Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 5 › Conversation 005-012
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on US-China relations and Press relations
Friday, June 11, 1971 · 5:46 PM–5:54 PM ET · White House Telephone · 8 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss diplomatic progress regarding the People's Republic of China, expressing optimism that a response from the Chinese leadership is forthcoming. The conversation shifts to managing relations with the press, with Nixon proposing a conciliatory, personal outreach to media figures like William Paley to alleviate institutional tensions. Additionally, they touch upon political maneuvers involving figures such as Clark Clifford, Edward Kennedy, and Hubert Humphrey, alongside logistics concerning potential wheat shipments to the USSR.
- US-China relations
- Press relations
- Diplomatic communications
- Democratic politics
- Soviet trade
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 5 minutes of this recording (about 62% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On June 11, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 5:46 pm to 5:54 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 005-012 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 5-12
Date: June 11, 1971
Time: 5:46 pm - 5:54 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.
Schedule
US foreign relations
-People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
The press
[Pause]
-Walter L. Cronkite, Jr.
-President's schedule
-William S. Paley
-Frank Stanton
-Arthur O. Sulzberger
-Treatment of the President compared to Lyndon B. Johnson
Democrats in Congress
-Johnson
-George S. McGovern-Mark O. Hatfield resolution
-President
-Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
President's schedule
-Cronkite
Clark M. Clifford's call to William H. Sullivan
Edward M. Kennedy
Hubert H. Humphrey
Wheat shipments to USSR
-George Meany
-Jay LovestoneAlso recorded on June 11, 1971
- 005-007 4:08 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:08 pm and 4:09 pm.
- 005-008 4:09 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Elliot L. Richardson talked on the telephone from 4:09 pm to 4:11 pm.
- 005-009 4:59 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:59 pm and 5:16 pm.
- 005-010 5:16 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 5:16 pm to 5:18 pm.
- 005-011 5:43 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:43 pm and 5:46 pm.
- 005-013 5:54 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:54 pm.
- 005-014 5:55 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:55 pm.
- 005-015 5:56 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 5:56 pm to 5:58 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 005-012, June 11, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/005-012 (accessed October 12, 2026).