Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 36 › Conversation 036-033
Nixon phone call with Haig on Vietnam War and Nguyen Van Thieu
Sunday, January 21, 1973 · 2:27 PM–2:33 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Alexander Haig discuss the status of the Vietnam peace agreement following Haig's recent trip to Southeast Asia. They assess South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu's reluctance to publicly support the deal, noting that while Thieu is privately complying for survival, he remains concerned about his political standing. The two men coordinate their press strategy through Press Secretary Ron Ziegler and discuss plans for a future meeting with Thieu in San Clemente to solidify the agreement.
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Transcript (AI-generated)
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Hello?
Yes, Mr. President.
Well, yet another tough trip, I guess.
Well, it wasn't too bad, sir.
It was very hectic, of course, and busy, but I feel quite comfortable about the outcome.
I think the guy is coming.
Everyone else from the Koreans, Lao, Cambodians, and the Thais are fully behind this thing.
Yeah.
And Chew is going to come.
There's no question about it.
What do you think about in two or three months?
No, no.
I think as soon as Henry sees his guy over there and gives him a face-saving excuse for...
If he can, you see.
I don't think that we can count it all out on Henry being able to...
get any more free-saving things.
Oh, no, no, I don't mean any changes.
We'll get a change in the protocol on the equipping of the police.
Do you think we will?
Oh, yes, I think so.
And that's a minor thing, but it's not the two minor.
And this isn't the problem anyhow.
His problem is that he basically feels he's been screwed.
He knows he has no alternative.
And he's going to come along.
He told me he was.
Despite what he writes, you see, he writes one thing in his formal letters, and then he explains to me that he just can't commit suicide, and he's not going to be another Diem, and he could be a short-term hero, but he would rather be a statesman.
What are his letters written for, then, for history?
For history, for his constituency.
You see, the problem I have is basically what I say when I go on Tuesday night.
I've just got to just ignore him, I guess.
But, of course, the not being able to say that he is aboard will be widely noticed and could jeopardize his damn thing.
You'll be able to say that.
In fact, he's already said in his latest answer a couple of hours ago that...
He is coming along, providing we get a couple of minor things straightened out.
Well, there's the language changes that we're working on now with Sullivan over there, and Henry can confirm Tuesday morning.
Good, good.
I'm absolutely confident.
I have told Ron that... Well, anyway, we've got to do it, as you know.
I've told Ron that the...
You and I have been chatting.
And so when we finish, you can just talk.
Tell him we had a half hour on the phone.
We just had a half hour talk.
The way we have told him, as a matter of fact, he told me that he was going to put out that we had met or talked.
It doesn't make any sense to say we're meeting now.
As a matter of fact, before this reception, we'd meet afterwards.
After this family reception, say around 5.30 or so, I'll give you another buzz and you and Henry and see what the hell's going on.
And that will confirm it all.
But I don't think there's really...
Yes, you just might as well give Ron a call and say, yes, that we've had our talk and that we will have another talk at 5.30 or so today.
Fine.
Okay, sir.
Fine.
But you feel pretty good, do you?
Oh, yes.
You're not physically too worn out, are you?
No, no.
No, no.
Well, you'd be more worn out if you...
Stayed here and had to dance all night.
I know.
Drinking booze up and all that sort of thing.
All of the leaders over there, I tell you, sir, they're 100% behind you.
They really are.
They don't have anybody else to be behind.
They better be.
I'll tell you, that's right.
That's right.
Of course, that's what Hugh told his NSC, you know.
He said, this is the tough guy.
He said, but just think where we'd be if the governor had been there.
Oh, Christ, we treated him with kid gloves compared to what we ought to have done.
That's right.
He's a frustrating character.
He's got to go, though.
He just has to.
He's going.
That I have no question about.
We just have to stay tough with him, reasonable but tough.
Uh, he's accepted, apparently, the Agnew idea.
He wants him over.
He's very enthusiastic about it.
He told me, yes, if this goes, that's what I want.
That's good.
If, oh, if this goes, that's what I was going to say.
He's getting a little pregnant if he begins to talk that way, but he's as pregnant as he can be right now.
He wants us to go to, uh, he does want to have a meeting with me, does he or not?
uh yes he'll want that he wants it to to be a little bit later though i would much prefer it later i mean the further i can get it behind this the better and uh you know what i mean and uh because i and i don't want it in washington i i mean i don't want to expose him to this hostile atmosphere in san clemente we can control the damn place that's right and i think there's no question that he'll want that he was goosey about uh admitting it because he was still fighting
I don't care.
I'd rather not have it at all.
But as you know, I mean, from the time factor, but from his standpoint, I think he needs it.
He does.
He needs it.
Don't you think so?
Absolutely.
He needs to have those pictures.
That's right.
Standing together.
He's going to need it as this thing's been underway for a bit.
Yeah.
And his better timing.
Yeah, to see how it's working.
That's right.
He, of course, must not base his reliance, of course, even no matter how much we tell him that if...
He creates or provokes an incident that he can expect the Air Force to come batting in there to save him again.
Well, I think...
It's not going to happen, you know.
It's like the old Sigmund Rea, you know.
In 1953, we had to pull him back.
Now, he's not going to have any free hand.
He's got to comply or his ass.
It's his ass, not ours this time.
This he knows, and that's really one of his problems.
Yeah, he doesn't want to take up that burden, does he?
No, no.
Okay, Al, I won't hold you.
Congratulations to you.
I'm sorry I wasn't here.
No, thank you.
Nothing to it.
Thank you.
God bless you.
NARA Description
On January 21, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 2:27 pm to 2:33 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 036-033 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 36-33
Date: January 21, 1973
Time: 2:27 pm - 2:33 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-25-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 36-33 (cont’d)
Vietnam settlement
-Haig’s trip
-Support for peace agreement
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Koreans, Thais, Lao, Cambodians
-Timing
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Reaction to agreement
-Changes in protocols
-Police force
-Thieu’s acceptance
-Ngo Dinh Diem
-Letters
-Purpose
-The President’s speech
-William H. Sullivan
-Haig’s schedule
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Comments to press
-Meeting with the President
-The President’s conversation with Ziegler
-Haig’s conversation with Ziegler
-Asian allies
-Support for peace agreement
-Thieu
-South Vietnam government
-Acceptance of agreement
-George S. McGovern
-The President’s view
-Haig’s view
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Visit to South Vietnam
-Meeting with the President
-Timing
-Location
-San Clemente
-The President’s view
-Responsibility
-US Air Force
-26-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 36-33 (cont’d)
-Korean War cease-fire
-Syngman Rhee
-Haig’s congratulationsAlso recorded on January 21, 1973
- 036-031 1:52 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 1:52 pm to 2:04 pm.
- 036-032 2:04 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:04 pm and 2:27 pm.
- 402-002 4:54 PM · 18 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 4:54 pm and 5:00 pm.
- 402-003 4:54 PM · 8 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 4:54 pm and 5:00 pm.
- 402-004 5:00 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:00 pm and 5:02 pm.
- 402-005 5:00 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:00 pm and 5:22 pm.
- 402-006 5:00 PM · 10 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 5:00 pm and 5:22 pm.
- 036-034 5:02 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:02 pm and 5:22 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 036-033, January 21, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/036-033 (accessed October 12, 2026).