Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 22 › Conversation 022-109

Nixon phone call with Helms on Vietnam War and B-52 strikes

Tuesday, April 11, 1972 · 2:06 PM–2:08 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Helms, Richard M.Conversation022-109 on Tape 22 (tape position 04:17:41–04:19:12)StartTuesday, April 11, 1972 at 2:06 PMEndTuesday, April 11, 1972 at 2:08 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 022-109 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and CIA Director Richard Helms discussed the North Vietnamese government's silence regarding recent American B-52 strikes. Nixon directed Helms to amplify US psychological warfare efforts by using broadcasts to publicize the effectiveness and scale of these strikes. The President explicitly ordered the inclusion of details regarding incoming naval units, additional carriers, and further B-52 deployments to maximize the psychological impact on the North Vietnamese.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Director Helms.
Good afternoon, Mr. President.
Hi.
I was talking to Henry this morning and he was indicating that your reports had pointed out that the North Vietnamese were not broadcasting the fact that the B-52s had hit them.
Is that actually the case?
Yes, sir.
I believe it to be.
Can I ask you to go forward on your own way?
We've got broadcasts in there, I presume, and all the rest, haven't we?
Yes.
Well, to get in as much as you possibly can, I should have thought this before, with regard to, you know, not only the
The strikes that have taken place, but building it up beyond that, naval units on the move, more B-52s coming and so forth.
Right, sir.
Would you be sure that that is covered adequately so that it gets into, I don't know, how effective are those broadcasts in there?
Do people pick them up or not?
Yes, sir, they do indeed, and I can certainly handle this, and I will undertake it immediately.
Fine, if you would.
I want to be sure that since they're not mentioning it, we do.
But mention also the number of naval ships that are coming out, the more carriers, more B-52s, and the fact that this strike did take place or whatever it is, okay?
I'll do it, sir.
Bye.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On April 11, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Richard M. Helms talked on the telephone from 2:06 pm to 2:08 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 022-109 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 22-109

Date: April 11, 1972
Time: 2:06 pm - 2:08 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Richard M. Helms.

[See Conversation No. 329-21]

     Vietnam
          -The President’s previous conversation with Henry A. Kissinger
               -Helm’s reports
                     -B-52 strikes
                           -North Vietnamese silence on strikes
                           -US broadcasts
                                -Air strikes
                                -Naval units
                                -B-52s
                                -Scope and effectiveness
                                -Number of vessels and aircraft involved

Also recorded on April 11, 1972

  • 022-108 1:14 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:14 pm and 2:06 pm.
  • 329-021 2:06 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard M. Helms met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:06 pm to 2:08 pm.
  • 329-022 2:08 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:08 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 329-023 2:08 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:08 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 329-024 2:08 PM · 30 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 2:08 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 329-025 2:08 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:08 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 329-026 2:45 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:45 pm to 2:55 pm.
  • 706-004 2:57 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:57 pm to 3:03 pm.

All 29 conversations from April 11, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 022-109, 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/022-109 (accessed October 1, 2026).