Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-087
Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Vietnam War and Henry Kissinger
Wednesday, April 26, 1972 · 4:34 PM–4:37 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman coordinate the final preparations for an upcoming presidential address regarding the Vietnam War. They clarify a scheduling confusion involving a Democratic caucus and confirm that Henry Kissinger will manage press and television briefings. The discussion concludes with the President insisting on maintaining specific rhetoric within the speech despite internal staff reservations.
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Transcript (AI-generated)
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Yeah.
Mr. Haldeman.
Yeah.
Yes, sir.
I was deliberately sitting here when he called Bird, so I know that Bird told him, because he repeated it several times, that the thing is next Wednesday, not tomorrow.
Good.
So maybe McGregor's intelligence was not right.
Well, but apparently it was originally scheduled for tomorrow, whatever it is.
Or for this week, and then Bert put it off, which our guys didn't know.
Maybe, maybe, maybe that's it.
But I think what happened is that Fulbright requested it.
That's right.
And I said, now, Henry, are you sure?
He says, no, he repeated it.
It was over Wednesday.
Good.
I think that's great.
That's true.
But we can check that back indirectly and make sure.
Sure.
If it isn't, there's nothing we can do about it.
We're all ensemble on this thing.
Henry will have the copies of the speech, which he'll give to the television people at 8.15 when he briefs them.
Right.
He'll give it to the press at 9 when he briefs them.
Okay.
with the hold.
That's fine.
And that's all you really wanted, wasn't it?
Yeah.
And as far as our own people, they don't have to see it.
Let Henry brief them on it.
I want to take those pages out for our people, though.
You know, the key points, so they can use that to write up the comments for congressmen for afterwards.
See, we won't give those points even to the congressmen.
We'll simply give them a suggested comment to release after the speech.
But we need to write them up.
We won't do that until 7.30.
Mm-hmm.
But we won't give them the text.
We'll just give them that... We don't know how people react to the rhetoric.
That's right.
No, I think...
Rhetoric may or may not be something, so I wouldn't...
I'd much rather have our people see it for the first time than they might see it.
Because we want them to get the emotional charge.
If they do, yes.
And they don't have to write a story for the morning paper the way that... That's right.
And as far as our people are concerned, they may get the feel of it.
They may not.
You can't tell.
I think they will.
Well, we can't put it...
quite as hard as i put it last night these fellows know i mean naturally yeah mcgregor and all wouldn't realize that but you know there are some rather grave diplomatic problems in what i'm saying here yeah but i'm making the point great but it isn't going to be made as tough as last night it can't be made as you know it was interesting because clark of course was very much impressed personally yeah and over quite overwhelmed last night but but as the day's gone on and he's gotten more and more comments from people that were there his his uh reaction has
strengthened hour by hour and that that's why and and he just said he felt he he knew you know wasn't his job to give input on speeches but that he just had this reaction no no we're always interested in anybody so they had to uh report that he said i don't know whether whether that was a precursor of tonight or not but if it was it was effective as hell
Sure.
Well, this was the part, as I told you, that our boys felt ought to come out of probably, I think it's from research.
Yeah, well, I knew that, but I didn't tell him that.
But Henry and I, I mean, I decided that it just had to stay in, and he at least sold Andrews on it, and I suppose that Andrews would have a problem with price.
Well, you know, everybody has a different view, Bob.
You've listened to their view and waited, and you've got to go with what you think is the right thing to say.
Everybody has a different view on this thing, so that's the way it's going to be.
Thank you.
All right, good.
NARA Description
On April 26, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 4:34 pm to 4:37 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-087 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 23-87
Date: April 26, 1972
Time: 4:34-4:37 pm
Location: White House Telephone
H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with the President.
[See also Conversation No. 333-23]
Vietnam
-Democratic caucus
-Henry A. Kissinger's call to Robert C. Byrd
-Change of time
-Clark MacGregor
-J. William Fulbright's request
-Postponement
-Confirmation
-The President's speech
-Copies for Television and print media
-Kissinger's briefings
-Congressmen
-Highlights
-Rhetoric
-Reactions of supporters and White House staff
-Diplomatic problems
-MacGregor's reaction
-A section of speech
-Retention
-Kissinger
-John K. Andrews, Jr.
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.Also recorded on April 26, 1972
- 023-084 4:10 PM · 8 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:31 pm.
- 023-085 4:10 PM · 4 min — Henry A. Kissinger and Robert C. Byrd talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:31 pm.
- 023-086 4:10 PM · 1 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:31 pm.
- 333-022 4:31 PM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:31 pm and 4:34 pm.
- 333-023 4:34 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:34 pm to 4:37 pm.
- 333-024 4:37 PM · 1 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 4:37 pm and 5:01 pm.
- 333-025 4:37 PM · 9 sec — 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 4:37 pm and 5:01 pm.
- 333-026 5:01 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:01 pm to 5:10 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 023-087, April 26, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-087 (accessed October 9, 2026).