Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 40 › Conversation 040-014

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Brezhnev summit and Vietnam negotiations

Monday, June 11, 1973 · 8:40 PM–8:44 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation040-014 on Tape 40StartMonday, June 11, 1973 at 8:40 PMEndMonday, June 11, 1973 at 8:44 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 040-014 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the final preparations for Leonid Brezhnev's upcoming visit, confirming agreements on nuclear arms, SALT, and peaceful uses of atomic energy. Kissinger briefs the President on positive developments in Vietnam negotiations, noting that Chinese rhetoric regarding Laos and Cambodia suggests potential diplomatic leverage against North Vietnam. They also address security concerns for the summit and coordinate the schedule for briefing materials and upcoming public announcements.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello?
Mr. President.
Hi, Henry.
Anything to report before you take off?
Uh, no.
I told you I had a...
I had a good talk with Dobrynin.
Yes.
And everything is really all set now.
We have...
Right.
...three agreements which you and Brezhnev will sign.
Of course, you're free to sign any of them.
Right.
But we thought you should sign the agreements in the nuclear field.
Of course.
Peaceful uses, salt, and that other agreement.
Right.
And we've got the communique practically all done.
Right.
So two here and there.
And we've got six other agreements.
Right.
And all I can do now is wait for Saigon to not to let us embarrass with egg on our face.
Well, if they do, we'll wipe the egg off.
Exactly.
It won't happen.
And...
I've left some talking points for you with Haig.
Yes, good.
For the leadership meeting tomorrow.
Yes, yes, yes.
If we have it.
Right.
And we'll have the book for you on the Soviet Union on Wednesday morning.
No great hurry.
I mean, I...
No, I don't need it Wednesday morning.
Make it Thursday morning because I'm going to be... That's right.
The speech is Wednesday night, so I will not work on it.
So make it Thursday morning.
It gives him an extra day.
Right, Mr. President.
I don't know, but I've had a chance to tell you, actually, the Chinese seem to...
come through for us when the North Vietnamese were in Peking because there was a big difference in the speeches which the two sides gave.
The Chinese constantly stressed the independence and sovereignty of Laos and Cambodia and constantly kept saying the war in Vietnam is over while the North Vietnamese kept saying the struggle is continuing.
I see.
And they put military aid last in the order of priorities of what they were going to do for North Vietnam.
Good, good, good.
I saw little of that in the morning report, but that's very interesting.
That's right.
That's right.
And as far as the San Clemente thing, let's not be concerned.
Either way, I think they're really concerned about...
It's 99%.
I'm now fully persuaded that it's almost entirely security, Mr. President.
I've just read an account of Brezhnev's trip to Germany, and his security people kept him...
also from traveling out of Bonn.
Right.
I don't blame him in a way.
Why does he want to have an incident in the United States?
He didn't want to have his trip spoiled as Kosygin's was.
Exactly.
Exactly.
That's perfectly all right, and we'll, we can field it.
I think that is the, uh, but we'll know by Wednesday.
Well, whatever it is, I'm not worried about it.
I mean, either way, we'll, we'll field it.
And field it on the basis that we have so much to do, we just can't get out there.
Well, Mr. President, this summit will be known for its achievements as all the other summits have been.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Okay.
Well, have a good trip.
10.30 tonight you leave.
You're going to sleep all night, I guess.
Well, I'll sleep on the plane, and then I'll...
I have a really hectic schedule.
At least I hope I have a hectic schedule ahead of me.
I'll say.
And...
When do you hear from Saigon?
Well, we'll hear from Saigon about...
uh four o'clock in the morning our time uh four or five but don't let it bother you if they say no i mean we just feel it you know and i think the probability is that they'll come through yeah well the way you put it in terms of putting out three in a letter of decorations i think good god if they want anything more i don't know what more they could want exactly exactly right
So I think we're going to bring it off tomorrow, and then on Wednesday you have your speech, and next week there'll be some agreements announced every single day.
That's good.
Good.
Good.
Okay.
Fine, Henry.
Have a good trip.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you for calling.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On June 11, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:40 pm to 8:44 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 040-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 40-14

Date: June 11, 1973
Time: 8:40 pm - 8:44 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Kissinger’s conversation with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
           -Forthcoming Leonid I. Brezhnev visit
                 -Agreements
                      -Nuclear
                            -Peaceful uses [of Atomic Energy]
                            -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
                            -[Prevention of Nuclear War]
                      -Communique
                      -Other agreements

           Vietnam negotiations
                                       -13-

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

           -South Vietnam
                -Saigon
                -Potential embarrassment

President’s schedule
      -Leadership meeting
            -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
                  -Notes from Kissinger
      -Briefing book for forthcoming Brezhnev visit
            -Delivery time
                  -President’s speech on Nation’s economy

Vietnam negotiations
     -North Vietnam and People’s Republic of China [PRC]
          -Meeting in Peking
                 -Speeches
                 -Laos and Cambodia sovereignty
                 -Military aid to North Vietnam
          -President’s morning report

Forthcoming Brezhnev visit
      -Security
           -San Clemente
                 -Kissinger’s confidence in negotiations
           -Brezhnev’s trip to Bonn, Germany
           -Alexei Kosygin’s previous visit to US
           -Public relations [PR]
      -Expectations

Kissinger’s schedule
      -Flight
      -Saigon’s message

Vietnam negotiations
     -South Vietnamese position
     -Unilateral declarations
     -President’s speech

Brezhnev visit
     -Results
                                             -14-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                 -Announcement

Also recorded on June 12, 1973

  • 040-015 8:44 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:44 pm and 8:50 pm.
  • 040-016 8:50 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:50 pm.
  • 040-017 8:56 PM · 4 min — White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone from 8:56 pm to 9:00 pm.
  • 040-018 9:00 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:00 pm and 9:05 pm.
  • 040-019 9:05 PM · 19 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 9:05 pm.
  • 040-020 9:07 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:07 pm to 9:23 pm.
  • 040-021 8:30 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:30 am and 8:44 am.
  • 937-001 8:30 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:30 am to 8:35 am.

All 70 conversations from June 12, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 040-014, June 12, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/040-014 (accessed October 12, 2026).