Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-085

Kissinger & Byrd on Vietnam War and Democratic Caucus

Wednesday, April 26, 1972 · 4:10 PM–4:31 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsKissinger, Henry A.; Byrd, Robert C.Conversation023-085 on Tape 23StartWednesday, April 26, 1972 at 4:10 PMEndWednesday, April 26, 1972 at 4:31 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 023-085 ↗

AI Summary

Henry Kissinger contacted Senator Robert C. Byrd to request a delay of an upcoming Democratic caucus regarding Vietnam, citing the extreme sensitivity of ongoing diplomatic negotiations with Le Duc Tho. Byrd explained that while he had already postponed the meeting at the request of J. William Fulbright, he was constrained by Senate leadership obligations and required a public justification to delay it further. Kissinger agreed to consult with President Nixon to determine if sufficient information could be shared with Byrd to provide that justification, while both men emphasized the need for strict confidentiality regarding their communication.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Hello, Dr. Kissinger.
Hello, Senator.
How are you?
Good, thank you.
It was a pleasure to see you yesterday.
It's always good to listen to you.
I always get something from it.
I have a lot of confidence in you.
Aren't you nice.
Senator, I'm calling you because I've just been told that there's a Democratic caucus tomorrow in which resolutions may be considered about the war in Vietnam.
No, there will be no caucus tomorrow.
The caucus will occur next Wednesday.
Right.
Well, I was going to say this to you on a personal basis.
If you watch the news tickers today, for example, the fact that Lee Tak-To is coming back to Paris, and that in Moscow, highly qualified diplomatic sources have said that they have played a role in the resumption of the talks and so forth.
I just wanted to say that we are now engaged in an extraordinarily sensitive diplomatic phase.
and therefore for public expressions at this moment that suggest this unity may really undermine what we're engaged in.
I don't know whether it is possible for you to delay this caucus for a week.
The later it happens, the better it is for us.
I may say quite honestly the better it will be for you because
You may be saying things at a moment which could be embarrassing to those who make these resolutions and really might be difficult in some of the efforts on which we are now engaged that I cannot tell you about.
Well, my situation is this.
Of course, I'm not going to say anything that... We're not worried about you.
And I personally favor the...
I have to be very careful how I say it in view of my...
leadership position.
I think the President's doing the right thing.
But it has been the leaders' policy to call a caucus upon the request of any one member.
Well, now, Senator Fulbright asked for this caucus last week.
He asked me last week for the caucus.
So then he asked, I said, well, put it in writing.
Then he asked that it be, have the caucus either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, either yesterday.
So I've delayed it a week.
It'll be next Wednesday, and I don't think I could delay it further unless something occurs here which would, on the surface of it...
give me some justification for it, you see.
Right.
And I'm just, I don't think there's anything I can do about that, but it is at least a week from now.
Right.
Well, that's a tremendous help.
And let me discuss with the President or see what I can come up with of whether we can tell you something that would justify a further delay.
I just assume you wouldn't because I'm afraid that as the acting Democrat leader, I'm sort of the... No, no, I mean maybe ask Fulbright or somebody.
All right.
I understand your problem and I understand your feelings.
Fulbright and Symington and Mondale all ask for it, but Fulbright put it in writing.
Right.
Right.
Well, I understand this.
And I just wanted you to understand what the situation is.
And we're not doing this for partisan reasons, because for strictly partisan reasons, we might just as well see the Democrats get out on a limb.
I understand.
I understand, and I hope that our conversation will be just between you and myself.
You can be absolutely sure that it will not be repeated.
I wouldn't want my Democratic colleagues who elected me to this position to think that I was, you know...
Senator, you have my word that this conversation will not be repeated.
Very well.
And I appreciate the frankness with which you've spoken.
All right.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Bye.

NARA Description

On April 26, 1972, Henry A. Kissinger and Robert C. Byrd talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:31 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-085 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 23-85

Date: April 26, 1972
Time: Unknown between 4:10 and 4:31 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Henry A. Kissinger talked with Robert C. Byrd.

[See also Conversation No. 333-21C]

     Byrd's confidence in Kissinger

     Vietnam
          -Democratic caucus
               -Resolution
               -Timing
          -Negotiations
               -Le Duc Tho
               -Resumption of talks
                     -Diplomatic sources in Moscow
               -Sensitivity
                     -Democratic caucus
                            -Delay
                                 -Byrd's activities
                                 -Benefits for Democrats and the President
                            -Byrd's position
                            -Byrd's leadership
                                 -J. William Fulbright's request for caucus
                                 -Delays
                                       -Justification
                                             -Request to Fulbright
                                             -W. Stuart Symington and Walter F. Mondale
                            -Nonpartisanship
          -Kissinger's call to Byrd
               -Confidentiality

Also recorded on April 26, 1972

  • 333-021 3:43 PM · 41 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), White House operator, Robert C. Byrd, unknown person(s), and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:43 pm to 4:31 pm.
  • 023-084 4:10 PM · 8 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:31 pm.
  • 023-086 4:10 PM · 1 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:31 pm.
  • 333-022 4:31 PM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:31 pm and 4:34 pm.
  • 023-087 4:34 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 4:34 pm to 4:37 pm.
  • 333-023 4:34 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:34 pm to 4:37 pm.
  • 333-024 4:37 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:37 pm and 5:01 pm.
  • 333-025 4:37 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:37 pm and 5:01 pm.

All 57 conversations from April 26, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 023-085, April 26, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-085 (accessed September 21, 2026).