Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-110

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)

Friday, May 21, 1971 · 12:45 PM–12:50 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation003-110 on Tape 3 (tape position 02:08:13–02:13:18)StartFriday, May 21, 1971 at 12:45 PMEndFriday, May 21, 1971 at 12:50 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-110 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discussed the media's coverage of the ongoing Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), specifically focusing on how major outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post were portraying the negotiations. Nixon expressed frustration with the press's characterization of the potential agreement, viewing their critical stance as an attempt to protect their past editorial positions. Ultimately, they agreed that Kissinger should maintain a positive, firm narrative during upcoming press briefings, emphasizing the importance of a simultaneous approach to both offensive and defensive weapons.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 27% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Hello.
Henry?
Yeah.
How are you getting along on your briefings?
Have you seen any more people?
I have, but I've seen people all afternoon.
Right.
But I don't know whether you've been to those actual times.
No, no.
John Scali was in it.
He expressed, in my own feeling, he said, John said there is some thought, maybe on your part, that we haven't had a good rest.
He thinks it's the most spectacular thing to see.
Well, I think, what I really think...
turn to the press is basically the Post and the Times.
Like the Times headline, if you read it, it says, U.S. and Soviet distress ABMs.
Well, you know, now that's a deliberate shaft.
It's a shaft, and it's just totally incorrect.
And somebody ought to take him on on that.
Don't you think?
Yeah.
Is he coming in?
Well, I would lay it in.
I'd say that's totally incorrect, deliberately so.
And it really is.
And, of course, they didn't give it the play that they should have either.
I mean, this kind of a thing would have been an eight-column banner if the other, you know what I mean?
They're dying, Henry.
That's their problem.
That is their problem.
And Scali has got to realize it, too.
Whatever we got is not really what it's worth.
I'm not disappointed.
That's what I expected.
But I would say that, unexpected, I think we've done an excellent job considering what the opposition is.
But, you know, really, you figure, these senators are out on a limb.
The newspapers are out on a limb.
The Post and the rest have been saying all those things.
So what the hell do you expect them to do?
They're going to try their best to protect their position, and they're petrified with the thought that maybe we're going to get an agreement.
But it has a certain advantage in that in the long term, that it is overplayed.
Sure.
Oh, that's true.
It makes the negotiations easier.
True, true.
Oh, I'm not... And still, it's a big, you know, the Nationalist Times has a big headline.
Sure.
It's front page everywhere.
Sure.
Oh, it would be.
Well, good God, it ought to be front page, but...
What I meant is that I said the New York Times was playing its usual game, just straight out to stress ABMs.
They missed the point.
That isn't what it says.
I mean, the significance is not to stress it.
It's to stress both.
Exactly.
And I think most of the others got that, but it's defensive and offensive.
That's good.
Now that's the way to get it across.
Sure, sure.
So we've got these special problem children here for a few times.
Sure, sure, sure.
And as a matter of fact, they're not nitpicking too much on you, because there's going to be a deal made here.
You and I both know it.
And Galley is going over to the Fed stuff, and that's it.
Yeah, for sure.
So I think that... No, I think we're... No, I think...
Listen, I don't think you could have handled it better.
It's all out there.
And of course, we want to realize we've got a hell of a television...
Walloponk, they hit them.
Was it the 8th minute of the network?
Yeah, the 8th.
And apparently they, uh, it's, uh, Severide and the others, uh...
Very good, and John Sullivan.
And, uh, Galley may not know a foot in the politics, but he, he feels this was a tremendous, uh, play.
Maybe not as much as... Oh, no, it was fine.
It was good, maybe not as much as Kennedy, but it's, uh, uh...
It was fine.
It's, uh, it's got them on their heels for a little while.
It's just the normal days.
Did they run the low casualties in their story?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
But I think it's fine.
You're just doing just the right thing.
We'll play it.
We'll play it right on out.
But I'll be seeing time and music this afternoon.
Good.
And play it very, I think the idea of playing everything just very positively.
We're going to work for agreement.
I'm sure it's hard, but we expect to get one.
It's for offensive and defensive.
It's simultaneous.
Period.
That's all.
And have a little fun with them.
Okay, Henry.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On May 21, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 12:45 pm to 12:50 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-110 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-110

Date: May 21, 1971
Time: 12:45 pm - 12:50 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
           -Kissinger's briefings
           -John A. Scali's statement
                -Los Angeles Times
           -Washington Post
           -New York Times
                -Headline on antiballistic missiles [ABMs]
                -Kissinger's forthcoming meeting with Max Frankel
                -Coverage

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

                  -Scali
            -President's opponents
                  -Senators, press
            -Press coverage
                  -Washington Post
                  -Effect on negotiations
                  -Los Angeles Times
                  -New York Times
                        -Antiballistic missiles [ABMs]
                        -Defensive and offensive weapons
                  -Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun
                  -New York Times
            -Possible Agreement
            -Scali
            -Kissinger's work
            -Television coverage
                  -[Arnold] Eric Sevareid
                  -Scali's work
                        -John F. Kennedy [?]
                  -Effect on Vietnam coverage

     Vietnam
          -Casualties
               -Press coverage
                      -Charles W. Colson's office

     Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
           -Kissinger's forthcoming briefings
                -Time, Newsweek
                -Tone

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

Also recorded on May 21, 1971

  • 503-009 11:29 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:29 am and 11:41 am.
  • 503-010 12:09 PM · 46 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:09 pm to 12:10 pm.
  • 503-011 12:11 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Donald Schollander, Jonathan C. Rose, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:11 pm to 12:20 pm.
  • 503-012 12:20 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:20 pm.
  • 503-013 12:20 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Susan Segrest, Alex D. Steinkamp, Mrs. Alex D. Steinkamp, Robert H. Finch, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:20 pm to 12:31 pm.
  • 503-014 12:31 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:31 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 003-109 12:42 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:42 pm and 12:45 pm.
  • 003-111 12:50 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:50 pm and 6:26 pm.

All 40 conversations from May 21, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-110, 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/003-110 (accessed October 12, 2026).