{"conversationCode":"011-066","tapeNumber":11,"conversationNumber":66,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-011-066","startDateTime":"1971-10-12T17:59:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-10-13T01:07:00.000Z","startDate":"12-Oct-1971","startTime":"1:59 PM","endDate":"12-Oct-1971","endTime":"9:07 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Kissinger, Henry A.; Richardson, Elliot L.;","description":"On October 12, 1971, Henry A. Kissinger and Elliot L. Richardson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:59 pm and 9:07 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 011-066 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":2,"chronRelease":"Second Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"26-Oct-2000","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 011-066\n\n Date: October 12, 1971\n Time: Unknown between 1:59 pm and 9:07 pm\n Location: White House Telephone\n\n Henry A. Kissinger talked with Elliot L. Richardson.\n\n [See Conversation No. 589-2B]\n\nRichard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n        Nguyen Van Thieu's inauguration\n            -Richardson's schedule\n                 -Melvin R. Laird\n                 -Timing","filename":["011-066.mp3"],"tapeStart":"01:37:31","tapeEnd":"01:39:25","participantsList":["Kissinger, Henry A.","Richardson, Elliot L."],"prevCode":"011-065","nextCode":"011-067","transcript":[{"start":0.28,"end":2.47,"text":"Hello?"},{"start":2.49,"end":4.67,"text":"Yes, I have, Secretary Richardson."},{"start":4.83,"end":5.89,"text":"Hello?"},{"start":5.91,"end":6.53,"text":"Hello, Henry."},{"start":6.67,"end":28.26,"text":"Elliot, the President and I were talking about this due inauguration, and he was wondering whether you could agree to go as his representative to it as a former Undersecretary of State, and at the same time, it doesn't give it quite the bellicose tone that Laird would give it."},{"start":28.28,"end":30.22,"text":"Go over there and discuss."},{"start":31.35,"end":35.58,"text":"how to bolster their health and education systems."},{"start":35.62,"end":37.9,"text":"It's a new term in the new era of peace."},{"start":38.38,"end":42.34,"text":"Well, you'd go primarily as the..."},{"start":42.36,"end":43.36,"text":"I'd like to, Henry."},{"start":46.11,"end":49.85,"text":"The only problems I foresee are congressional."},{"start":51.63,"end":52.61,"text":"How long would it be?"},{"start":53.33,"end":61.12,"text":"Oh, the inauguration is October 31st, and of course you'd have to be there, you'd want to be there the day before"},{"start":61.81,"end":63.61,"text":"But I think two days in the country."},{"start":65.38,"end":68.7,"text":"May I case the situation and call you back for a while?"},{"start":68.9,"end":69.22,"text":"Yes."},{"start":69.28,"end":71,"text":"If he wants me to go, I'll go anyway."},{"start":71.02,"end":72.64,"text":"Well, I know he wants you to go."},{"start":72.75,"end":73.95,"text":"I know he wants you to go."},{"start":73.99,"end":80.7,"text":"And really, because we are not just looking for anybody."},{"start":81.64,"end":85.42,"text":"We want somebody who has a clear expertise in foreign policy."},{"start":86.43,"end":95.94,"text":"and who is at the same time identified with foreign affairs and has a humane field of interest."},{"start":96.46,"end":104.48,"text":"Well, of course, when you narrow the specifications down that precisely, I'm obviously the only possible person."},{"start":104.5,"end":104.98,"text":"Okay, Henry."},{"start":105,"end":105.88,"text":"Okay."},{"start":105.9,"end":106.52,"text":"Be glad to."},{"start":106.54,"end":108.09,"text":"As a matter of fact, it should be damn interesting."},{"start":108.29,"end":108.57,"text":"Good."},{"start":109.31,"end":110.49,"text":"Thanks."},{"start":110.51,"end":110.79,"text":"Bye."},{"start":111.72,"end":111.8,"text":"Bye."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"Henry Kissinger contacts Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Elliot Richardson to request that he attend the upcoming inauguration of South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu as the President's personal representative. Kissinger argues that Richardson’s presence would signal a focus on peaceful development and humanitarian aid, intentionally opting for a less hawkish diplomatic profile than Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird. Richardson expresses willingness to accept the assignment, pending a brief review of his schedule and congressional commitments.","topics":["Nguyen Van Thieu","South Vietnam","Diplomacy","Elliot Richardson","Henry Kissinger","Inauguration"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-05T23:21:21.061Z"},"topicSlugs":["nguyen-van-thieu","south-vietnam","diplomacy","elliot-richardson","henry-kissinger","inauguration"],"audioDurationSec":112,"audioFiles":[{"file":"011-066.mp3","bytes":3579981,"durationSec":111.75,"bitrate":256280,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:22.040Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:35.688Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/011-066.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/011-066","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/11/conversation-011-066","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}