Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 1 › Conversation 001-046

Nixon phone call with Byrd on Vietnam War and Foreign policy

Wednesday, April 7, 1971 · 11:33 PM–11:36 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Byrd, Robert C.Conversation001-046 on Tape 1 (tape position 01:45:07–01:47:40)StartWednesday, April 7, 1971 at 11:33 PMEndWednesday, April 7, 1971 at 11:36 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 001-046 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon calls Senator Robert C. Byrd to personally thank him for his public support regarding the President's recent speech on the Vietnam War and troop withdrawal policy. The two discuss the logistical difficulties of including Byrd and Senator Robert P. Griffin in exclusive White House briefings due to procedural tensions with House leadership. Nixon reassures Byrd of his intent to ensure their continued participation in future briefings, suggesting that private meetings may be arranged to bypass formal scheduling constraints.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Senator Robert Byrd, sir.
Yeah.
Hello?
Hello, Bob.
Hello, Mr. President.
I just wanted to thank you for your good statement on the speech tonight.
It was very thoughtful of you, and I appreciate it.
What was this, a wire news release?
Yeah, yeah, apparently you made some statement that got on the wires.
It said that you, I don't know, were pleased with the fact that we were indicated that we were going to have a total withdrawal or something like that, yeah.
in this position bob you're really going to get a lot of a lot of heat and i know that i know you're under a lot but i do appreciate the fact that you've been such a stand-up guy and uh you do do whatever your heart tells you is right but i i can only tell you i know what is right now and i i won't do it and i'll be held accountable but
We're going to pull this off, believe me.
Well, I hope so.
I don't know what was quoted, but I think in the overall, you would have been pleased with my...
I know.
...reaction.
I know.
I appreciate it very much, Bob.
I appreciate the invitation to the briefing.
Well, look, we're glad to have you there.
I'm going to find a way.
The problem here is that we always want to have you and Bobby Griffin there.
The difficulty is, you know, the damn house, the...
You know, they have a different relationship, you know, and if you get the whips there, then they say, oh, no, you've got to have 18 other guys, you know.
But I'll find a way, believe me, because I want you and Bobby there every time I have a briefing.
I'll work it out if that's all right with you.
Well, surely.
They only have two elected whips, don't they, over there?
True, but the difficulty, Bob, is that they also have, for example, the...
In fact, the whip in the House is not as important as the whip in the Senate.
Do you see my point?
Yes.
And therefore, they think that the whip in the House, if you have the whip in the House, that then you're throwing off on guys that also ought to be there, you see?
And then I've got to go down the line.
We'll find a way.
Sometimes we just meet privately, you know, if you and Bobby Griffin are two or three others.
Very well.
But we'll do it in confidence.
And I appreciate the fact you spoke out so directly what you feel.
That's what I want to know.
Thank you.
I'll try to be helpful.
You betcha.
Okay, bye.
Thank you, Mr. President.

NARA Description

On April 7, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Robert C. Byrd talked on the telephone from 11:33 pm to 11:36 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 001-046 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 1-46

Date: April 7, 1971
Time: 11:33 pm - 11:36 pm
Location: White House Telephone
Robert C. Byrd talked with the President.

     President’s previous speech on Southeast Asia
          -Wire statements

     Vietnam
          -President's briefing
          -Robert P. Griffin
          -House leadership
          -Griffin
          -Byrd

Also recorded on April 8, 1971

  • 001-038 11:14 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-039 11:14 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-040 11:14 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-041 11:14 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-042 11:14 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-043 11:14 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Freeman F. Gosden, Jr. talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-044 11:14 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-045 11:21 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 11:21 pm to 11:32 pm.

All 67 conversations from April 8, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 001-046, April 8, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-046 (accessed October 9, 2026).