Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-017
Nixon phone call with Laird on Vietnam War and Military policy
Tuesday, April 18, 1972 · 9:55 AM–9:56 AM ET · White House Telephone · 59 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon and Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird coordinated their public response to a New York Times report falsely claiming that U.S. bombing in Vietnam had been reduced for diplomatic purposes. Nixon directed Laird to aggressively deny these reports to maintain strategic ambiguity, stressing the importance of this stance for ongoing diplomatic efforts. Laird confirmed that he had already refuted the story during recent testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee and had prepared a media clip to ensure the denial reached a wider audience.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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NARA Description
On April 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Melvin R. Laird talked on the telephone from 9:55 am to 9:56 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-017 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 23-17
Date: April 18, 1972
Time: 9:55 am - 9:56 am
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Melvin R. Laird.
[See also Conversation No. 711-3D]
Vietnam
-Laird's testimony
-News story in New York Times
-Bombing cutbacks
-Laird's response
-Diplomacy
-Senate Armed Services Committee
-StatementAlso recorded on April 18, 1972
- 023-013 9:18 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:20 am.
- 711-001 9:18 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:20 am.
- 711-002 9:18 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:20 am.
- 023-014 9:20 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 9:20 am to 9:23 am.
- 711-003 9:20 AM · 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, Henry A. Kissinger, White House operator, Manolo Sanchez, Alexander P. Butterfield, Melvin R. Laird, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:20 am and 10:02 am.
- 023-015 9:23 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:23 am and 9:27 am.
- 023-016 9:27 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:27 am.
- 711-004 10:02 AM · 57 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:02 am to 10:58 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 023-017, April 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-017 (accessed October 12, 2026).