Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 270 › Conversation 270-003

Nixon & Kissinger on Kama River Project and Soviet Union

Tuesday, August 3, 1971 · 3:50 PM–3:55 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 11 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.; [Unknown person(s)]Conversation270-003 on Tape 270 (tape position 00:07:17–00:17:54)StartTuesday, August 3, 1971 at 3:50 PMEndTuesday, August 3, 1971 at 3:55 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 270-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to coordinate talking points for a forthcoming press conference, specifically regarding the complex approval status of the Kama River Project foundry deal with the Soviet Union. The discussion touched upon managing potential inquiries from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the broader diplomatic implications of U.S.-Soviet relations. Additionally, the participants briefly reviewed administrative matters, including the upcoming departure of David K.E. Bruce and perceptions of Secretary of State William P. Rogers among liberal factions.

Audio

Download MP3 · 9.8 MB

This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.

Listen to the full tape segment

Position in tape: 00:07:17 – 00:17:54

270a.mp3

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Uh, the Mack truck deal, uh, maybe you asked about that.
You can say that we're doing it.
It's a very complicated business.
Well, I wouldn't put it on the basis of the Mack truck deal.
I'd say there's a big project, a river project.
And, uh...
We are looking at it, and it's a very complicated thing because it's in fully debated, trapped land.
We're looking at it by categories, and we've approved the boundary part of it.
Have they announced it?
Isn't that it?
I think so.
We can check it for you tomorrow.
It should be a negative.
It's just being, you've just approved it.
I'm not interested in that.
You've just approved it by default, which is about $175,000.
We have a lot of time to consider it.
You can take that.
Great, thank you.
Here's the hospital.
Thank you.
But that really, it wasn't that I was so good, Mr. President.
If I had said the same thing four weeks ago, people would have talked about credibility again.
But I think it's that the general atmosphere is different.
Okay.
Good.
Did you see why the presidential presidency were in the hand last night in the office system?
It's still much more available for the crowd in your degree.
Well, I don't get to spend much of your time.
Well, good Russian don't do anything like they don't do if you put them in one of the concentrations.
And it shows.
That's true.
You say it shows?
And it shows in his absence.
It does show.
He's played balls in the last month or two, so I'm not saying there are others, but I'm guessing he's trying to attempt to play after the liberals.
They would have made him a good idea, or he could have made him, he could have made him put more power.
You've got to be here someplace.
You told me about it.
I've told you that you're considering that.
I've told you that you're considering that.
I've told you to look at the schedule.
I've told you to look at the schedule.
I've told you to look at the schedule.
I've told you to look at the schedule.
I've told you to look at the schedule.
I've told you to look at the schedule.
I've told you to look at the schedule.
I've told you to look at the schedule.
I've told you to look at the schedule.

NARA Description

On August 3, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:50 pm to 3:55 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 270-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 270-3

Date: August 3, 1971
Time: 3:50 pm - 3:55 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Telephone call
          -Peking

     Forthcoming press conference
          -Possible question
               -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
                     -Mack Truck deal
                           -Kama River Project
                           -Foundry
                                -Approval
                                      -Announcement
                                -Cost
                           -Senate Foreign Relations Committee
                                -Kissinger’s appearance

An unknown person entered at an unknown time between 3:50 pm and 3:55 pm.

     Request

The unknown person left at an unknown time between 3:50 pm and 3:55 pm.

     William P. Rogers
          -John Foster Dulles
          -Liberals

     Forthcoming press conference
          -Possible question
               -Vietnam
                     -David K.E. Bruce
                           -Departure
                                -Welcome by President

Kissinger left at 3:55 pm.

Also recorded on August 3, 1971

  • 270-002 3:40 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:40 pm to 3:43 pm.
  • 270-004 3:55 PM · 32 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 3:55 pm and 4:09 pm.
  • 270-005 3:55 PM · 17 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 3:55 pm and 4:09 pm.
  • 270-006 4:09 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:09 pm to 4:10 pm.
  • 270-007 4:11 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:11 pm to 4:12 pm.
  • 270-008 4:12 PM · 1 min — 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 4:12 pm and 4:50 pm.
  • 270-009 4:50 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:50 pm to 4:56 pm.
  • 270-010 4:56 PM · 2 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 4:56 pm and 5:10 pm.

All 51 conversations from August 3, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 270-003, August 3, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/270-003 (accessed October 19, 2026).