Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 21 › Conversation 021-024

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Shanghai Communiqué and Taiwan

Wednesday, March 8, 1972 · 4:56 PM–5:01 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation021-024 on Tape 21 (tape position 01:03:44–01:09:05)StartWednesday, March 8, 1972 at 4:56 PMEndWednesday, March 8, 1972 at 5:01 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 021-024 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger coordinate strategy for an upcoming press conference, focusing specifically on how to address potential questions regarding the Shanghai Communiqué and Taiwan. They agree to emphasize that the phrase regarding the 'prospect of a peaceful settlement' was carefully chosen, while dismissing concerns raised by Pat Buchanan about force withdrawals and their implications for Indochina and POW policies. Additionally, Nixon approves Kissinger’s plan to propose General Alexander Haig for the position of Vice Chief of Staff of the Army during an upcoming meeting with Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yeah.
Dr. Kissinger.
Yeah.
You are.
Hello, Mr. President.
I suppose you're with your friend right now, huh?
Yes.
Well, let me answer this question.
I was wondering about the, you know, remember the question about was there a renunciation of force?
Yeah.
If I could, might even put it this way, say I do not expect the use of force on either side of the Taiwan Straits.
How would that sound to you?
say i do not anticipate it i do not have no formal commitment well no i want i don't want to say anything i just i just wouldn't even answer the commitment story they say i don't anticipate there will be a use of force yeah although that sort of sounds as if they were yeah well the better thing then is to just say uh well i don't want to i just uh that question might come i can see and i i think uh you might say that uh look we've we've stated our position clearly on that
I mean, about the Taiwan, the communication.
Well, you can certainly say that the phrase, the prospect of a peaceful solution was carefully chosen.
And that we can say.
The prospect of a peaceful solution was carefully chosen.
That's right.
And then I won't go beyond that.
I don't want to go beyond that.
Good.
Fine.
Now, let's see.
One other point briefly.
How is it here?
It doesn't involve your friends, so it's okay.
Okay, I'll...
I've gotten rid of the Japanese, asked them to wait outside.
Yeah.
Oh, that didn't make any difference.
I lost the damn page anyway.
I think that's a very clever way to handle it, just say the prospect...
with the prospect of a peaceful settlement in mind.
Is that it?
Yeah, that phrase was carefully...
It was carefully chosen, and I won't go beyond that.
Right.
Mr. President, I forgot to ask you, I'm having breakfast with Laird tomorrow, and I wanted to raise the question with him of Hague for the Vice Chief's staff, and I just wanted to make sure that it had your approval.
Sure, it has my approval.
I don't want to lose him, but it has my approval.
No, we have to do it.
I mean, he has to leave here anyway.
Fine.
Okay.
To say that it's not only has my approval, but that's my order.
Okay.
I'm not going to screw around with anything like that.
Right.
I think it's essential for the Army, Mr. President.
Well, he'll do a hell of a job, and he has my confidence.
That's right.
And... Be a great service to the country.
Yeah, I'll find this other thing in just a second.
Oh, this...
I noticed one thing you did not include in the pages, you know, that they had given.
And I noticed one thing you did not include, maybe for a reason, that they had in his draft.
What the hell is that?
Here it is.
No.
Just one second.
I'll be at the end of this section here.
that the Shanghai communique reflects that is about that it's that that sort of that technical thing that Rogers had raised that the idea we would withdraw military forces from the region does that include Taiwan the absence and they mentioned this is envisioning a new policy that's a Buchanan thing nobody has raised that issue not even Rogers raised that one
Well, no, but I meant that's along the lines of what he'd raised.
Remember, he used to do that withdrawal stuff.
But I don't think, I have never heard that raised.
Have you?
No.
The only person who's ever raised this is Buchanan, therefore I dropped the question.
Oh, I see.
But if it should be raised, say the context makes it perfectly clear that we're talking about Indochina because the sentence before and after talks about Indochina.
And that we notice Hanoi sees it the same.
More about Thailand.
But then with regard to the withdrawal of forces, it doesn't change our policy with regard to POWs.
I mean, he's reaching there, too, because total nonsense.
We are affirming our eight points.
Yeah.
We are saying the eight points are to be the basis for a settlement, and they have the POWs.
That's right.
That's right.
That's right.
I mean, it's really a trezoridical, ridiculous point.
That's why I dropped the question.
Somebody must have raised it.
He raised it with me on the plane back, and he hasn't dropped it, and no one else has ever raised it.
I see.
Okay.
All right, Henry, thank you.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On March 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 4:56 pm to 5:01 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 021-024 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 21-24

Date: March 8, 1972
Time: 4:56 pm - 5:01 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Henry A. Kissinger talked with the President.

[See Conversation No. 321-29]

     Kissinger’s schedule

     The President’s forthcoming press conference
          -Questions from the press
               -Taiwan, Republic of China
                      -Renunciation of force
                           -Phrasings

     Kissinger’s Schedule
          -Japanese officials
          -Forthcoming meeting with Melvin R. Laird
                -Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
                     -Possible appointment
                           -Office of the Vice of Staff, US Army
                                 -The President’s view
                                 -Kissinger’ view

     The President’s forthcoming press conference
          -Shanghai communiqué
               -William P. Rogers
               -Withdrawal of forces from region
                      -Taiwan
                           -Patrick J. Buchanan
                                 -Kissinger’s view
                                       -Rogers
                                       -Indochina
                                             -Hanoi
                                                  -Thailand
                                       -Prisoners of war [POWs]

Also recorded on March 8, 1972

  • 321-025 4:35 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:35 pm and 4:40 pm.
  • 321-026 4:35 PM · 5 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 4:35 pm and 4:40 pm.
  • 021-023 4:40 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 4:40 pm to 4:43 pm.
  • 321-027 4:40 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:40 pm to 4:43 pm.
  • 321-028 4:43 PM · 10 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 4:43 pm and 4:56 pm.
  • 321-029 4:56 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:56 pm to 5:01 pm.
  • 321-030 5:01 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:01 pm and 5:03 pm.
  • 321-031 5:03 PM · 40 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:03 pm to 5:50 pm.

All 36 conversations from March 8, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 021-024, March 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/021-024 (accessed October 2, 2026).