Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-047

Nixon phone call with Haig on Vietnam War and Henry Kissinger

Monday, December 11, 1972 · 5:37 PM–5:42 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation034-047 on Tape 34StartMonday, December 11, 1972 at 5:37 PMEndMonday, December 11, 1972 at 5:42 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 034-047 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig discuss the emotional instability of Henry Kissinger during the ongoing, high-stakes Vietnam peace negotiations in Paris. Nixon directs Haig to join Kissinger to provide stability and act as a firm counterbalance to the North Vietnamese negotiators' tactical manipulation of Kissinger's mood. They decide to abandon a potential mission for Vice President Spiro Agnew and agree that if the talks remain stalled, Kissinger should request a recess without issuing threats before returning home.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Yes, sir.
Hi, Al.
It seems to me, I just don't know, but you'll have to think it through, that with this up-and-down syndrome that Henry's in and knowing his rather emotional lack of moorings at the moment, I feel a hell of a lot more comfortable if you were with him rather than here, particularly since we're beginning to change our attitude with regard to the Agnew mission.
I think we may totally change, you know what I mean?
I think, the more I think about it, the idea appeals, particularly in view of that reaction and that last message.
The second point is, if you were to go back, it's somewhat of a message.
I mean, you can sit there with Henry and be as belligerent as is necessary in terms of, as calming as necessary.
as the thing goes on.
I don't know if rushing back and forth across the Atlantic may seem like a frenetic operation, but on the other hand, they're important matters to discuss.
You did come back.
You did discuss them.
I don't think there's any difficulty at all as far as atmospherics and going back.
Yeah.
I've got to crawl into Henry right now, and I was going to suggest this.
You raised with him my rather
deep reservations with regard to the Connolly thing.
I mean the Agnew thing and that at this point I think that they could be more useful there with him and that suggested on me that I suggested that he might return and then go on.
I feel it's vitally important to keep the talks going as long as there's any hope and then
and just ask for recess with no threats.
I'm at a recess.
Just do it.
Oh, that's right.
That's right.
This is not a time.
I don't want him to get, Al, into the frame of mind he was in the first three days, you know, thinking in those choice on the sword, we'll rally the country idea.
You see, it's not there anymore.
You're sure.
That's, that's, they just got to, you know, we got to realize what plays we can make.
And, and I think that, uh,
No, that's not something we're about ready to do.
We're ready to let him have it, but we're just going to let him have it.
And it's going to be difficult for him to go home and brief.
He won't have to brief.
He just says it's a recess.
He wouldn't have to.
That's right.
He said, I wouldn't brief.
I'd just come home and I'd start hitting him.
Exactly.
You know what I mean?
Which would be my view.
I think if he hears it directly from you.
So if you
I know what happens here.
He goes through all of these tortuous, tortuous negotiations.
He's got this wrapped up and that wrapped up, and now tomorrow we'll finish it.
Then they come back the next day and they hardline him again.
Exactly.
And then he just gets discouraged as hell.
Isn't that what it is?
That's right.
He is, from his messages, I just think he has been up and down an awful lot.
No, but quite frankly, that's the way they play it, and that's their acting.
It's a conscious tactic.
They play it one day and they're just on the verge and ready to go, and the next day they're just totally unreasonable.
Yeah.
Well, that's the way we are then.
And I think your being up there and being back, you can find out that there isn't going to be any joke that will look ominous as hell, which you have every right to.
Right, and that's what I generally do.
I know, it's easy for you.
But what I meant is at this point you're going back to there and then after they've met a couple of days and you have a recess if necessary, if they say that, and then we have a recess and then we'll start going and say, look, you fellows failed and we're sorry and that's fine.
Okay.
Good, sir.
I'll get right to it.

NARA Description

On December 11, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 5:37 pm to 5:42 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-047 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 34-47

Date: December 11, 1972
Time: 5:37 pm - 5:42 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

[See Conversation No. 385-16]

       Vietnam negotiations
            -Henry A. Kissinger
                                              -43-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                          Conversation No. 34-47 (cont’d)

                  -Behavior
                  -Haig’s schedule
                  -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew’s role
                        -White House message
                  -Haig’s schedule
                        -Role
                              -Tone
                  -Haig’s forthcoming call
                        -Agnew
                        -Kissinger’s return
                        -Continuation of talks
                        -Recess
                              -Lack of threats
                        -Public relations
                        -[US bombing]
                        -Briefing by Kissinger
                  -Tactics
                        -North Vietnamese
                              -Effect on Kissinger
                  -Haig’s role
                        -Tone
             -Recess

Also recorded on December 11, 1972

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 034-048 5:42 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:49 pm.
  • 385-017 5:42 PM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
  • 385-018 5:42 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
  • 385-019 5:42 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
  • 385-020 5:42 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.

All 40 conversations from December 11, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 034-047, 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/034-047 (accessed October 1, 2026).