Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 22 › Conversation 022-105

Nixon, Haldeman & Kissinger on Soviet Union and Austria

Tuesday, April 11, 1972 · 10:49 AM–10:54 AM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsHaldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Kissinger, Henry A.; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation022-105 on Tape 22 (tape position 04:11:09–04:15:55)StartTuesday, April 11, 1972 at 10:49 AMEndTuesday, April 11, 1972 at 10:54 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 022-105 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon, H. R. Haldeman, and Henry Kissinger consulted on selecting an appropriate neutral location for a two-night stopover prior to the President's upcoming trip to the Soviet Union. Nixon expressed a strong preference for Austria over Switzerland or Spanish military bases, citing personal rapport with Austrian officials and the country's welcoming atmosphere. The group decided that Kissinger would discreetly contact Ambassador Karl Gruber to assess the feasibility of a visit to Salzburg, ensuring the stop remained a low-key rest period rather than a formal diplomatic summit.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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I'm in the president's office.
We were talking about the stopping point on the way to Russia.
And he's raising again the question of whether Austria isn't a possibility, doing Salzburg, not Vienna.
But going there and doing that, spending two nights, as we had originally planned to do, and he'd see the chancellor, you know, for a visit, which would destroy the idea of a rest stop.
In other words, it would just be a stop with a non-aligned nation on the way in.
Well, the chancellor, you know, if he wants to do that.
I have no great objection to that.
He's just wondering if that isn't better than trying to go into Switzerland.
Well, just a second.
Hello, yes, I don't want to bother you.
Let me tell you what I have in mind.
Just take a second.
I don't like the feeling of a Spanish base, you know, and that's the problem with any place in Spain.
I don't like the feeling of these or any base kind of a thing.
Yeah.
Switzerland poses the problem, if you're aware.
Ireland's out of the question.
Let me just make a case for Austria in other words.
which I have always had a very close relationship with the Austrians from a personal standpoint.
The ambassador here is a great friend of mine.
They'd break their backs to make it good.
Oh, no question.
And also, it is a country which is not allied to us or to the Russians.
The Russians aren't going to be put out.
We don't care if they were particular, but...
rather than going to Vienna, going to Salzburg, you see, which is a lovely town.
You've been there, of course, haven't you?
Oh, it's beautiful.
I don't know whether, well, you'd find out whether they have an airfield.
Well, we landed there, well, we landed there in a constellation last time, so I don't know whether they can take this, but, oh, what, the Salzburg Festival?
I'll lay you money, they've got to build an airfield.
But if they haven't, but if it's, and I wouldn't mind seeing the Austrian thing, you know what I mean?
What's an hour's conversation during the day, that's all.
You know, have a little meeting with them.
Mr. President,
My objection to Switzerland, I share your concern about Switzerland because, first of all, there are pains in the neck.
Well, they're not making, they're brokering money off the world, and they don't deserve it.
Secondly, if you go there just overnight, you're going to have a tremendous operation for one night's rest.
And they won't help you, and the Austrians would.
That's right.
And if you go for two nights, it looks like a vacation.
That's right.
Because there's nothing you could conceivably do in Switzerland that...
So I think Austria... You don't mind our exploring it?
No.
I'd like to...
This ambassador here is Hans Brube.
You know him?
Very well.
He's a hell of a nice guy, you know.
Used to be their foreign minister.
Well, he was not only their foreign minister, but he was the ambassador to Washington in the Eisenhower period.
And I know him extremely well.
And where I got to know them so well was in the Hungarian refugee period, you see.
Yeah.
And I was there, and I spent over ten days in Austria.
And they certainly have the facilities there.
They have the facilities, and their government would break their back, and the people would be friendly.
And the weather will be good.
Yes, sir.
The people will be friendly.
That's another thing.
We have no problem there of friendly people.
The Austrians, hell, they love Americans in Austria.
They really do.
So, no, I think if you're willing to see their... Yeah, of course.
I think we should see them, but just say we can only have an hour's meeting, you know.
Courtesy call.
Courtesy call, sure.
That is no problem, because that gives us a chance to spend the day.
We do need the two nights, really, to get ready for Moscow.
I actually think, Mr. President, you...
You're just better off doing it.
I'll press myself too hard otherwise.
And we want to be really up good when we get in there.
And Austria is very close to Moscow.
That's the other vantage.
That's right.
I think it would be a three.
Well, I'll have Bob check that out then.
I think it's a good idea.
And don't you think the way to check it is to, rather than putting it through, why don't we just have it checked with Gruber?
What's his name?
Yeah.
Gruber.
Gruber.
How would be the way to do it?
I could do it easily enough.
or my office could do it very quickly.
That's the way we've done it.
Well, if you put it in the state channels, it gets publicized right away, doesn't it?
Well, I'll get you an answer by tomorrow.
I'm sure they'll be enthusiastic.
That's what I... And there's no problem with the Russians on that.
No, no.
They know we have to spin tonight.
All right.
Well, let's go forward, then.
You go forward, Gruber.
Right.
Fine.
I'll get you... Fine.

NARA Description

On April 11, 1972, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:49 am and 10:54 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 022-105 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 22-105

Date: April 11, 1972
Time: 10:49 am - unknown before 10:54 am
Location: White House Telephone

H. R. Haldeman talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

[See Conversation No. 706-2E]

     Haldeman’s location

     The President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
          -Stopover place
               -Austria
                      -Salzburg
                           -Vienna
                           -Length of stay
                           -Meeting with Chancellor [Bruno Kreisky]
                                -Kissinger’s response
               -Switzerland

The President talked with Kissinger at an unknown time between 10:49 am and 10:54 am.

                -Spanish base
                -Azores
                -Switzerland
                -Ireland
                -Austria
                      -The President’s past trips
                           -Karl J. Gruber
                      -Nonalignment
                      -Salzburg
                           -Airfield capacities
                                 -Constellation
                                 -Salzburg Festival

                           -Meeting with Kreisky
                -Switzerland
                     -The President’s view
                     -Kissinger’s view
                -Austria
                     -Gruber
                           -Eisenhower Administration
                           -The President’s previous visits
                                 -Hungarian refugees
                     -Facilities
                     -Reception
                     -Weather
                     -Reception
                           -The President’s view
                     -Meeting with Kreisky
                     -Proximity to Moscow
                     -Check with Austrian ambassador
                           -Kissinger
                                 -Office
                           -State Department
                     -Soviets
                     -Gruber

Also recorded on April 11, 1972

  • 706-001 9:41 AM · 30 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:41 am to 10:09 am.
  • 022-102 10:10 AM · 7 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:10 am and 10:49 am.
  • 022-103 10:10 AM · 4 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Vernon A. Walters talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:10 am and 10:49 am.
  • 022-104 10:10 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:10 am and 10:49 am.
  • 706-002 10:10 AM · 2 hr 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), White House operator, Vernon A. Walters, Henry A. Kissinger, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:10 am to 12:35 pm.
  • 329-014 10:31 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:31 am to 10:34 am.
  • 329-015 12:35 PM · 18 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 12:35 pm and 12:37 pm.
  • 706-003 12:35 PM · 39 sec — United States Secret Service agents and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:35 pm and 2:56 pm.

All 29 conversations from April 11, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 022-105, April 11, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/022-105 (accessed October 25, 2026).