Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 37 › Conversation 037-114

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and POWs

Wednesday, March 14, 1973 · 8:30 PM–8:33 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation037-114 on Tape 37StartWednesday, March 14, 1973 at 8:30 PMEndWednesday, March 14, 1973 at 8:33 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 037-114 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger coordinate a hardline public stance to counter critics of the Vietnam peace settlement and the administration's proposed economic aid. They specifically discuss leveraging Senator Henry Jackson and others to frame opposition as a sabotage of peace efforts, while dismissing concerns regarding the stability of the cease-fire. Additionally, they review the logistics and leverage strategy concerning the final withdrawal of U.S. troops and the release of the remaining prisoners of war.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I have Dr. Kissinger for you, sir.
Thank you.
Hello.
I have Dr. Kissinger for you.
All right.
Thank you.
Mr. President.
Hello.
Henry, in addition to taking a very hard line on the Jewish problem, in which you should say that this is going to lock these people in forever, I think another important point is to...
make it to particularly jackson which bird is there bob or harry harry or the point is to say that that would be a great tragedy of those who tried to sabotage the uh uh bringing the war to an end we're now to sabotage the peace and also the point that uh that uh on the uh aid to vietnam that it's just it's a pure question of
assuring the peace, and everything that has happened would be down the tube, you know it.
Now, Scoop just told me, I just got here two minutes ago, Scoop just told me that Mansfield is springing up before the Democratic caucus of withdrawal from Europe resolution tomorrow.
Not surprising.
So you may be hit by that.
I can handle that easily.
Easily, but it just shows the total irresponsibility.
Oh, well, that's, but Mansfield is always irresponsible on that.
At least he's all right on this.
Now, the other thing, what is the date that the last POW on withdrawal, could that be the 27th or the 28th?
The 27th.
Right, Mr. President.
That's the date we expect, or what?
No, that's the date on which they're due.
I see.
What would happen that day?
I mean, they...
That's the last batch of Americans we leave.
And our withdrawal will be complete?
That's right.
What time of day would we know that?
That we wouldn't know.
Okay, fine.
But we are holding 6,000.
We're pulling out about 3,000 on the last day so that we have some leverage.
We're not pulling any out until the last two days from now until then.
Yeah.
It's not a great deal, but it's something.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Of course, a lot of people are now trying to chin up that the ceasefire is falling apart, and I wouldn't agree with that.
I'd just say this is a testing period.
I mean, what you have is exactly right.
Yeah.
Okay, we're going to take a very hard line on that.
It isn't falling apart.
You know it and I know it.
They're saying that because they've got to find...
I mean, this POW is returning, is driving the bastard right up the wall.
I just can't stand it.
But embrace these guys, okay?

NARA Description

On March 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:30 pm to 8:33 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 037-114 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 37-114

Date: March 14, 1973
Time: 8:30 pm-8:33 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Henry A. Kissinger talked with the President.

       Kissinger’s public statements
              -Soviet Jews
                     -Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
                     -Harry F. Byrd, Jr.
                              -Robert C. Byrd
              -Vietnam settlement
                     -Antiwar factions
                     -Economic aid

       Kissinger's conversation with Jackson
              -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
                      -Democratic caucus
                      -Withdrawal from Europe proposal

       Vietnam settlement
             -Prisoners of war [POW] release
                     -Timing
             -Withdrawal of troops
             -Status of cease-fire

Also recorded on March 15, 1973

  • 037-110 7:03 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:03 pm and 7:25 pm.
  • 037-111 7:25 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez talked on the telephone from 7:25 pm to 7:26 pm.
  • 037-112 8:13 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:13 pm.
  • 037-113 8:13 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:13 pm.
  • 879-003 11:02 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John A. Scali met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:02 pm to 11:03 pm.
  • 037-115 9:20 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:20 am.
  • 037-116 9:20 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and John W. Dean, III talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:20 am and 10:05 am.
  • 416-033 9:20 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 9:20 am.

All 83 conversations from March 15, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 037-114, March 15, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/037-114 (accessed October 12, 2026).