Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 16 › Conversation 016-040

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on India-Pakistan War and United Nations

Tuesday, December 7, 1971 · 11:52 PM–11:54 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation016-040 on Tape 16 (tape position 01:21:56–01:25:01)StartTuesday, December 7, 1971 at 11:52 PMEndTuesday, December 7, 1971 at 11:54 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 016-040 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the positive impact of Nixon’s recent conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, which resulted in Canada voting with the United States at the United Nations regarding the India-Pakistan War. The two strategize on building further momentum through Senate resolutions demanding an Indian withdrawal from Pakistan while criticizing Soviet involvement. Additionally, they briefly touch upon the effectiveness of a recent background press briefing and plan to arrange a meeting between the President and Nelson Rockefeller.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 23% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Mr. President, Dr. Kissinger calling.
Go ahead, please.
President, I had talked to George Bush.
Canada voted with us.
I'll be damned.
Good.
They had originally said they were going to abstain, but they voted with us.
You know, I think that little talk with Trudeau helped, don't you?
It did.
It did them good.
Remember, we had a good, frank talk about it.
Absolutely.
And I think they just may have decided this was the right thing.
I think this is a hell of a significant vote, then.
I want to talk to you about it in the morning.
I think this lineup is... Well, Bhutan isn't a country, for Christ's sake.
It's the only non-communist country that voted with us.
There is no vote for Russia...
What do Romania do?
Oh, for Christ's sake.
Romania's, oh, they're thumbing your nose to Russia.
And also, maybe voting with us, too.
There could be a little of that.
Well, they don't want to establish the principle that you can invade a country and then not be asked for the choice.
How does George feel?
I think the thing we'll do, we'll work up a little strategy tomorrow.
And let's follow up, get some senators to say some things now.
India should withdraw.
get a resolution and you should withdraw.
Yeah, the Russian conduct is now clear that they're trying to do in Pakistan, right?
Well, Ziegler, as I said, was delighted with the background.
Are you kidding me right now?
Well, Bush said that he saw the background and didn't know who it was from in the New York Times.
And he thought it really put the Indians on the spot.
It puts us, of course, right, anti-the Indians, and we'll catch all four, but that's all right.
Well, no one likes the Indians.
Connolly thinks it's a great, it's politically advantageous.
It's a deli.
One thing I was going to ask you, I hope you got a chance to say hello to Nelson tonight.
Oh, yeah.
Good, because I could only see him in the line, and I got swamped afterwards.
No, I'm going to have to tell you.
Oh, wow.
Well, if he's here and I'm around, bring him by, will you?
Right.
Say hello to him.
Okay, Henry.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.

NARA Description

On December 7, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 11:52 pm to 11:54 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 016-040 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 16-40

Date: December 7, 1971
Time: 11:52 pm - 11:54 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

Henry A. Kissinger talked with the President.

     India-Pakistan War
           -United Nations [UN] General Assembly session
                -Kissinger’s talk with George H.W. Bush
                      -Vote
                           -Canada
                -President’s talk with Pierre E. Trudeau, December 6, 1971
                -Vote
                      -Significance
                      -Nepal
                           -India
                      -Bhutan
                      -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
                           -Byelorussia
                           -Ukraine
                      -Mongolia
                      -Bulgaria

                     -Hungary
                     -Czechoslovakia
                     -Romania
               -Bush
                     -Press conference
          -Possible administration strategy
               -India
                     -Withdrawal resolution
                           -Senators
                           -UN Security Council vote
                           -UN General Assembly vote
               -USSR
                     -Pakistan
               -Kissinger’s backgrounder
                     -Ronald L. Ziegler
                           -Briefing of President
                     -Bush
                           -New York Times article
                                 -India
                                       -US policy
                                            -John B. Connally’s view

     Nelson A. Rockefeller
          -White House dinner, December 7, 1971
               -Forthcoming meeting with Kissinger
                     -Possible greeting from the President

Also recorded on December 8, 1971

  • 631-012 7:04 PM · 19 sec — Stephen B. Bull and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:04 pm and 7:07 pm.
  • 016-037 11:31 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone from 11:31 pm to 11:41 pm.
  • 016-038 11:41 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:41 pm and 11:45 pm.
  • 016-039 11:45 PM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 11:45 pm to 11:46 pm.
  • 632-012 12:30 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:30 am and 12:34 pm.
  • 632-013 12:34 AM · 34 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:34 am and 11:59 pm.
  • 632-001 9:19 AM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:19 am to 9:20 am.
  • 632-002 9:25 AM · 53 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:25 am to 10:18 am.

All 76 conversations from December 8, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 016-040, December 8, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/016-040 (accessed October 12, 2026).