Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 22 › Conversation 022-077

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Military Strategy

Tuesday, April 4, 1972 · 8:45 PM–8:50 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation022-077 on Tape 22 (tape position 03:06:29–03:11:29)StartTuesday, April 4, 1972 at 8:45 PMEndTuesday, April 4, 1972 at 8:50 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 022-077 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the stalled military progress in Vietnam caused by poor weather, which has hindered effective air strikes. The two explore options for increasing pressure, including a planned strike on Haiphong and more intensive use of B-52s in the B-3 area and above the DMZ. Nixon emphasizes the necessity of a broad diplomatic offensive by U.S. ambassadors to highlight the North Vietnamese aggression across the DMZ and reaffirms his desire to maintain aggressive military momentum.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Mr. Kissinger.
Yeah.
I wonder if you had any report on the weather.
I just was calling Moorer.
This is why it took a minute.
His report was that it'd be like today.
Yeah.
With some holes opening up in the afternoon.
Yeah.
It is heartbreaking.
They cut all the authorities.
They
Got the toughest president they're going to have.
The goddamn bastards can't go.
So it's the same thing.
But they are going to start shelling tonight.
Yeah, well, that'll help a little.
Well, that'll be a little shot across the bow, but it's about all.
Otherwise, no further reports.
It's night out there now, isn't it?
It's day out there now.
Oh, yeah, it's day, of course.
It's just started.
How about the ground action?
About the same?
About the same.
But the weather, no projection.
Well, the projection.
They think it's going to break any time, huh?
Well, they think it's going to clear a little in the afternoon, and they're going to get some strikes in then.
Right.
You never know.
Whenever it breaks, it's going to break fairly fast.
And when it does, it'll all hell break loose.
Boy, that's the time to give it to them.
That's right.
Okay.
Well, we can't do anything about it, Henry.
No, we've just got to...
I think, Mr. President, we've got this thing at the breaking point now.
The main thing is that I want you to go forward, though, on that Haiphong thing.
That intrigues me very much.
Well, we are getting a plan tomorrow morning for a Haiphong strike.
Yeah.
I think just popping a couple in there might be useful.
The weather up there is all right, isn't it?
Yes.
Yeah.
Well, we can do nothing else.
Hitting that would be useful.
Well, I think ideally it would be better a little later.
Yeah, I know.
Before the bombing gets settled.
Yeah.
Settled in.
I agree.
I agree.
But if we're going to be stuck, Henry, too long here, we can't be stuck in the mud all the time.
That's right, Mr. President.
We can't give them much more than 24 more hours.
Because otherwise... We've got to do something dramatic soon.
Yeah.
Well, let's see.
Just running it out.
Well, we'll talk about it in the morning.
But if you hit Haiphong, that'll raise all hell diplomatically and the rest.
That's right.
We're getting a list of all the ships that are in there and so forth.
Yeah.
I made a little note on the confidential summary you sent in, in which I noted that Pew's South Vietnamese ambassadors were talking to all the ambassadors abroad with regard to the coming across the DMZ, and I ordered that all of our ambassadors do likewise.
They can get off their fat asses and go
and go start talking to people, don't you agree?
Absolutely.
Let's run a huge diplomatic offensive in this respect.
Right, absolutely.
I think this is going to be the last spasm for better or worse now.
Well, it can't be for worse, you know.
That's right.
We're not going to say better or worse.
We'll never get these goddamn Air Force guys to fly.
Yeah.
Well, we can't expect them to fly, Henry.
I mean, let's face it, it's the equipment, not the men.
It's the equipment.
These are brave men.
They're willing to do anything.
No, they bought the wrong equipment.
Yeah, but on the other hand, well, how about concentrating in the B-3 area?
That's open, isn't it?
That they are doing.
Could we just tell more in view of the fact it's closed in to give a massive strike to the B-3 area for the next 24 hours?
Could we do that?
Well, everything that isn't being used in MR-1 is being used in the B-3 area.
And they're hitting it hard, are they?
That's right.
They flew about 300 sorties there yesterday.
That's bound to have some effect, isn't it?
Oh, yes, yes, absolutely.
53s are being used there?
Yes.
Now, what about the 53s above?
No, 52s are mostly used in MR1 because they don't need weather.
I know, but 52s.
Tell me about the 52s.
Yeah, I know, but let's use the 52s the other place, too.
Well, we have given authority.
You've given authority to use it above the DMZ, have you?
Right.
All right.
What?
For what?
For 35 miles.
Right.
But they haven't popped anything there yet.
No, because they want to do one day of SAMS.
Oh, yeah, they've got to suppress.
I see.
Because of the danger, right.
Right.
Well, they've got all the authority they need, and Moore has no complaints on that score, has he now?
Well, Mr. President, they are Popeye.
They are?
Yeah.
Good.
Good.
Good.
Well, okay.
Right, Mr. President.
Just pray for the goddamn...
A weatherman to get in there, okay?
Right, Mr. President.

NARA Description

On April 4, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:45 pm to 8:50 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 022-077 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 22-77

Date: April 4, 1972
Time: 8:45 pm - 8:50 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

[See Conversation No. 329-9]

     Vietnam
          -Weather
              -Report
                   -Kissinger’s call to Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
                   -Projection
              -Results

-Shelling
      -Time
-Time Of Day
-Ground Action
-Weather
      -Projection
            -Possible clearing
                  -Opportunities for air strikes
-Possible air strike at Haiphong
      -Plan
      -Weather
      -Timing
      -Possible diplomatic reaction
      -List of ships in the harbor
-Nguyen Van Thieu
      -Kissinger summary
      -South Vietnamese ambassadors
            -Talks with other ambassadors
                  -Demilitarized zone [DMZ] attacks
      -US ambassadors
            -The President’s instructions
-Air attacks
      -Air Force
            -Men
            -Equipment
-B-3 area
      -Attacks
      -Instructions to Moorer
      -Military Region One [MR 1]
      -Air sorties
            -Number
            -B-52s
                  -Areas of bombardment
                         -MR 1
                  -Authority
                         -DMZ
                  -Surface-to-air Missiles [SAMs]
                  -Moorer
-Weather

Also recorded on April 5, 1972

  • 022-076 8:15 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:15 pm and 8:45 pm.
  • 329-001 8:15 PM · 7 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 8:15 pm and 8:45 pm.
  • 329-002 8:15 PM · 24 sec — unknown person(s) and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:15 pm and 8:45 pm.
  • 329-003 8:15 PM · 52 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 8:15 pm and 8:45 pm.
  • 329-009 8:45 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:45 pm to 8:50 pm.
  • 329-010 8:50 PM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:50 pm and 9:42 pm.
  • 329-011 8:50 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:50 pm and 9:42 pm.
  • 329-012 8:50 PM · 20 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 8:50 pm and 9:42 pm.

All 54 conversations from April 5, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 022-077, April 5, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/022-077 (accessed October 1, 2026).