Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 13 › Conversation 013-023

Nixon phone call with Scott on Vietnam War and Senate

Friday, October 29, 1971 · 8:26 AM–8:30 AM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Scott, HughConversation013-023 on Tape 13 (tape position 00:52:19–00:55:03)StartFriday, October 29, 1971 at 8:26 AMEndFriday, October 29, 1971 at 8:30 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 013-023 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417190261 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Senator Hugh Scott discuss the political victory of defeating restrictive Senate amendments regarding Vietnam, which the President argued would have hindered ongoing negotiations and POW returns. They express frustration over the motives of congressional opponents, characterizing them as driven by a desire for political credit rather than strategy. Additionally, the pair discusses the recent UN vote on Taiwan, criticizing the perceived humiliation of the United States by smaller nations and noting the potential for further geopolitical instability regarding Israel, Portugal, and Greece.

Audio

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NARA Description

On October 29, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Hugh Scott talked on the telephone from 8:26 am to 8:30 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 013-023 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 013-023

Date: October 29, 1971
Time: 8:26 am - 8:30 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Hugh Scott.

[See Conversation No. 607-2]

     President's schedule
           -Josip Broz Tito

     Senate vote
          -Importance
                -Vietnam negotiations
                     -Prisoners of war [POWs]

     Vietnam
          -Casualties
          -Attitudes of Senators

     United Nations [UN] vote on Taiwan
          -Scott's statement
          -George H.W. Bush's conversation with the President
          -Arab leader's statement
                -Israel
          -South Africa, Portugal, Greece

     Senate vote
          -William E. Brock, III's amendment
          -President's schedule

Transcript (AI-generated)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Senator Scott, Mr. President.
Hello, Mr. President.
I was tied up with Tito last night, so I didn't get to call you, but that was just a great victory in the Senate.
And as you know, and as you said so well, it was essential because...
to have such a unbelievably irresponsible restriction built in would just mean you'd call home.
I mean, any negotiation leaves you no options in negotiating for the prison return, for example.
And, you know, it's an unbelievably bad thing.
I can't understand some of my colleagues sometimes.
I know.
Well, another thing here is what in the hell do they think we're doing?
Look at the casualties this week or seven or last week or five.
You know what I mean?
The wars, they know we're getting out.
What do they want?
What are they trying to do?
I can't believe it's much more than a desire to just get the credit.
Yeah, in other words, the people that got us in want to get the credit for getting us out.
Is that it?
That's what I believe.
There's no other explanation for the illogicality of this stuff.
Yeah, that's right.
I was not sure we'd win.
That's why I didn't want to tell your people that I was sure of it.
But thank goodness it did work.
Well, I'll tell you, I think it is just great.
And we certainly appreciate it.
What you've done.
Okay.
And I thought what you said about the U.N. was good.
That description of the hot pants.
Hot pants principalities.
You know, really, George Bush was telling me how they came and danced the jig in front of his desk.
Well, now, God damn it.
You know, we can accept loss.
I mean, after all, in a democratic system we believe in, we win some, we lose some.
But these little countries that we've done so much for don't have to come in and insult and humiliate the United States.
And that hurt the UN badly.
Well, I've been rubbing salt in it by pointing out that this Arab leader had mentioned that Israel is next.
I thought that'd take care of that New York liberal sentiment for the UN.
Very good.
Israel, the Arabs will go after it.
Incidentally, you were not far wrong to go after Israel.
Of course, South Africa, it's a cinch to go out now, I think.
Portugal, maybe, which would crack NATO.
Then they'll go after Greece.
Well, anyway, good luck.
Thank you.
Tell the other fellows that worked on it I called, will you, Hugh?
Because I'm tied up with some more of Tito's stuff today.
I will.
Bill Brock did a good job on his amendment, too, and I'll tell him.
Great.
Thank you.
You tell him.
Bye.

Also recorded on October 29, 1971

  • 607-001 8:24 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:24 am to 8:25 am.
  • 607-002 8:26 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Hugh Scott met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:26 am to 9:30 am.
  • 607-003 8:30 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 am and 8:40 am.
  • 607-004 8:40 AM · 1 hr 57 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, Stephen B. Bull, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:40 am to 10:35 am.
  • 013-024 10:04 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:04 am and 10:36 am.
  • 607-005 10:35 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 10:35 am.
  • 607-006 10:35 AM · 35 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:35 am and 10:36 am.
  • 013-025 10:36 AM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 10:36 am to 10:45 am.

All 64 conversations from October 29, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 013-023, October 29, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417190261). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/013-023 (accessed November 15, 2026).