Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 24 › Conversation 024-040

Nixon phone call with Laird on Vietnam War and Naval Blockade

Tuesday, May 9, 1972 · 11:16 AM–11:21 AM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Laird, Melvin R.Conversation024-040 on Tape 24 (tape position 00:52:15–00:52:41)StartTuesday, May 9, 1972 at 11:16 AMEndTuesday, May 9, 1972 at 11:21 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 024-040 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird discuss the implementation of a naval blockade and intensified air strikes against North Vietnam. Nixon urges Laird to manage public relations aggressively, focusing on the strategic necessity of the operation and its psychological impact on the North Vietnamese leadership. They coordinate upcoming press appearances and congressional testimony to ensure a unified, authoritative message regarding the administration's resolve.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Secretary Laird.
You are.
Hi, Mel.
Hello, Mr. President.
Everything's still going on schedule, huh?
Everything's going on schedule.
One thing that would be very helpful, Bob was telling me this morning that there was a wire service report about 20 ships lined up to get out.
I know it's night out there, but if you could have a photo plane get a photo of ships lined up to get out, that would be a hell of a good thing to put out here.
think you could do that or is it too dangerous no no no we're watching that and we will try to get a picture we have no evidence on a movement through the channel yet but we will be watching that maybe that that was simply a wire service report but if you do that in other words mel
i would particularly like in this period that you watch the pr thing yourself because you know you you you've been an operational but you know you can you know more about this you forgot more than hank and these other people will ever learn we'll watch that and if you see something that we can do write it hard that was one of the pilots reports mr president that was laying the mind
Oh.
And, you see, they can only take about ten ships at the piers there, and he might have just saw some of those were lined up to go in.
So we're all set for a good strike tonight, is that right?
Yes, we are.
And I particularly want that one.
You see, when we've got at the outset of an operation like this, you'll have more support than you'll have later, and now is the time to bang them good.
We're going to really bang well up there, and we're going to take out that railroad bridge and a few others.
Railroad bridge and some POL.
POL.
POL and the rails are going to be hard.
And you're looking at those power plants.
If we could get those power plants, you know, they use up fuel, and that would have a hell of a psychological effect on them.
Will you take a hard look at those?
We have them on the target list, and we'll go after them.
Good deal.
Fine.
Very good.
All right.
Just tear a hell out of him because now that we've crossed the Rubicon, as I said, by God, Caesar crossed the Rubicon, but he didn't lose.
Ken Rush did a good job this morning.
Oh, he did.
I didn't get to see him.
He really did a fine job.
Well, but his diplomatic experience and this, he probably did.
Well, good.
I'll get a rerun of it and see.
Look at it tonight.
Very good.
Good.
When are you going to do something?
When do you have to appear before committees?
I'm going to have a...
I'm just trying to think of when you're going out to bat.
I was going to go today, and then we decided, you know, that it was Henry going.
Henry go today, right.
You go tomorrow?
I'm going to be going at a press conference in, if I do this, I have a press conference in Georgia, one in Miami, and one in Houston.
When?
uh starting tomorrow and the next day great great great hit it like hell that's marvelous places to do it couldn't be better but also uh get the national tv there down there too you know i think they'll try to hit it in the way that you hit it at the part of the day that so you can get on the evening news in the event they have any room okay we will fine and then tomorrow i don't know we haven't got anybody to go well
I guess Agnew, no, he's leaving.
Well, anyway, you're not going tomorrow then, huh?
Well, I could go if I cancel out this meeting at the
well and maybe it's better if i cancel out the fort benning thing and then go uh do go here well i tell you would you do this would you mind i parliament could sort of watching to see that we don't step on each other would you mind giving him a ring to see who is going tomorrow and if not it's maybe more important for you to do a press conference here than in fort benning or maybe you can do both well i could get down there later on right right okay
Well, I'll appreciate it.
See, I should not go up to bat again right now, you know.
Don't you agree?
I've got to let it rest a week now, and then maybe I'll do something next week with the press.
And Henry's gone today, and that's good.
That gets all the diplomatic gobbledygook out of the way.
But then you can go on with a strong statement about that, by God, this can be made to work.
That's the main thing.
It will work, and the main thing is that the President has given authorization...
that it you know that that we now have we now have not only the power but the will and the directives and the flexibility to make the damn thing work and i think that's what we've got to really pound home to people because the psychological effect is what we need out i'm not speaking to american people but the psychological effect in north vietnam that it isn't going to be like 68. see yes okay whatever is necessary i think that's the thing to get across all right now thank you very good

NARA Description

On May 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Melvin R. Laird talked on the telephone from 11:16 am to 11:21 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-040 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 24-40

Date: May 9, 1972
Time: 11:16 am - 11:21 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Melvin R. Laird.

[See also Conversation No. 338-9]

     Vietnam
          -Blockade
               -Implementation
                    -The President's conversation with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
               -Reconnaisance
                    -Ships In Haiphong Harbor
                           -Photograph
                                 -Public release
               -Public relations

                    -The President’s view
              -Ships
                    -Pilot's report
              -Air strikes
                    -Intensity
                    -Targets
                          -Railroads
                          -Petroleum, oil, and lubricants [POL]
                          -Power plants
                    -Intensity
                          -Compared to Julius Caesar
              -[David] Kenneth Rush
                    -Television appearance
              -Laird's efforts
                    -Meetings with Congress
                          -Henry A. Kissinger
                    -Press conference
                          -Locations
                          -Times
                          -Television coverage
                          -Timing
                                -The Vice President
                    -Trip
                          -Cancellation
                    -Request for a call to Haldeman
                          -Coordination
              -The President's speeches
                    -Frequency
              -Kissinger's appearances
              -Laird’s statement
                    -Contents
                    -The President's decision
                    -Workability
              -Psychological impact

Also recorded on May 9, 1972

  • 024-039 11:12 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:12 am and 11:16 am.
  • 338-007 11:12 AM · 27 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 11:12 am and 11:16 am.
  • 338-008 11:12 AM · 11 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 11:12 am and 11:16 am.
  • 338-009 11:16 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Melvin R. Laird met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:16 am and 11:21 am.
  • 024-041 11:21 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:21 am and 11:23 am.
  • 338-010 11:21 AM · 10 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 11:21 am and 11:23 am.
  • 024-042 11:23 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 11:23 am to 11:24 am.
  • 338-011 11:23 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:23 am and 11:24 am.

All 96 conversations from May 9, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 024-040, May 9, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-040 (accessed October 9, 2026).