Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 10 › Conversation 010-026
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Prisoners of War
Tuesday, September 28, 1971 · 8:20 PM–8:26 PM ET · White House Telephone · 7 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the President’s recent meeting with the National League of Families, where Nixon successfully addressed concerns regarding prisoners of war (POWs). The two strategize on how to respond to potential failures in peace negotiations, with Nixon expressing a willingness to implement a hard-line policy, such as a naval blockade, rather than withdrawing troops. Additionally, they coordinate plans to counter Senator Edward Kennedy's criticisms regarding POWs and discuss upcoming diplomatic maneuvering involving Soviet officials and UN Ambassador George H.W. Bush.
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Yes, and we have Dr. Kissinger there.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Henry?
Just to brighten up your day, well, you already got the report.
Well, as a matter of fact, you know, these women are so nice, and by God, they just cheered when I came in.
When I got through, they were all crying and cheering, and it was amazing, really.
And I just said a few nice, I mean, I took sort of your line, but I did something else.
I said, you know, every
Well, I said one thing, though.
I said, I just want to assure you that from that moment in 69, presidential priority has been given to the POW thing.
Every negotiating initiative, and I can assure you, ladies and gentlemen, that not only publicly, but privately, I have pursued every channel, and we're pursuing them today, and we're going to get them back.
You know, I just put it that way.
But I really think it turned it around.
If it needed to be turned around, it was turned around.
They were so pleased that I came.
But they were just... You should have heard them.
They were screaming and yelling and everything.
That's why I thought you... Yeah, but I didn't have to answer questions.
But that was good.
But anyway... Well, the thing we have to do is to fight this goddamn thing out.
I don't know how else to do it.
And...
On the other hand, I think you should know that if these people turn us down, I'm prepared to turn hard right.
I mean hard right.
We'll blockade the goddamn place and say, get our prisoners or else.
Don't you agree?
And I think the American people are not behind us the hell with them.
But I mean, what I meant is, if after our negotiating initiatives, they turn this last one down, Henry,
We're not just going to go out with tail between our legs.
Then, rather than saying we'll keep the 20,000 until we get our prisoners, we'll blockade the goddamn people and say, all right, get our prisoners and we'll reduce... Don't you agree that that's something we ought to do?
I think a harder line than just getting out is better.
Well, maybe the...
Three-day strike, you mean?
Something like that.
But the other one has a more long-term effect.
The what?
The blockade?
Yes.
Oh, yes.
We may do it.
But either way, I don't think we ought to do that.
Well, we're not going to just do it, though, in terms of saying, well, now we're going to get out, but we're going to keep 20,000 Americans there until you turn over our prisoners.
We're not going to let them do that.
That's too long.
And we've...
We'll find the time.
We'll find the time.
Give it to these people.
Oh, well.
Or yours, at least.
You've got to kick out of it.
No, it's right.
Well, we gave them hope and commitment.
And that little man, Teddy, going in there this morning and saying the blood of these people, and they're rotting in prison camps.
And it didn't really go over these.
They don't want to think their men are rotting in a camp.
But I think, Henry, somebody's got to take Teddy on.
I really think so.
I can't let him get away with that kind of shit.
Don't you think so?
Well, I'm calling Colson now.
I'm going to tell Colson to find somebody to really kick his son to bed.
Maybe Goldwater would.
Right.
What time is that?
Hmm.
Tomorrow, you and I will have a chat.
Yeah, and after that, you and I will have a 15, 20-minute talk and find out where the hell we go.
And then, because we've also got to position Rogers, after we finish with Gromyko, then we've got to call him and you in and tell him that, well... Yeah.
Ha, ha, ha.
But I think we've got to tell Rogers tomorrow that it's on, don't you think so?
I would tell him right after the meeting.
Right.
Call you and him in.
That's right.
All right.
I think that's the end of the talk.
Chinese, you're going to make an announcement in the morning, are they?
Yeah, but that's a different gas.
What the hell is that?
I don't know what the Russians want.
There's more going on than meets the eye here.
That's right, and that's why we also have to strike on that other thing.
I talked to Bush.
Oh, what'd he say?
He thinks he can do it.
He's coming down to see me today.
Right.
I'm telling you, Darvish, from what he hears from the state, he's to do what I say.
He's my ambassador, not the state's.
Absolutely.
He's a member of the cabinet.
He's to do it and not come up just delay.
That's right.
Right.
Okay.
Roger.
NARA Description
On September 28, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:20 pm to 8:26 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 010-026 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 10-26
Date: September 28, 1971
Time: 8:20 pm - 8:26 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
Request for a call to Charles W. Colson
Henry A. Kissinger
The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.
President's schedule
-Dinner with National League of Families
-Reception
-Robert J. Dole
-Prisoners of War [POW]
Vietnam
-President's Program
-Options
-Blockade
-POWs
-Negotiations
- Hard line
-Support
-Troop levels
-Kissinger's schedule
-James D. Hughes
Activities
-Edward M. Kennedy
-POWs
-Charles W. Colson
-Barry M. Goldwater
President's schedule
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 10s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
**********************************************************************
Kissinger's schedule
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Meeting with the President
-William P. Rogers
-Andrei A. Gromyko
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
Chinese
-Announcement, September 29, 1971
-Soviets
Kissinger's schedule
-George H. W. Bush
-State DepartmentAlso recorded on September 29, 1971
- 010-024 8:15 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 8:15 pm to 8:16 pm.
- 010-025 8:15 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:15 pm and 8:20 pm.
- 010-027 8:27 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 8:27 pm to 8:37 pm.
- 580-001 9:55 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:55 am and 10:03 am.
- 580-002 10:03 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:03 am to 10:05 am.
- 580-003 10:13 AM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:13 am to 10:21 am.
- 580-004 10:21 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:21 am to 10:33 am.
- 580-005 10:33 AM · 43 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Pierre-Paul Schweitzer, John B. Connally, Arthur F. Burns, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:33 am to 11:15 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 010-026, September 29, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/010-026 (accessed October 2, 2026).