Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-128

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Operation Linebacker II

Monday, December 18, 1972 · 1:17 PM–1:18 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsKissinger, Henry A.; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation034-128 on Tape 34StartMonday, December 18, 1972 at 1:17 PMEndMonday, December 18, 1972 at 1:18 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 034-128 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the successful completion of the second wave of B-52 bombing raids over North Vietnam, noting that only one aircraft sustained damage. Kissinger reports that Soviet news agency TASS has already publicized the strikes on Hanoi’s marshalling yards, confirming the effectiveness of the attack. Both men justify the escalation as a necessary strategic response, concluding that they had no other viable options to force the North Vietnamese to take notice.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yeah.
Mr. Kissinger calling you.
You are.
Hello.
Hello, Mr. President.
Hello, Henry.
Hi.
I just want you to know the second wave got out and only one plane damaged.
Yeah.
Good.
It got back.
They think it certainly will get out of North Vietnam.
Whether it will crash on the way, they don't know.
But it will almost certainly get back.
And...
The only news reporting is that TASS—they must have gotten it from the embassy—is reporting a massive raid on Hanoi with large fires just north of it, which is what we were aiming at.
That was the marshaling yard, isn't it?
That's right.
That's right.
Well, it's a calling card.
They won't forget.
No, no, they won't forget it.
We'll see whether it's worth remembering.
Well, we were trapped the other way.
No choice.
No choice.
That was the problem.
Okay.
Right, I thought you wanted... Oh, yeah.
There won't be anything then.

NARA Description

On December 18, 1972, Henry A. Kissinger and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 1:17 pm to 1:18 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-128 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 34-128

Date: December 18, 1972
Time: 1:17 pm - 1:18 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Henry A. Kissinger talked with the President.

[See Conversation No. 381-13]

       Vietnam War
            -US bombing
                 -B-52s
                       -Second wave
                       -Status of plane
                             -Return from North Vietnam
                 -News reporting
                       -Tass
                             -Raid on Hanoi
                                    -Fires
                                    -Marshalling yard
                 -Effect
                 -Rationale

Also recorded on December 18, 1972

  • 034-126 1:14 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:14 pm and 1:15 pm.
  • 381-011 1:14 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:14 pm and 1:15 pm.
  • 034-127 1:15 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 1:15 pm to 1:16 pm.
  • 381-012 1:15 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:15 pm to 1:16 pm.
  • 381-013 1:17 PM · 1 min — Henry A. Kissinger and President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:17 pm to 1:18 pm.
  • 034-129 1:18 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:18 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 381-014 1:18 PM · 28 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 1:18 pm and 1:20 pm.
  • 381-015 1:20 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and David C. Hoopes met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:20 pm to 1:40 pm.

All 29 conversations from December 18, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 034-128, December 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-128 (accessed October 5, 2026).