Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-104

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Media Relations and Press Briefings

Thursday, May 20, 1971 · 8:14 PM–8:16 PM ET · White House Telephone · 45 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation003-104 on Tape 3 (tape position 02:01:19–02:02:05)StartThursday, May 20, 1971 at 8:14 PMEndThursday, May 20, 1971 at 8:16 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-104 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the importance of upcoming media briefings with representatives from Time and Newsweek, specifically mentioning journalists Jerrold L. Schecter and John L. Steele. Nixon emphasizes the critical nature of the coverage expected for the following week and directs Kissinger to ensure he personally speaks with these correspondents before their respective deadlines. Kissinger confirms his intent to meet with the reporters to manage the administration's messaging.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 80% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.
I wanted to be sure that you will cover in the morning, too, the time in Newsweek.
Have you covered that?
I've talked to the sector, and I'll catch both of them.
What about the other guy, you know, from Time?
The Steele and...
I think both at the briefing, President, but I haven't checked.
Well, you see, it's very important what they do next week, so you can catch them tomorrow.
They've got plenty of time on their deadlines.
I'll catch them before the end of the day.
Good.

NARA Description

On May 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:14 pm to 8:16 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-104 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-104

Date: May 20, 1971
Time: 8:14 pm - 8:16 pm
Location: White House Telephone

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Kissinger's briefings
          -Time and Newsweek
                -Jerrold L. Schecter
                -John L. Steele
                -Importance
                -[Forename unknown] Elliott
                -Steele
                -"Local ones"

Also recorded on May 21, 1971

  • 003-214 8:00 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:00 pm and 8:11 pm.
  • 003-103 8:11 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:11 pm to 8:12 pm.
  • 003-215 8:12 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:12 pm and 8:14 pm.
  • 003-105 8:25 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 8:25 pm to 8:27 pm.
  • 003-106 8:28 PM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 8:28 pm to 8:29 pm.
  • 003-107 7:32 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:32 am and 9:37 am.
  • 503-001 8:13 AM · 1 hr 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:13 am and 9:25 am.
  • 503-002 9:25 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:25 am and 9:37 am.

All 40 conversations from May 21, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-104, May 21, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-104 (accessed October 12, 2026).