{"conversationCode":"033-060","tapeNumber":33,"conversationNumber":60,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-033-060","startDateTime":"1972-11-08T06:16:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-11-08T06:28:00.000Z","startDate":"8-Nov-1972","startTime":"1:16 AM","endDate":"8-Nov-1972","endTime":"1:28 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Kissinger, Henry A.;","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.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":"5.1","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part I","chronReleaseDate":"11-Jul-2007","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 33-60\n\nDate: November 8, 1972\nTime: Unknown between 1:16 am and 1:28 am\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe White House operator talked with the President.\n\n[See Conversation No. 388-4I]\n\n       Call from Henry A. Kissinger\n\n       Call from Hubert H. Humphrey\n\nKissinger talked with the President between 1:28 am and 1:30 am.\n\n[See Conversation No. 388-4I]\n\n       Greetings\n\n*****************************************************************\n\f                                            - 67 -\n\n                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY\n\n                                                             Conversation No. 33-114 (cont’d)\n\n[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during\nchronological review 2007-2013]\n\n      1972 election\n           -The President's victory\n                  -Kissinger's congratulations\n                  -Margin of victory\n           -Massachusetts\n           -Minnesota\n           -George S. McGovern\n                  -Concession statement\n                        -Tone\n                  -The President's telegram\n                        -Raymond K. Price, Jr.'s draft\n                               -The President’s recent conversation with H. R. (“Bob”)\n                               Haldeman\n                  -Concession statement\n                        -Tone\n                               -Kissinger’s view\n                        -The President’s response\n           -Senate races\n                  -Republican gains and losses\n                        -Margaret Chase Smith\n                               -Loss\n                               -Age\n                        -Jack Miller\n                        -J. Caleb Boggs\n                               -Loss\n                               -Age\n           -The President's victory\n                  -Press and media reaction\n                        -Liberals\n                        -Senate, House of Representatives, Republican Party\n                        -McGovern\n                        -Vietnam\n                        -Intelligentsia\n                  -Margin\n\n*****************************************************************\n\f                                            - 68 -\n\n                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY\n\n                                                             Conversation No. 33-114 (cont’d)","filename":["033-060.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","White House operator","Kissinger, Henry A."],"prevCode":"033-059","nextCode":"033-061","transcript":[{"start":1.72,"end":9.15,"text":"Mr. President, Dr. Kissinger, and also Senator Humphrey, he is speaking, and it'll be a few moments where we can get him."},{"start":10.57,"end":11.35,"text":"We have Dr. Kissinger."},{"start":12.85,"end":14.3,"text":"Dr. Kissinger, go ahead, please."},{"start":14.32,"end":15.3,"text":"Hello, Mr. President."},{"start":15.32,"end":16.12,"text":"Well, Henry, how are you?"},{"start":16.46,"end":20.81,"text":"I just wanted to extend my really warmest congratulations."},{"start":20.83,"end":24.99,"text":"Well, this is... We all knew it was going to happen, and..."},{"start":25.26,"end":29.13,"text":"We got our 60%."},{"start":30.05,"end":30.87,"text":"Well, we didn't."},{"start":32.77,"end":35.48,"text":"One couldn't really be sure until one had seen it."},{"start":35.74,"end":39.22,"text":"Every state except Massachusetts and maybe Minnesota, although I think we get that, too."},{"start":40.2,"end":42.17,"text":"It's an extraordinary tribute."},{"start":42.31,"end":45.29,"text":"You know, this fellow to the last was a prick."},{"start":45.31,"end":47.44,"text":"Did you see his concession statement?"},{"start":47.48,"end":47.54,"text":"Oh."},{"start":48.26,"end":50.74,"text":"He was very gracious in the beginning."},{"start":50.98,"end":60.49,"text":"And then he went right back to saying that... And Ray Price just sent me in a wire saying that I look forward to working with you and your supporters for peace in the years ahead."},{"start":61.23,"end":63.89,"text":"And I just said, hell no, I'm not going to send him that sort of a wire."},{"start":64.08,"end":64.97,"text":"Don't you agree?"},{"start":65.26,"end":66.06,"text":"Absolutely."},{"start":66.16,"end":71.72,"text":"And I just argued with Bobby about it, but I said, Ray just doesn't have the right sense of this sort of thing."},{"start":72.6,"end":77.31,"text":"No, he was ungenerous, he was petulant, unworthy."},{"start":77.61,"end":77.73,"text":"Right."},{"start":78.08,"end":83.11,"text":"You probably know I responded in a very decent way to him."},{"start":83.27,"end":87.98,"text":"I thought he was as far as I could go, but I'm not going to say much time."},{"start":89.04,"end":90.06,"text":"Anyway, it was a good day."},{"start":90.54,"end":92.29,"text":"We had a terrible time in the damn Senate."},{"start":92.33,"end":96.68,"text":"We're going to end up with probably 44, but it's worth a damn anyway."},{"start":97.21,"end":100.02,"text":"It was because we lost some people."},{"start":100.06,"end":103.04,"text":"We lost Margaret Smith, but she's 74 years old."},{"start":103.08,"end":105.26,"text":"We lost Jack Miller because he's a jackass."},{"start":105.84,"end":106.1,"text":"That's right."},{"start":106.12,"end":108.79,"text":"And we lost Caleb Boggs because he's too old."},{"start":108.89,"end":109.87,"text":"He's 68."},{"start":109.93,"end":110.09,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":111.19,"end":112.85,"text":"There's your problem."},{"start":112.87,"end":115.29,"text":"With those three, we would have come much closer."},{"start":115.31,"end":115.61,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":115.63,"end":116.37,"text":"Well, it's all right."},{"start":116.39,"end":116.72,"text":"It's all right."},{"start":116.88,"end":120.58,"text":"But at any rate, it's a tremendous personal triumph as the president."},{"start":120.64,"end":121.32,"text":"You know something?"},{"start":121.78,"end":126.44,"text":"It's hard for even all these left-wing columnists can do now is to piss on the"},{"start":126.83,"end":130.51,"text":"not wanting the Senate in the House and building a party, but they couldn't care less about that."},{"start":131.09,"end":138.8,"text":"The main thing is they know that we came up to bat against their candidate and beat the hell out of them."},{"start":138.82,"end":142.51,"text":"And came up against their issue and turned it into an accident."},{"start":142.53,"end":142.81,"text":"That's right."},{"start":142.83,"end":143.27,"text":"Don't you think so?"},{"start":143.29,"end":143.99,"text":"Don't you feel that?"},{"start":144.01,"end":146.55,"text":"You made Vietnam your issue."},{"start":147.62,"end":148.5,"text":"Thank God it doesn't."},{"start":148.52,"end":150.82,"text":"The philosophy of weakness, the whole approach."},{"start":152.62,"end":155.93,"text":"Year after year, the media were harassing you."},{"start":156.92,"end":165.41,"text":"all the intellectuals were against you, and you've come out and have the greatest victory, I'm sure, in terms of margin, that anyone has had."},{"start":165.75,"end":168.3,"text":"It's a tremendous triumph."},{"start":168.32,"end":171.43,"text":"Well, anyway, Henry, have a good night's sleep."},{"start":171.49,"end":172.77,"text":"My good wishes."},{"start":173.07,"end":176.18,"text":"See you tomorrow."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"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.","topics":["1972 Presidential Election","George McGovern","Election Concession","Republican Senate Races","Vietnam War","Political Strategy"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T04:21:20.751Z"},"topicSlugs":["1972-election","george-mcgovern","election-concession","republican-senate-races","vietnam-war","political-strategy"],"audioDurationSec":181,"audioFiles":[{"file":"033-060.mp3","bytes":1426123,"durationSec":181.44,"bitrate":62880,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:29.541Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:40.785Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/033-060.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/033-060","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/033/conversation-033-060","catalogNaId":417194339,"catalogUrl":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/417194339","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}