Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-129
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Air strikes
Tuesday, May 2, 1972 · 9:35 PM–9:40 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the tactical status of the ongoing North Vietnamese offensive and the resulting strategic necessity of authorizing air strikes. They deliberate on the timing of potential bombing campaigns, ultimately deciding against immediate action for the upcoming weekend. The conversation confirms that the administration maintains responsibility for these critical military decisions, notwithstanding ongoing negotiations involving Leonid Brezhnev.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 45% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
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NARA Description
On May 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 9:35 pm to 9:40 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-129 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 23-129
Date: May 2, 1972
Time: 9:35-9:40 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.
Kissinger's location
-Conversation with Thomas H. Moorer
Vietnam
-Negotiations
-The President's position
-Bombing
-The President's decision
-Harry S. Dent
*****************************************************************
[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 03/22/2019.]
[Unintelligible]
[023-129-w001]
[Duration: 59s]
[Tape malfunction]
Vietnam
-Negotiations
-Leonid I Brezhnev
*****************************************************************
Vietnam
-North Vietnamese offensive
-The President's options
-Bombings
-Timing
-Creighton W. Abrams
-Moorer
-Possible consequencesAlso recorded on May 3, 1972
- 023-123 9:14 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:14 pm and 9:17 pm.
- 023-124 9:17 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:17 pm.
- 023-125 9:20 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John K. Andrews, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:20 pm to 9:22 pm.
- 023-126 9:22 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:22 pm and 9:25 pm.
- 023-127 9:25 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Harry S. Dent talked on the telephone from 9:25 pm to 9:31 pm.
- 023-128 9:31 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:31 pm and 9:35 pm.
- 718-001 7:58 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 7:58 am to 8:09 am.
- 099-012 8:09 AM · 1 hr 53 min — Richard M. Nixon and Republican Congressional leaders, including Robert P. Griffin, Margaret Chase Smith, Peter H. Dominick, Gordon L. Allott, George D. Aiken, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends, John B. Anderson, John J. Rhodes, Barber B. Conable, Jr., Samuel L. Devine, H. Allen Smith, Robert C. ("Bob") Wilson, Richard H. Poff, William S. Mailliard, William E. Timmons, Richard K. Cook, Thomas C. Korologos, Patrick J. Buchanan, Ronald L. Ziegler, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 8:09 am and 10:45 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 023-129, May 3, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-129 (accessed October 10, 2026).