Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-015
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Melvin R. Laird
Tuesday, April 18, 1972 · 9:23 AM–9:27 AM ET · White House Telephone · 8 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon directs the White House operator to place a call to Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird. This request follows a private consultation between the President and National Security Advisor Henry A. Kissinger regarding national security or defense-related matters. The conversation functions primarily as an administrative step to facilitate immediate communication between the President and the Secretary of Defense.
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On April 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:23 am and 9:27 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-015 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 23-15
Date: April 18, 1972
Time: Unknown between 9:23 and 9:27 am
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
[See also Conversation No. 711-3B]
The President conferred with Henry A. Kissinger at an unknown time before the conversation
began.
Request for a call to Melvin R. LairdAlso recorded on April 18, 1972
- 023-013 9:18 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:20 am.
- 711-001 9:18 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:20 am.
- 711-002 9:18 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:20 am.
- 023-014 9:20 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 9:20 am to 9:23 am.
- 711-003 9:20 AM · 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, Henry A. Kissinger, White House operator, Manolo Sanchez, Alexander P. Butterfield, Melvin R. Laird, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:20 am and 10:02 am.
- 023-016 9:27 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:27 am.
- 023-017 9:55 AM · 59 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Melvin R. Laird talked on the telephone from 9:55 am to 9:56 am.
- 711-004 10:02 AM · 57 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:02 am to 10:58 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 023-015, April 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-015 (accessed September 22, 2026).