Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-045

Nixon phone call with Haig on Vietnam War and Paris Peace Talks

Monday, December 11, 1972 · 5:21 PM–5:29 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation034-045 on Tape 34StartMonday, December 11, 1972 at 5:21 PMEndMonday, December 11, 1972 at 5:29 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 034-045 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig discussed Henry Kissinger's report of North Vietnamese intransigence during ongoing peace negotiations in Paris. Nixon expressed concern over Kissinger's tactical threat to depart prematurely, instructing Haig to ensure that negotiations continue rather than breaking off, provided there is any possibility of a settlement. They agreed that shifting talks to normal diplomatic channels would be a mistake and decided that a resumption of bombing operations against the North would be necessary if the North Vietnamese maintained their obstructive stance.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.
General Haig, sir.
Hello.
Haig, sir.
Yeah.
Sir, I've got this gloom message from Henry.
And what they did was they were very intransigent, said they had no instructions and would not have any until tomorrow morning.
They also, when they were discussing the understandings, opened up the civilians again in that context and demanded their
withdrawal within a period of ten and a half months.
I think I've got defense drilling now to see if we could compromise for a year if that were the only remaining issue by itself.
And probably it would be manageable.
The second problem is Henry said that he has told them that he would
be leaving tomorrow night, that they were keeping the vice president standing by and that that was not acceptable.
Oh, he stepped out on that limb, huh?
Yeah.
And that he, in any event, would be leaving tomorrow night regardless.
Now, I think what we should do is go back and tell him that he should leave tomorrow night only if, in his judgment, no hope.
And recess would be necessary.
But in any event, he should not break off the talks, but merely tell them that we should take a recess for both sides to reconsider their respective positions.
And we'd be prepared to meet with them again in a week or after Christmas.
And that in the meantime, we, of course, would have to resume the normal pace of our actions against the North.
And if he's forced to do that, do it.
But only if it is absolutely clear that tomorrow's session and even a day or two after that could not bring us to a conclusion.
And then I think he's got to get across in absolutely clear terms
I realize why he's doing this for a negotiating tactic.
As a matter of fact, the option he's got to realize is not a viable one, that he should keep the talks going if there is any chance for impasse and reaching some sort of satisfactory settlement on Wednesday or Thursday.
included in the fact that, on further consideration, I am having serious reservations about the vice president's employee on any event.
Right.
Now he also said that in leaving he would tell them that he thought that these talks should be referred to the normal diplomatic channel, meaning Avenue Clayboro.
I think that would be a bad mistake.
No.
No, he's obviously off on one of his downturns.
Don't you agree?
Yes, yes.
And I think it's partly because you're not there, but you don't really think you can get back.
I didn't wonder.
Well, I could, of course.
Yeah.
Maybe I better talk to him on the phone and see how he's feeling.
Yeah.
The point is that you've got to sit right through it.
Yeah, we've been on our rock-bottom position three times.
That's right.
And you keep coming back.
And that the leaving tomorrow is not a viable option.
Right.
They become totally entrenched.
That's right.
See, he's doing this because he's used this before, and sometimes it works, see, but he doesn't use it before when he hasn't got any option.
That's the point, and that's what he can't get through his head, that you can't use that unless you've got an option.
So if you could keep it going, you can get him on the phone.
Yes, sir, and the fact of getting these instructions in the morning, if they come in harder than ever in the morning and claim they have instructions, and they are reopening all these issues up.
then I think Kenry's probably right that we ought to just freeze this and start letting them have it.
For one week?
Yes.
And if they come in a little softer, then obviously they were stalling today and we can stall on a tough wicket, which makes sense.
And he can use, for example, but why does he do this?
Why does he put himself into this corner again?
Well, he's been using that one for some time.
But after a while they don't pay attention to it, you see?
Well, I mean, he's been citing Tuesday as the time that he's got to get back for about three days now.
So the hole's started a little earlier.
And they have responded each time he's said that.
The next day they've come in and they've been
We shall see.
Tell them that tomorrow, if there is any response, any movement, stick through and get it done.
Right.
But we are reexamining the other thing, the Agnet thing, okay?
Right, sir.
Good.
Well, that's all I wanted to do.

NARA Description

On December 11, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 5:21 pm to 5:29 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-045 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 34-45

Date: December 11, 1972
Time: 5:21 pm - 5:29 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

[See Conversation No. 385-14A]

       Vietnam negotiations
            -Message from Henry A. Kissinger
                  -Report on meeting with North Vietnamese
                        -Problems
                              -Lack of instructions
                              -US civilians in South Vietnam
                                     -Withdrawal
                                          -Timing
                                                -Defense Department
                              -Kissinger’s return
                                     -Timing
                                          -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
                                          -Recess
            -Reply to Kissinger
                  -Kissinger’s return
                        -Timing
                              -Recess
                  -Resumption of talks
                        -Timing
                  -US bombing
                  -Kissinger’s tactics
                        -Agnew
            -Message from Kissinger
                  -Resumption of talks
                        -Normal diplomatic channels
                              -Avenue Kleber
            -Haig’s schedule
                  -Haig’s possible telephone call to Kissinger
            -Kissinger’s possible return
                  -Effect
                                              -42-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 34-45 (cont’d)

                         -North Vietnamese intransigence
                   -Lack of options
             -Haig’s possible call to Kissinger
             -North Vietnamese instructions
                   -Tone
                         -Bombing
                                -Duration
             -Kissinger’s tactics
                   -Effectiveness
                         -Deadline
             -Agnew

Also recorded on December 11, 1972

  • 034-043 5:01 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:01 pm and 5:09 pm.
  • 034-044 5:09 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 5:09 pm to 5:10 pm.
  • 385-013 5:10 PM · 11 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 5:10 pm and 5:14 pm.
  • 385-014 5:14 PM · 25 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:14 pm to 5:37 pm.
  • 034-046 5:35 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:35 pm and 5:37 pm.
  • 385-015 5:35 PM · 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 5:35 pm and 5:37 pm.
  • 034-047 5:37 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 5:37 pm to 5:42 pm.
  • 385-016 5:37 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:37 pm to 5:42 pm.

All 40 conversations from December 11, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 034-045, December 11, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-045 (accessed October 1, 2026).