Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 19 › Conversation 019-053
Nixon phone call with Mitchell on Vietnam War negotiations
Monday, January 24, 1972 · 4:27 PM–4:55 PM ET · White House Telephone · 21 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and John Mitchell discuss political strategies for the 1972 campaign, focusing on the administration’s forthcoming Vietnam speech and the public disclosure of secret peace negotiation offers. They review efforts to secure support from key political figures, including Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo and Illinois Governor Richard Ogilvie, through federal funding and policy coordination. The conversation also touches upon military strategy in South Vietnam and the administration's intent to pressure domestic opponents by highlighting the generous terms offered to North Vietnam regarding prisoner releases and troop withdrawal.
- Vietnam War negotiations
- 1972 Presidential campaign
- Revenue sharing
- Frank Rizzo
- Richard Ogilvie
- Federal grants
- POW/MIA issues
Audio
NARA Description
On January 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 4:27 pm to 4:55 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 019-053 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 19-53
Date: January 24, 1972
Time: 4:27 pm - 4:55 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with John N. Mitchell.
[See Conversation No. 317-17]
The President’s schedule
-Recent trip to Walker's Cay
The President's forthcoming speech on Vietnam
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Possible reaction
-Negotiations
-Proposals
-Withdrawal
-Duration
-Ceasefire and prisoners of war [POWs]
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 2m 40s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
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-[John Sherman Cooper]
-Campaign efforts
-Appointment for staff member
Frank L. Rizzo
-Conversation with the President
-Government funding
-Conversation with Walter H. Annenberg
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]Show the rest of the log (76 more lines)
[Duration: 36s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
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Rizzo [?]
-John D. Ehrlichman's possible actions
-Federal funds, agencies
-Law Enforcement Assistance Administration [LEAA], Department of
Transportation
-Possible calls from Mitchell
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 5m 2s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
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-Richard B. Ogilvie
-Revenue sharing
-Taft-Hartley Act
-Dock strike
-Farmers
-Rural Electrification Administration [REA] funds
-Prospects
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 12m 55s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
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The President's forthcoming speech on Vietnam
-Kissinger's forthcoming press briefing
-Response to opponents of the President's policies
-Secret negotiations
-Congressional deadline
-Administration offer
-Ceasefire and POWs
Vietnam
-Negotiations
-October 1971
1972 campaign
-Issues
-Rockefeller and Ogilvie
-Revenue sharing
-Democrats
Vietnam
-South Vietnam’s survival
-Prospects
-Armed Forces
-US air support
-Compared to North Vietnam
-Communication lines
-Air power
-Press treatment
-North Vietnam
-Prospects for military progress
-Rainy season
-Military press briefings in Saigon
-Mitchell's conversation with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-The President's forthcoming meeting with Melvin R. Laird and Admiral
Thomas H. MoorerTranscript (AI-generated)
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Hello.
The Attorney General.
Mr. President.
Hi, John, how are you?
I'm fine.
I trust you had a good weekend.
Yeah, we did.
I spent about a couple of days, at least two nights, over at Walker's, so that was pleasant.
Weather good, I hope.
The weather was fine.
Not the best, but good enough.
Good.
And the main thing was that we got ready for the next week.
We're going to go tomorrow night on our little deal that you know about.
Yes, I think that's great.
And...
I just finished the final draft just this minute, so we'll get it on the way.
We've got two aboard and everything else.
It'll raise some hell.
I think it's going to throw some red faces.
Do you think so?
I would think so.
Well, it's a very well-done draft, I really believe.
It's rather matter-of-fact, but...
Good God, you know, John, we've offered everything you can imagine.
I mean, a six-month withdrawal in exchange for ceasefire and POWs.
What the hell more do you want?
Well, this is why they're going to have red faces, because they've been making all those noises.
But, in fact, these things haven't been done.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
— 2 min 40 s with no transcribed speech —
He said he would campaign and put all his resources.
That'll be helpful.
It will.
Yes, sir.
As long as we get that appointment that he wants, and I think for one of his staff people, and I think we can do it.
Oh, sure.
I had a very good talk with Rizzo today.
Oh, did you?
Was he in?
He was in to talk about getting money from the government.
And, of course, which we do.
But I'll tell you, he's really all aboard, all the way.
Did Waller stop and see him on his way back?
Yes, sir.
He'd had two hours with him.
Good.
The second thing, I've told Ehrlichman to follow through on the money front.
In other words, LEAA, transportation, any other money we can, we're going to try to help him.
And third, just keep an awful close touch with him.
Well, I've got a good rapport with him.
I think I ought to call him from time to time.
Absolutely.
I'd give him, I think, a little tenor-loving care with him and go a long way.
And I think you could just, maybe about every three weeks or so, you could sort of pick up the phone.
— 5 min 3 s with no transcribed speech —
And if Ogilvy can just keep being a good man and if we can get him revenue sharing, that'll help him some.
Yes, he's got two big pluses out there.
Of course, Taft Hartley and the
a dock business you know for his farmers yeah put him up on top and then uh we got some money out of the agriculture and this rea thing which he took a hell of a lot of credit for which put him up in that area so he's mending his fences and i think doing considerably better and this is what i hear from some of the other politicians out there and talk to
Also recorded on January 24, 1972
- 019-050 4:05 PM · 8 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:05 pm and 4:20 pm.
- 019-051 4:05 PM · 2 min — Henry A. Kissinger, William L. Safire, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:05 pm and 4:20 pm.
- 019-052 4:20 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:20 pm and 4:27 pm.
- 317-016 4:20 PM · 9 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 4:20 pm and 4:27 pm.
- 317-017 4:27 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:27 pm to 4:55 pm.
- 317-018 4:55 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 4:55 pm.
- 654-001 4:55 PM · 1 hr 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, William S. White, unknown person(s), Peter M. Flanigan, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:55 pm and 6:09 pm.
- 019-054 4:59 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William S. White talked on the telephone from 4:59 pm to 5:02 pm.
Related conversations
- Nixon, Ehrlichman & Bull on H.R. 1 and Tax Bill November 17, 1971 · 9 min
- Nixon, Annenberg & Mitchell on 1972 Presidential Election and Diplomacy May 9, 1972 · 47 min
- Nixon phone call with Rockefeller on 1972 Presidential Election November 8, 1972 · 4 min
- Nixon, Haldeman & Sanchez on George McGovern and Vietnam War negotiations October 4, 1972 · 14 min
- Nixon phone call with Haldeman on 1972 Presidential Election October 14, 1972 · 19 min
- Nixon, Mitchell & Kissinger on 1972 Presidential Campaign November 16, 1971 · 1 hr 26 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 019-053, January 24, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417192425). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-053 (accessed November 2, 2026).