Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 22 › Conversation 022-062

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Laos and North Vietnamese offensive

Thursday, March 30, 1972 · 8:02 PM–8:07 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation022-062 on Tape 22 (tape position 02:30:41–02:35:07)StartThursday, March 30, 1972 at 8:02 PMEndThursday, March 30, 1972 at 8:07 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 022-062 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417193089 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discussed the military response to a recent North Vietnamese attack on a U.S. gunship over Laos. The two evaluated whether to justify a retaliatory strike against enemy surface-to-air missile sites under the doctrine of protective reaction. Nixon directed Kissinger to maintain pressure on Admiral Thomas Moorer to prepare for a potential strike once weather conditions improved and the nature of the North Vietnamese offensive became clearer.

Audio

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NARA Description

On March 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:02 pm to 8:07 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 022-062 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 22-62

Date: March 30, 1972
Time: 8:02 pm - 8:07 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Laos
            -Washington Star report
                 -Gunship in Laos
                      -Kissinger’s report
                             -Surface-to-Air Missiles [SAMs]
                            -Attack
            -US response
                 -Delay
                 -Possible attack on SAM sites
                 -Previous responses

                       -Air Force planes
                             -Radar
                 -Gunship
                       -Number of crewmen
                 -The President’s view
                      -Protective reaction
                 -Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
                      -Weather
                 -Scope of response
           -North Vietnamese offensive
                 -Kissinger’s view
           -Military
                 -Moorer
                      -Kissinger’s calls to Moorer

     Soviet Union
          -Response

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 44% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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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Hello.
Hello, Henry.
I was looking at the Star tonight, that report with regard to the gunship in Laos, and what is the situation on that?
Yes.
Yeah.
Right.
Right.
What should our reaction to that be?
for another day to see how this, whether this was a one-time offensive, whether it was such a high point or a real offensive.
Right.
If it is, then we should go after these nanomachines and treat them as ours.
Right.
And take all of them out.
Right.
And, in fact, look for the truth.
We've expected to do it.
Yeah.
Now, what we normally did, and this is what I'm suggesting, is normally when we send out these clusters,
yes but there are there 14 people on those things well yeah of course missing in action but nevertheless I was going to say that we
You really can't let them get away with this, because... Just protective reaction, that's right.
Well, what does Moore say?
The weather's still too bad?
I guess so, huh?
Ah, that's nice.
Well, just so we have a good provocation, I just whack them in there.
You know, if you do it on the basis of protective reaction, there's going to be a hell of a flap.
Right.
Sure, of course, of course, I understand that.
Yes.
And it's now the 1st of April.
Yeah.
No, they're not.
Correct.
Well, be sure you just ride the military hard.
Maura knows.
We're watching it now, doesn't he?
Good.
I see.
Right.
That's right.
They may want to go forward with it.
I understand that.
Okay.
Well, just keep your eye on it, okay?
Bye.

Also recorded on March 30, 1972

  • 022-054 6:13 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:13 pm and 7:16 pm.
  • 022-055 7:16 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 7:16 pm to 7:20 pm.
  • 022-056 7:20 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:20 pm and 7:22 pm.
  • 022-057 7:22 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 7:22 pm to 7:26 pm.
  • 022-058 7:26 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:26 pm and 7:33 pm.
  • 022-059 7:26 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:26 pm and 7:33 pm.
  • 022-060 7:33 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 7:33 pm to 7:45 pm.
  • 022-061 7:45 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:45 pm and 8:02 pm.

All 56 conversations from March 30, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 022-062, March 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417193089). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/022-062 (accessed November 2, 2026).