Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 21 › Conversation 021-058

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Soviet Union summit

Monday, March 13, 1972 · 6:12 PM–6:17 PM ET · White House Telephone

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation021-058 on Tape 21 (tape position 02:08:53–02:13:30)StartMonday, March 13, 1972 at 6:12 PMEndMonday, March 13, 1972 at 6:17 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 021-058 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discussed the logistical planning for the upcoming presidential summit in the Soviet Union, specifically focusing on the composition of the official delegation and the inclusion of First Lady Pat Nixon. The pair also evaluated potential ambassadorial candidates for Cambodia, weighing the strategic benefits of a military versus a diplomatic background for the post. Nixon emphasized the importance of military experience in the context of ongoing pacification efforts and U.S. assistance programs in the region.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 111.8 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 71.1 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 02:08:53 into the tape and ends around 02:13:30.

Transcript (AI-generated)

No transcript is available yet for this conversation. The recording may contain no audible speech, or it may not have been processed.

NARA Description

On March 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 6:12 pm to 6:17 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 021-058 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 21-58

Date: March 13, 1972

Time: 6:12 pm - 6:17 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

[See Conversation No. 323-10]

     Drafts of busing speech

     Kissinger’s previous meeting with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
          -Announcement of the President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
                -Timing
                -Delegation
                      -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                           -Women
                                 -The President’s view
                      -Previous announcement for the President’s trip to the People’s Republic
                          of China [PRC]
                           -Mrs. Nixon
                           -William P. Rogers
                      -Ronald L. Ziegler

     Cambodia
         -Richard M. Helms
         -Fred Ladd
         -[Emory C. Swank]
              -The President’s view
         -Possible appointee for ambassadorship
              -Charles S. Whitehouse
              -William M. Colmer
                    -Pacification
                          -Lyndon B. Johnson
                                -Vietnam
                    -Kissinger’s view
              -Whitehouse
              -Adm. Horacio Rivero, Jr.
                    -The President’s view
                          -Military experience
                    -Whitehouse
                    -Navy
                    -Pakistan
                          -Military aid

                           -India
                      -US military assistance to Cambodia
                           -The President’s view
                                 Compared to State Department appointee
                                       -Military Assistance Group [MAG]
                                       -Kissinger’s view

     Kissinger’s schedule
          -Forthcoming meeting with Thomas E. (“Doc”) Morgan
                -Timing

Also recorded on March 13, 1972

  • 684-002 6:03 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:03 pm and 6:05 pm.
  • 684-003 6:03 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:03 pm and 6:05 pm.
  • 323-008 6:05 PM · 43 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 6:05 pm and 6:07 pm.
  • 021-057 6:07 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 6:07 pm to 6:08 pm.
  • 323-009 6:07 PM · 59 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:07 pm to 6:08 pm.
  • 323-010 6:12 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:12 pm to 6:17 pm.
  • 021-059 6:17 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:17 pm and 6:22 pm.
  • 323-011 6:17 PM · 11 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 6:17 pm and 6:22 pm.

All 72 conversations from March 13, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 021-058, March 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/021-058 (accessed October 3, 2026).