Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 7 › Conversation 007-092

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Foreign Policy and Soviet Union

Wednesday, August 11, 1971 · 7:58 PM–8:04 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation007-092 on Tape 7 (tape position 03:15:27–03:20:50)StartWednesday, August 11, 1971 at 7:58 PMEndWednesday, August 11, 1971 at 8:04 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 007-092 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss coordinating a diplomatic signing ceremony with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, slated for September 30th, and the necessity of managing State Department involvement through William Rogers. The conversation also addresses the administration's fiscal strategy, specifically balancing the push for increased national security and defense spending against the political liability of raising taxes. Nixon directs Kissinger to coordinate with George Shultz and David Packard to develop a budget approach that maintains military strength without necessitating immediate tax hikes.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Hello.

Mr. President.

Hi, Henry.

How'd your briefing go?

Oh, uh, it's a completely different atmosphere now.

Even with the interns?

Oh, yeah.

These are college kids, of course.

Yeah.

You were good to do it.

I didn't really ask for it.

We picked these kids, and they're not the bastards.

They're not the worst bastards.

Well, I just...

I called back to Brennan and gave him the message.

How'd he take it?

He said it for September 30th, Mr. President, because Gromyko has to go back to France for that state visit they're paying there.

September 30th?

For the ceremony here.

Right, good.

And then that'll go through regular channels.

Well, I told them that they should put it into Smith and I'll call Rogers tomorrow and tell him to work out the details with Sabrina.

Will you?

I mean, we've got to get a room and so forth.

Just let Rogers know that they came in here and I said, well, we...

consider going over there.

You know, you've gone over the signing ceremony before.

Yeah, and tell Bill that I want him to bring that for me to do it, but if he feels that I want to, once you say this, look, Bill, the President mentioned this, but if you feel that

Right.

Make him feel better.

Henry, on the budget, I talked to Schultz.

Let me tell you the line I want you to take.

We've got to take the line of the 79 being sort of a, you know, we can't go above that at this point.

As Schultz says, look, we're doing all these other things.

At an appropriate time, I will move first.

But I think at the meeting Friday, let's be very, very... We don't have to just say that, well...

But you don't have to...

I wouldn't announce a figure at the meeting.

No, but because the joint chiefs won't be there.

We'll just go over the whole thing.

But it seems to me that you and Schultz and Packard work at the hangout without layers.

Well, fine.

You get his feeling.

And you tell him your truth.

I told Schultz today that I said, look, the national security is going to require upping this defense budget.

He said, well, how can you up the defense budget?

He said, I agree, but he said, because of the Navy.

How can you do it?

I said, on the other hand, and Schultz says, the reason you're having success is because you're being strong.

Exactly.

And he said, on the other hand, right now, you can't appear that just as you're having success, you've got to increase the budget, increase taxes.

See my point?

Yeah.

And I think he's right about that.

Right, except that what got us to this point was your strength last year.

I know, I know, I know.

But I mean, at this point, we get to this point, then to increase taxes, say we're going to have more than that.

Now, let me work it out with Colt's week.

We will come up with something that will not require an increase in taxes.

Do the best you can.

Okay.

Right, right, Mr. President.

Finally.

NARA Description

On August 11, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 7:58 pm to 8:04 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 007-092 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 7-92

Date: August 11, 1971
Time: 7:58 pm - 8:04 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Kissinger's briefing
          -College interns

     Foreign relations
          -Kissinger's message to Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
                -Andrei A. Gromyko
                -Gerard C. Smith
                -William P. Rogers
                      -Dobrynin and Gromyko
                           -Signing ceremony

**********************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 08/09/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[007-092-w002]
[Duration: 1m 16s]

      John V. Lindsay’s party affiliation
             -Henry A. Kissinger’s opinion
             -Liberals
                     -Henry A. Kissinger's talk with Gardner Cowles
                             -August 7, 1971
                             -Mary Ann (Harrison) Lindsay
                                      -Toughness
             -Presidential candidacy, 1972 or 1976
                     -Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
                     -Nelson A. Rockefeller

**********************************************************************

     Budget
         -The President''s talk with George P. Shultz
         -Administration policy
              -Shultz
              -David Packard
              -Tax increase
              -Forthcoming meeting
                    -Joint Chiefs of Staff
                    -Kissinger, Shultz and Packard
                           -Melvin R. Laird
                    -Kissinger's meeting with Shultz

     The President's talk with Shultz
          -National Security
               -Defense
                      -Berlin
                      -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
                      -The People's Republic of China [PRC]

     Budget
         -Defense

Also recorded on August 11, 1971

272-012 2:54 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:54 pm.
272-013 3:12 PM · 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, Gen. Robert W., Jr. Cushman, Jr., John N. Irwin, II, Maurice J. Williams, Joseph J. Sisco, and Armistead I. Selden, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:12 pm to 3:45 pm.
272-014 3:45 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:45 pm and 3:52 pm.
272-015 3:45 PM · 37 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:45 pm and 3:52 pm.
272-016 3:52 PM · 47 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:52 pm to 4:45 pm.
272-017 4:45 PM · 1 hr 42 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, White House operator, John T. Dunlop, Manolo Sanchez, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:45 pm to 6:31 pm.
007-090 7:52 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:52 pm to 7:57 pm.
007-091 7:57 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:57 pm.

All 30 conversations from August 11, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 007-092, August 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/007-092 (accessed October 9, 2026).