Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 24 › Conversation 024-005
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Speechwriting
Monday, May 8, 1972 · 3:58 PM–3:59 PM ET · White House Telephone · 55 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss final revisions to an upcoming speech regarding the Vietnam War. They agree to include specific references to air and naval strikes and clarify that the U.S. continues to pursue a negotiated settlement despite having exhausted reasonable peace offers. Kissinger prepares to deliver additional minor technical suggestions to the drafting team, and Nixon instructs his staff to hold off on finalizing the document until these changes are integrated.
- Vietnam War
- Speechwriting
- Negotiations
- Foreign Policy
- Air and Naval Strikes
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On May 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 3:58 pm to 3:59 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-005 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 24-5
Date: May 8, 1972
Time: 3:58 pm - 3:59 pm
Location: White House Telephone
Henry A. Kissinger talked with the President.
[See also Conversation No. 336-16]
Vietnam
-The President's speech
-Wording
-Air and naval strikes
-Peace offers
-Kissinger's suggestions
-Kissinger's schedule
-Rose Mary WoodsAlso recorded on May 8, 1972
- 336-013 3:46 PM · 2 min — 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 3:46 pm and 3:58 pm.
- 336-014 3:46 PM · 39 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 3:46 pm and 3:58 pm.
- 336-015 3:46 PM · 37 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 3:46 pm and 3:58 pm.
- 336-016 3:58 PM · 58 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:58 pm and 3:59 pm.
- 024-006 3:59 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:59 pm and 4:13 pm.
- 336-017 3:59 PM · 2 min — 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 3:59 pm and 4:13 pm.
- 336-018 3:59 PM · 2 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 3:59 pm and 4:13 pm.
- 336-019 3:59 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:59 pm and 4:13 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 024-005, May 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-005 (accessed October 24, 2026).