Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 19 › Conversation 019-043
Nixon phone call with Safire on Vietnam War and Speechwriting
Monday, January 24, 1972 · 3:08 PM–3:09 PM ET · White House Telephone · 37 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon and speechwriter William Safire coordinated the final revisions for an upcoming address regarding Vietnam policy. Nixon directed Safire to hold off on sharing the draft with Secretary of State William P. Rogers while he personally reviewed recent additions proposed by Henry Kissinger. The President committed to providing further instructions and finalized feedback on the speech text later that afternoon.
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On January 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire talked on the telephone from 3:08 pm to 3:09 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 019-043 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 19-43
Date: January 24, 1972
Time: 3:08 pm - 3:09 pm
Location: White House Telephone
William L. Safire talked with the President.
[See Conversation No. 317-8]
The President's forthcoming Vietnam speech
-William P. Rogers
-Henry A. Kissinger
-The President's scheduleAlso recorded on January 24, 1972
- 317-007 3:00 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:00 pm and 3:08 pm.
- 317-008 3:08 PM · 32 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:08 pm to 3:09 pm.
- 317-009 3:09 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:09 pm and 3:15 pm.
- 317-010 3:15 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:15 pm to 3:17 pm.
- 019-044 3:17 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:17 pm and 3:23 pm.
- 317-011 3:17 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:17 pm and 3:23 pm.
- 019-045 3:23 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 3:23 pm to 3:29 pm.
- 317-012 3:23 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:23 pm to 3:29 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 019-043, January 24, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-043 (accessed September 26, 2026).