Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 39 › Conversation 039-139

Nixon phone call with Haig on Economic freeze and Paris Peace Talks

Thursday, June 7, 1973 · 7:30 PM–7:33 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsWhite House operator; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation039-139 on Tape 39StartThursday, June 7, 1973 at 7:30 PMEndThursday, June 7, 1973 at 7:33 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 039-139 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig discuss an impending economic freeze supported by John Connally and review the progress of Henry Kissinger’s negotiations regarding South Vietnam. They determine that if the South Vietnamese government continues to obstruct the peace process, the U.S. should issue an ultimatum regarding future foreign aid. Additionally, Nixon agrees to meet with John Volpe during a helicopter ride to discuss remarks made by Pope Paul VI.

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Yep.
General Haig, sir.
Yep.
Hello?
Hello, Al.
Yes, sir.
I just talked to John.
John Lee.
Yeah.
And he says, great.
He feels this is the thing to do.
He wants to freeze?
All the way.
He said you can't do this in a half-assed way.
All right, fine.
Well, you told him to get some leadership into that group.
And you told him that the guy could call him and tell him?
Well, I think he'd be very grateful if you did.
All right.
I'll call him.
Now, two other things, sir.
Henry's still stalled out over there on Saigon, and they're going to plug in tomorrow afternoon.
Will there be nothing tomorrow?
No.
Well, unless it was late.
That's all right.
That's all right.
Let him keep scrambling around.
Right, sir.
And then the third thing is, and I just feel obligated to body what it says, Volpeak.
in town and begged for five minutes even on the helicopter ride to the airport to tell you what the Pope said about you and the country.
All right.
I'll do that or I can have him write a note.
Well, no, he can ride in the helicopter with me.
Let's do that.
All right, sir.
I hate to bother you with it.
No, no.
That's a good time on the helicopter.
Let's just say that we're going so early that we can't meet before that.
That's what I told you.
He can ride out to the airport and then the helicopter bring him back.
Fine.
Okay, sir.
Good.
I'll have him there then.
How did Henry sound?
A little discouraged?
No, I didn't talk to Henry.
I talked to Ron Guzman and Scowcroft.
Yeah.
And they have...
And if Saigon is still off the reservation?
That's right.
They're still off.
There's nothing more we can do, is there, Al?
No, I don't think so.
I could call the ambassador here again.
Scowcroft said he's been pushed as far as he can go, and he knows he's reporting it.
Yes.
All the problems in Saigon.
Well, just be sure that Henry knows that we have to do it.
do something without Saigon.
Find a way to do it without Saigon, you know?
Right.
Really.
That's the thing to do.
Absolutely.
And let them hang out there.
Right.
Well, that's all I can think of.
Yes, sir.
Because we've got to have him come back with something.
No question about that.
That's got to be.
And if Saigon doesn't go a little—gosh, how could you handle it?
Do you think of any way you could do it?
I don't know.
Henry's probably thinking of ways.
Oh, I'm sure he's had it.
I think we can get them.
Yes, I think we can get them.
They're just playing their typical shitty game.
Well, I think the thing to do is for maybe Scowcroft calls the ambassador and says we're going to go forward in any event.
They want to be aboard mine.
If not, they risk their aid.
Right.
That's it.
It's ultimatum.
That's all you can do.
Ultimatum.
Okay.
Good, sir.
Bye.

NARA Description

On June 7, 1973, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 7:30 pm to 7:33 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 039-139 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 39-139

Date: June 7, 1973
Time: 7:30 pm - 7:33 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

       Incoming telephone call

Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked with the President.

       Haig’s conversation with John B. Connally
              -Economic freeze
              -Cost of Living Council [COLC]
              -President’s forthcoming telephone call

       Henry A. Kissinger
             -Paris peace talks
                     -South Vietnam
                     -Schedule

       John A. Volpe
              -Meeting with President
                     -Helicopter
                     -Giovanni Battista Motini [Pope Paul VI]’s remarks

       Paris peace talks
               -Kissinger
               -Haig’s conversation with Ronald L. Ziegler
               -Brent G. Scowcroft’s message
               -South Vietnam’s participation
                      -Scowcroft’s possible telephone call to Tran Kim Phuong
                             -Scowcroft’s assessment
                      -Message to Kissinger
                      -Haig’s assessment
                      -Scowcroft’s possible call to Phuong
                             -US foreign aid
                                              -114-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                              Conversation No. 39-139 (cont’d)

                                    -Ultimatum

Also recorded on June 7, 1973

  • 934-015 6:11 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:11 pm to 6:27 pm.
  • 934-016 6:27 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:27 pm and 6:29 pm.
  • 039-137 7:20 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:20 pm and 7:26 pm.
  • 039-138 7:26 PM · 2 min — White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone from 7:26 pm to 7:29 pm.
  • 039-140 7:33 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:33 pm.
  • 039-141 7:33 PM · 8 min — White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 7:33 pm to 7:41 pm.
  • 039-142 7:41 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:41 pm and 7:46 pm.
  • 039-143 7:46 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:46 pm to 7:47 pm.

All 50 conversations from June 7, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 039-139, June 7, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/039-139 (accessed October 12, 2026).