Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 40 › Conversation 040-029

Nixon phone call with Scowcroft on Vietnam negotiations and Henry Kissinger

Tuesday, June 12, 1973 · 12:52 PM–12:54 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsScowcroft, Brent G. (Gen.); Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation040-029 on Tape 40StartTuesday, June 12, 1973 at 12:52 PMEndTuesday, June 12, 1973 at 12:54 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 040-029 ↗

AI Summary

General Brent Scowcroft updated President Nixon on ongoing Vietnam negotiations following a lengthy meeting reported by Henry Kissinger. To pressure Saigon during this critical window, Nixon directed Scowcroft to expedite a cable emphasizing that South Vietnamese intransigence risks jeopardizing crucial U.S. congressional support and aid. Nixon instructed Scowcroft to explicitly promise public support for Saigon's position if they agree to move forward, aiming to prevent Congress from using the stalemate as a justification to cut off assistance.

Audio

Download MP3 · 3.9 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
General Scowcroft.
Hello.
Mr. President, General Scowcroft.
Henry just called, sir, and he said they had a very, very long meeting.
Some slight progress has been made.
He has a cable coming into us now with a proposed message to Saigon.
And we've alerted Ambassador Whitehouse to have somebody meet it.
He said they're going to meet again at 12 o'clock Paris time.
And this is Saigon's absolute last chance.
So I presume... 12 o'clock midnight Paris time.
Pardon?
Midnight Paris time.
Tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow noon.
Oh, they're going to meet again.
They've got 24 hours.
That's right.
That's right.
So we'll get the cable to you just as soon as it comes in.
We'll have more details there, but I wanted you to know that... Well, the main thing is, rather than getting it to me, is frankly to get it out there.
Oh, well, we'll get it right out there.
I'd just fire the thing out.
You know what I feel about it.
And just say that my meeting with...
There's a congressional uproar.
on this, and that what is risked here is the whole aid program for the government of Vietnam.
And that we cannot allow this to fail because of these two points, and that I have my absolute assurance that I will, you know what I mean, on the two points that they want, that I will publicly state that I support Saigon's position.
But we must not give
must not give their opponents in the Congress a chance to use Saigon's abstinence as the reason for this failing, okay?
Yes, sir.
Try that one once again.
That's all I will add to the cable.
Fire it off.
Very good, sir.

NARA Description

On June 12, 1973, Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 12:52 pm to 12:54 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 040-029 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 40-29

Date: June 12, 1973
Time: 12:52 pm - 12:54 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft talked with the President.

[See also Conversation No. 444-14A]

     Vietnam negotiations
          -Henry a. Kissinger’s telephone call to Scowcroft
               -Meeting
                      -Length
                      -Results
               -Cable
                      -Proposed message to Saigon
                      -Charles Whitehouse
                      -Future meeting
                      -South Vietnam position
                      -Meeting schedule
                      -Cable to South Vietnam
                      -President’s position
                      -Congress
                      -Consequences
                            -Aid to South Vietnam
                      -President’s position
                            -Support for South Vietnam
                      -Congress

Also recorded on June 12, 1973

  • 937-020 12:36 PM · 1 min — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 11:59 pm.
  • 444-013 12:38 PM · 7 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 12:38 pm and 12:45 pm.
  • 444-014 12:45 PM · 47 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:45 pm to 1:15 pm.
  • 040-030 1:15 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 1:15 pm.
  • 040-031 1:15 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft talked on the telephone from 1:15 pm to 1:16 pm.
  • 444-015 1:15 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:15 pm and 1:16 pm.
  • 444-016 1:15 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:15 pm to 1:16 pm.
  • 040-032 1:16 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:16 pm and 1:24 pm.

All 70 conversations from June 12, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 040-029, 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/040-029 (accessed October 23, 2026).