Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 30 › Conversation 030-016

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Henry Kissinger

Thursday, September 21, 1972 · 7:42 PM ET · White House Telephone · 10 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation030-016 on Tape 30StartThursday, September 21, 1972 at 7:42 PMEndThursday, September 21, 1972 at 7:42 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 030-016 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted the White House operator to initiate an urgent telephone call to National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. The brief interaction served solely as a logistical request to establish communication with Kissinger. No further policy discussions occurred during this specific exchange.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Dr. Kissinger, please.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On September 21, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:42 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 030-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 30-16

Date: September 21, 1972
Time: 7:42 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

       Request for a call to Henry A. Kissinger

Also recorded on September 21, 1972

  • 357-012 5:02 PM · 36 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 5:02 pm and 5:25 pm.
  • 357-013 5:02 PM · 50 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 5:02 pm and 5:25 pm.
  • 357-014 5:02 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:02 pm and 5:25 pm.
  • 357-015 5:02 PM · 12 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 5:02 pm and 5:25 pm.
  • 030-017 7:42 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 7:42 pm to 7:43 pm.
  • 030-018 7:44 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 7:44 pm to 7:47 pm.
  • 030-019 7:50 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:50 pm to 7:51 pm.
  • 030-020 7:51 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:51 pm and 8:04 pm.

All 43 conversations from September 21, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 030-016, September 21, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/030-016 (accessed October 12, 2026).