; Ryan, John D. (Gen.); Spiers, Ronald I.; Smith, Gerard C.; Farley, Philip J.; Keeny, Spurgeon M., Jr.; McCloy, John J.; Allison, Royal B. (Gen.); Parsons, J. Graham; Nitze, Paul H.; Kennedy, Richard T. (Col.); Smith, K. Wayne (Dr.); Sonnenfeldt, Helmut ("Hal"); Kissinger, Henry A.; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Tucker, Gardiner L.Conversation082-002 on Tape 82StartFriday, November 12, 1971 at 5:03 PMEndFriday, November 12, 1971 at 11:59 PMRecording deviceCabinet RoomSourceNixon Library record for 082-002 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417174273 ↗

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part A, 1:19:14

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NARA Description

On November 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and members of the National Security Council, including Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, William P. Rogers, Melvin R. Laird, Gen. George A. Lincoln, John N. Mitchell, John N. Irwin, II, Richard M. Helms, [Name withdrawn], Gen. John D. Ryan, Ronald I. Spiers, Gerard C. Smith, Philip J. Farley, Spurgeon M. Keeny, Jr., John J. McCloy, Gen. Royal B. Allison, J. Graham Parsons, Paul H. Nitze, Col. Richard T. Kennedy, Dr. K. Wayne Smith, Helmut ("Hal") Sonnenfedlt, Henry A. Kissinger, Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and Gardiner L. Tucker, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 5:03 pm and 11:59 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 082-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 082-002
Date: November 12, 1971
Time: 5:03 pm - unknown before 11:59 pm
Location: Cabinet Room

The President met with Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, William P. Rogers, Melvin R. Laird,
General George A. Lincoln, John N. Mitchell, John N. Irwin, II, Richard M. Helms, [Name
withdrawn], General John D. Ryan, Ronald I. Spiers, Gerard C. Smith, Philip J. Farley, Spurgeon
M. Keeny, Jr., John J. McCloy, General Royal B. Allison, J. Graham Parsons, Paul H. Nitze,
Colonel Richard T. Kennedy, Dr. K. Wayne Smith, Helmut (“Hal”) Sonnenfeldt, Henry A.
Kissinger, General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and Gardiner L. Tucker

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[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 10/13/2017.]
[Unintelligible]
[082-002-w002]
[Duration: 2m15s]

     General conversation

     Work place

     Briefs

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

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[This segment was declassified on 02/28/2002.]
[National Security]
[082-002-w001]
[Duration: 1h 13m 53s]

     Arms control negotiations with the Soviet Union
                     -William P. Rogers’s press conference
         - Anti-Ballistic Missile [ABM]
               -United States’s position
               -Extent of Soviet system
               -Extent of Safeguard system
               -Soviet proposal
                     -Possible United States response
               -Possible hard site defense
               -United States position

Show the rest of the log (72 more lines)

         -Possible Soviet position
               -SS 9
         -Difficulties
         -Value
         - Anti-Ballistic Missile [ABM]
               -Possible Congressional action
               -Soviet proposal
               -Value
               -Effect
         -Submarines (SLBM)
               -Soviet capacity
               -United States program
               -Vs. Anti-Ballistic Missile [ABM]
                     -Popular opinion
         -United States position
               -Melvin R. Laird
               -Alaskan Seals
               -Popular opinion
         -Submarines

                  -Soviet capability vs. United States capability
            -Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles [ICBMs]
            -Submarines
                  -Soviet capability vs. United States capability
                  -The President's discussion with Andrei Gromyko
                  -Soviet Union's intentions
            - Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles [ICBMs]
            -United States strategy
            -Submarines
            -United States strategy
                  -Possible congressional action
                  -Administration's possible public position
            -Soviet views
            -Soviet capability vs. United States capability
            -Possible congressional reaction
            -United States strategy
            -Issues being negotiated
            -Soviet capability
            -Possible Congressional reaction
            -The President's schedule
            - Anti-Ballistic Missile [ABM]
            -Timing
            -Submarine-launched Ballistic Missile [SLBM]
            -The President's schedule
            -Submarines
                  -United States building program
            -Joseph Alsop's columns

The President, Rogers, and Kissinger left at 6:22 pm

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[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 10/13/2017.]
[Unintelligible]
[082-002-w003]
[Duration: 2m48s]

     General conversation

     Gerard C. Smith

     General George A. Lincoln

     Publicity
     Gerard C. Smith

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The Vice President, et al. left at an unknown time before 11:59 pm

Transcript (AI-generated)

No transcript is available yet for this conversation.

Also recorded on November 12, 1971

617-016 4:26 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Donald H. Rumsfeld, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:26 pm and 4:30 pm.
617-005 4:29 PM · 26 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, Clark MacGregor, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:29 pm and 4:54 pm.
617-017 4:31 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Sultan Mohammad Khan, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:31 pm to 4:39 pm.
617-018 4:41 PM · 1 hr 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Elliot L. Richardson, John D. Ehrlichman, Stephen B. Bull, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., unknown person(s), and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:41 pm to 5:55 pm.
617-006 4:54 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:54 pm and 4:55 pm.
617-007 4:55 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John J. McCloy, Henry A. Kissinger, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:55 pm to 5:03 pm.
617-008 5:03 PM · 16 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:03 pm and 6:22 pm.
617-019 5:55 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 5:55 pm.

All 64 conversations from November 12, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 082-002, November 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417174273). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/082-002 (accessed November 3, 2026).