Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 33 › Conversation 033-060
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on 1972 Presidential Election
Wednesday, November 8, 1972 · 1:16 AM–1:28 AM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min
AI Summary
Henry Kissinger calls President Nixon to offer congratulations on his overwhelming landslide victory in the 1972 presidential election. The two discuss George McGovern's ungracious concession statement and Nixon's subsequent decision to reject a draft telegram from his staff that was overly conciliatory toward his opponent. Additionally, they reflect on disappointing Republican losses in the Senate and interpret the election results as a definitive public rebuke of the media and liberal intelligentsia regarding the administration's Vietnam policy.
- 1972 Presidential Election
- George McGovern
- Election Concession
- Republican Senate Races
- Vietnam War
- Political Strategy
Audio
NARA Description
On November 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:16 am and 1:28 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 033-060 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 33-60
Date: November 8, 1972
Time: Unknown between 1:16 am and 1:28 am
Location: White House Telephone
The White House operator talked with the President.
[See Conversation No. 388-4I]
Call from Henry A. Kissinger
Call from Hubert H. Humphrey
Kissinger talked with the President between 1:28 am and 1:30 am.
[See Conversation No. 388-4I]
Greetings
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Conversation No. 33-114 (cont’d)
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
chronological review 2007-2013]
1972 election
-The President's victory
-Kissinger's congratulations
-Margin of victory
-Massachusetts
-Minnesota
-George S. McGovern
-Concession statement
-Tone
-The President's telegram
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.'s draft
-The President’s recent conversation with H. R. (“Bob”)
Haldeman
-Concession statement
-ToneShow the rest of the log (26 more lines)
-Kissinger’s view
-The President’s response
-Senate races
-Republican gains and losses
-Margaret Chase Smith
-Loss
-Age
-Jack Miller
-J. Caleb Boggs
-Loss
-Age
-The President's victory
-Press and media reaction
-Liberals
-Senate, House of Representatives, Republican Party
-McGovern
-Vietnam
-Intelligentsia
-Margin
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Conversation No. 33-114 (cont’d)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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Also recorded on November 8, 1972
- 033-056 1:00 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Frank L. Rizzo talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:00 am and 1:10 am.
- 388-004 1:00 AM · 1 hr 48 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), White House operator, Charles W. Colson, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:00 am to 3:00 am.
- 033-057 1:10 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:10 am and 1:12 am.
- 033-058 1:10 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 1:10 am to 1:12 am.
- 033-059 1:12 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Nelson A. Rockefeller talked on the telephone from 1:12 am to 1:16 am.
- 033-061 1:30 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:30 am and 1:31 am.
- 033-062 1:31 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Hubert H. Humphrey talked on the telephone from 1:31 am to 1:35 am.
- 033-063 1:35 AM · 1 min — Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:35 am and 3:00 am.
Related conversations
- Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 Presidential Campaign and George McGovern June 11, 1972 · 31 min
- Nixon phone call with Mitchell on 1972 Presidential Campaign June 11, 1972 · 8 min
- Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Thomas Eagleton and George McGovern July 31, 1972 · 2 min
- Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 Presidential Campaign and Amnesty October 18, 1972 · 6 min
- Nixon phone call with Colson on George C. Wallace and Assassination attempts May 17, 1972 · 15 min
- Nixon phone call with Dent on Democratic Primaries and George McGovern June 7, 1972 · 25 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 033-060, November 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417194339). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/033-060 (accessed November 2, 2026).