Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 19 › Conversation 019-130

Nixon phone call with Kissinger

Wednesday, January 26, 1972 · 8:40 PM–8:41 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation019-130 on Tape 19StartWednesday, January 26, 1972 at 8:40 PMEndWednesday, January 26, 1972 at 8:41 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 019-130 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417192579 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiated this brief telephone call to check on Henry Kissinger's current whereabouts and coordinate his return to the White House. Nixon directed Kissinger to prioritize his immediate obligations before reporting back for a debriefing session. The President jokingly remarked that he intended to admonish Kissinger upon his arrival to discuss ongoing matters.

Audio

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NARA Description

On January 26, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:40 pm to 8:41 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 019-130 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 19-130

Date: January 26, 1972
Time: 8:40 pm - 8:41 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Kissinger's location

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Hello?
Mr. President, they're putting the call through now.
All right.
I'll hang on.
Mr. President?
Yes?
Thank you.

— 1 min 23 s with no transcribed speech —

Hello, Henry.
Where are you?
Hello, where are you?
Well, Henry, just let me say that as soon as you take care of the ladies, if you can work it into your schedule, I want you to get back here to the White House.
I want to give you hell for 30 minutes.
Thank you.

Also recorded on January 26, 1972

  • 019-123 5:14 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Clark MacGregor talked on the telephone from 5:14 pm to 5:15 pm.
  • 657-002 6:17 PM · 1 min — Alexander P. Butterfield and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:17 pm and 11:59 pm.
  • 019-124 7:47 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:47 pm and 7:51 pm.
  • 019-125 7:51 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:51 pm.
  • 019-126 7:51 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:51 pm and 8:00 pm.
  • 019-127 8:00 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone from 8:00 pm to 8:03 pm.
  • 019-128 8:03 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:03 pm and 8:18 pm.
  • 019-129 8:18 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Hobart D. Lewis talked on the telephone from 8:18 pm to 8:22 pm.

All 81 conversations from January 26, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 019-130, January 26, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417192579). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-130 (accessed November 2, 2026).