Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 22 › Conversation 022-048

Nixon phone call with Stennis on U.S.-Soviet summit and National security

Thursday, March 30, 1972 · 10:10 AM–10:12 AM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Stennis, John C.Conversation022-048 on Tape 22 (tape position 02:04:38–02:06:55)StartThursday, March 30, 1972 at 10:10 AMEndThursday, March 30, 1972 at 10:12 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 022-048 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Senator John C. Stennis discuss the need for a confidential briefing regarding the upcoming U.S.-Soviet summit. Nixon directs Henry Kissinger to contact Stennis to explain sensitive strategic information necessary for managing Senate reactions before the summit. Additionally, the two men agree to arrange a future private, off-the-record meeting to discuss broader, undisclosed policy concerns away from the cabinet and aides.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Senator Stennis, sir.
Good morning.
Good morning, John.
How are you?
How are you?
Good to talk to you.
Wonderful evening, yes, sir.
Well, listen, that was fun to have you there, and I just wish we could have heard you talk tomorrow, you know.
Henry and I sort of, and Ms. Nixon and John Connolly sort of took it over, but...
But we'll listen to you when you're on the floor.
I know, I know.
Sorry Mrs. Stennis wasn't there.
Well, thank you.
She's one of my favorites.
I have one thing I'd like with Joe Ossoff there and others.
I didn't want to say...
in their hearing.
It's quite confidential.
It has to do with the Russian summit.
And I would like, Henry, if it's all right with you, he'll give you a call sometime.
If you could give him just a few minutes and he'll tell you it's...
What happens in the Senate after the summit, that's okay.
But before the summit, there is a great necessity for a reason that he will tell you for us to play a very strong game.
And I think you ought to know it.
And then you're welcome to have the information.
And then you can use it your own way.
But it's like there's some things that we just can't tell everybody.
Oh, yeah.
And so he'll come down and he'll call you, John, and if you can, will you be here all day or are you going out?
Well, I'm planning to leave on 5 o'clock.
Oh, no, no, he'll call you this morning around 11 o'clock.
Okay, bye.
That'll be fine, and I welcome it.
I need to know these things.
Right, well, he'll just tell you, and we will appreciate your help on that.
on that line i'll uh i'd like to talk to you later frankly i think you and i could just talk the two of us or maybe with right with uh sure with kissing just two you know well i just i just soon would you you don't but you would prefer not to today well just uh yeah kind of yeah i want to i want to get braced on in several things that i want to bring up with you right now fine well this and incidentally let's why don't we just why don't we just make it today why don't we just make the two of us uh utah uh set it up
when you want at a later time and not have any cabinet office or anything, because I understand there are some things that we don't want to get around.
I'll be glad to do that whenever you're ready.
But I'll talk to Henry today.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Henry will come.
This is another matter.
Another matter.
Fine.
Good.
Thank you a lot.

NARA Description

On March 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John C. Stennis talked on the telephone from 10:10 am to 10:12 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 022-048 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 22-48

Date: March 30, 1972
Time: 10:10 am - 10:12 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with John C. Stennis.

[See Conversation No. 697-2B]

     Previous dinner with the First Family
          -Henry A. Kissinger
          -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
          -John B. Connally
          -Coy (Hines) Stennis
          -Joseph W. Alsop and others

     Forthcoming US-Soviet summit
          -Kissinger’s forthcoming call to Stennis
                -Senate action
                     -Information for Stennis
                -Stennis’s schedule
                     -Timing of call
          -Stennis’s help

     Stennis’s proposed meeting with the President
          -Kissinger
          -Topics
          -Arrangements
          -Confidentiality

     Kissinger’s call to Stennis

Also recorded on March 30, 1972

  • 697-001 9:32 AM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:32 am and 9:38 am.
  • 022-047 9:38 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:38 am and 10:10 am.
  • 697-002 9:38 AM · 1 hr 35 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, White House operator, and John C. Stennis met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:38 am to 11:10 am.
  • 697-003 11:10 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:10 am and 11:12 am.
  • 697-004 11:12 AM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:12 am to 11:28 am.
  • 022-049 11:28 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:28 am.
  • 022-050 11:28 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:39 am.
  • 697-005 11:28 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:30 am.

All 48 conversations from March 30, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 022-048, March 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/022-048 (accessed October 1, 2026).