Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-070

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Bombing Campaign

Tuesday, April 25, 1972 · 2:13 PM–2:15 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation023-070 on Tape 23StartTuesday, April 25, 1972 at 2:13 PMEndTuesday, April 25, 1972 at 2:15 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 023-070 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417193425 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discussed upcoming public relations strategy regarding the Vietnam War, specifically noting Governor Ronald Reagan's strong support for the administration's bombing campaign. Kissinger reported that he shared speech materials with Soviet diplomat Yuli Vorontsov to clarify the U.S. position amidst intense press speculation. The two agreed to maintain a unified message and avoid further media contact ahead of a scheduled afternoon meeting to finalize the President's speech.

Audio

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NARA Description

On April 25, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 2:13 pm to 2:15 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-070 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 23-70

Date: April 25, 1972
Time: 2:13-2:15 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

[See also Conversation No. 332-48C]

     Kissinger's call to Katharine L. Graham
          -Return call

     Meeting with Kissinger

     Vietnam
          -Bombing
                -Ronald W. Reagan's support
          -News reports
          -Press conference
                -Questions
                     -Yuli M. Vorontsov
                     -Responses

     Kissinger's meeting with the President
           -Review of speech

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Hello?
Mr. Kissinger, sir.
Ready?
Mr. President?
Hi, Henry.
Uh, did you talk to Kay Graham?
I put him... Yeah, she wasn't there.
I called her, and she was out, and I'm waiting for her return call.
Fine, fine.
We'll see you about 3.15, okay?
Okay, we talked to Reagan.
He's delighted.
Was he?
Oh, yeah.
Great.
He says, just as long as we keep doing the other things.
Bombing, right.
He understands everything else, not only understanding.
And you feel the play, the thing that you're seeing is okay.
What is your feeling?
Too heavy on Vietnam.
Yeah, I know, a little too heavy, but...
you couldn't avoid that, could you?
No, and I sent the text over to Vorontsov so that he sees I didn't start it.
You didn't do a damn thing.
As a matter of fact, the president didn't.
And that we tried to, but the press is speculating.
Put this on the basis of the press speculating on a Vietnam, okay?
Right, right, right.
But I think we are in great shape.
Fine.
The press is all calling.
I'm not talking to them.
Don't, don't, don't call them.
Don't talk to them.
They're all...
They must be out of their goddamn minds.
Absolutely.
Yeah, three o'clock, as I said, I've got the speech, and we'll go over it with you, and then sleep about it, okay?
Right.

Also recorded on April 25, 1972

  • 023-066 1:48 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 1:48 pm.
  • 023-067 1:55 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:55 pm and 1:59 pm.
  • 332-048 1:55 PM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, White House operator, Manolo Sanchez, Clark MacGregor, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:55 pm to 2:25 pm.
  • 023-068 1:59 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Clark MacGregor talked on the telephone from 1:59 pm to 2:01 pm.
  • 023-069 2:01 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:01 pm and 2:15 pm.
  • 023-071 2:25 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:25 pm and 4:23 pm.
  • 332-049 2:25 PM · 44 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 2:25 pm and 3:35 pm.
  • 334-001 2:25 PM · 13 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 2:25 pm and 3:35 pm.

All 56 conversations from April 25, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 023-070, April 25, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417193425). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-070 (accessed November 2, 2026).