Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 19 › Conversation 019-061

Nixon, Haig & Woods on Vietnam War and Henry Kissinger

Tuesday, January 25, 1972 · 6:31 PM–6:34 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsWhite House operator; Woods, Rose Mary; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation019-061 on Tape 19StartTuesday, January 25, 1972 at 6:31 PMEndTuesday, January 25, 1972 at 6:34 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 019-061 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. discuss the drafting of an upcoming speech regarding the Vietnam War, focusing specifically on how to phrase the administration's willingness to implement military concessions, such as troop withdrawals and POW exchanges. Nixon expresses concern regarding the ambiguity of the current draft and its impact on his credibility, while Haig defends the vague language as a tactical choice that Henry Kissinger intends to clarify through press briefings. The two also review the positive reception of Kissinger's recent internal briefings, noting a shift toward a more optimistic tone to ensure the speech conveys a clear, forward-looking policy proposal.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Hello?
General Haig calling the President.
Fine.
Would you put him right here?
All right.
Yes, sir.
With regard to this thing he wants to put in here, let me see if I understand exactly what he means.
When he says we would be willing to begin implementing certain military aspects while negotiations continue on the implementation of other issues, just as we suggest in our private proposal in October,
what he means there does he not is that we would be willing to begin implementing certain military aspects such as the withdrawal of our forces and the exchange of and the release of prisoners of war isn't that that that's correct sir and why doesn't why doesn't he put that in then is there any reason for not saying that willing to begin if is there art for that we would be willing to begin implementing certain military aspects such as the withdrawal of our forces
and the return of prisoners of war upon negotiations continuing the implementation of other issues such as we proposed in our private proposal in October, is that?
Yes, sir, that's all right.
The only difficulty with it would be a possibility of Q, but when we briefed this this afternoon, they went right to that issue.
And we were fearful that the North Vietnamese would say, well, you've made this proposal, now you're not highlighting it in the President's speech.
So that's why Henry put that vague reference in of phasing.
And then he was going to hit that specifically in the background.
Now, if you do it this way, it... Yeah, all right.
Sharpen it.
Well, now look, the point that I ask is whether or not I can say that we would be willing to begin implementing certain military aspects, such as the withdrawal of...
most of our forces.
Senses such as the withdrawal of forces.
Well, if you prefer to leave it out, we'll just leave it out.
I think it's going to raise some questions.
Because he'll just brief on it.
He'll brief it and hit it in such a way that it can be explained in more detail.
One sentence will not do it very well.
Well, it's the sentences, the way that the paragraphs, it doesn't have much meaning, but that's all right.
No, and it's going to raise questions.
But he'll be prepared to answer them.
Yeah, but he has to raise questions because the North Vietnamese, this is your credibility that we want to be damn sure I don't say that.
Yeah, this agreement could prove it.
We would be willing to begin any certain negotiations.
Is that what you're suggesting?
Yeah.
Well, in other words, he's got it covered here so that we can do it.
He's just covering the point.
That's right, sir.
All right.
Fine.
Fine.
How did his briefing go?
Oh, I think very well.
We just finished with it in a departmental group, and they're just...
damn enthusiastic about it, everybody.
Now, what press briefings has he done so far?
No press yet, but we had all of the White House political staff, and they were all in a devil's advocate position.
And there were some tough questions that were very helpful to Henry because he's re-slanded his briefing to make it much more positive.
He started off talking about the negotiating history, and that wasn't good because it looked like this is a frustration action.
Sure, sure, and who's to blame?
I know that.
So this was helpful, and now we've got a positive thrust, and I think it's going to go very well.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Yeah, he has a tendency to go over that...
I didn't buy them.
That's how we've changed the speech a lot.
You know, that first draft would have been a disaster because it just went on and on and on as to how the hell they could... Why they didn't negotiate.
That's right, sir.
What we want to do is say here's a full... Sure.
God damn it.
Everything.
Okay.
Fine.
Fine, Mr. Pine.

NARA Description

On January 25, 1972, the White House operator, Rose Mary Woods, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 6:31 pm to 6:34 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 019-061 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 19-61

Date: January 25, 1972
Time: 6:31 pm - 6:34 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with Rose Mary Woods.

[See Conversation No. 316-18B]

     Call from Alexander M. Haig, Jr. to the President

Haig talked with the President.

     The President's forthcoming speech on Vietnam
          -Henry A. Kissinger's suggestions
          -Military options
                -Negotiations
                      -October 1971
                -Troop withdrawal
                -Prisoners of war [POWs]
                -Nguyen Van Thieu
                -Recent briefing
                -North Vietnam
          -Phrasing
                -The President’s credibility
          -Kissinger's briefings
                -Interdepartmental group
                -Press
                -White House political staff

               -Tone
               -Negotiating history
          -Kissinger's draft

Also recorded on January 25, 1972

  • 019-059 4:36 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:36 pm and 5:30 pm.
  • 019-060 5:30 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 5:30 pm to 5:32 pm.
  • 316-015 5:30 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:30 pm to 5:32 pm.
  • 316-016 5:32 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:32 pm and 6:32 pm.
  • 316-017 5:32 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:32 pm and 6:32 pm.
  • 316-018 5:32 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Marjorie P. Acker, White House operator, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:32 pm and 6:32 pm.
  • 019-062 6:41 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 6:41 pm to 6:44 pm.
  • 019-063 6:44 PM · 16 sec — unknown person(s) and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:44 pm and 8:55 pm.

All 29 conversations from January 25, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 019-061, January 25, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-061 (accessed September 26, 2026).