Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 40 › Conversation 040-115

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Leonid Brezhnev and San Clemente

Thursday, June 14, 1973 · 5:43 PM–5:46 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsKissinger, Henry A.; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation040-115 on Tape 40StartThursday, June 14, 1973 at 5:43 PMEndThursday, June 14, 1973 at 5:46 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 040-115 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger coordinate logistics for the upcoming visit of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, specifically regarding accommodations at the San Clemente compound for Brezhnev, his wife, and Andrei Gromyko. Nixon requests that Kissinger convey his gratitude for a warm personal note received from Brezhnev and confirm the residence arrangements. The two also briefly discuss Kissinger’s successful briefings to Congress and the press, as well as the optimal timing for the signing of a nuclear non-proliferation agreement.

Audio

Download MP3 · 5.0 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Mr. Kissinger, sir.
Henry?
Mr. President.
You're not in a private meeting, are you?
Uh, I'm in a meeting with Dupain and... Oh, in the map room.
All right, fine.
Tell him that I was very grateful for that personal note I received from Rushnapp.
Would you do that?
I certainly will, Mr. President.
Did you know how warm that was?
Oh, God, yes.
Really something.
But, uh...
I'm prepared.
I want you to repeat to him what I told him at 11 o'clock on the phone last night, that Mrs. Nixon was delighted that we could him, his wife, and if Gromyko, if he wants him, Gromyko and his wife can all stay at the compound.
Right.
We can open three bedrooms, and we, of course, will have a place for the security man, too.
Right, Mr. President.
I'll reiterate that proposal.
Yeah.
Anything you need to ask me, they told me you did a great job today.
Well done for Congress.
It was really amazing because I got a standing ovation in both places.
Great, great, great.
And both before and after.
You talked about everything, Europe, Vietnam.
Exactly, and put it in the general context.
Very aggressive and positive.
Great.
way to do it.
Then I had a long press conference.
Yeah, yeah.
Ron said that was just hit the nail right in the head and been seeing people all afternoon and so forth.
When will you finish here?
In about 15 minutes.
Mr. President, I have one question which perhaps we can settle now because it would help with Sabrina.
Brezhnev is leaving on Sunday from San Clemente, so if we sign this nuclear agreement,
It would have to be Saturday or Sunday in San Clemente.
Is that something that... No problem.
Would you prefer it Saturday in San Clemente or Friday here?
I'm looking at it from the news point of view.
Or Sunday in San Clemente.
These are the three choices.
I've just got Ron coming in in a minute.
Let me talk to him and call you back, can I?
Right, Mr. President.
On this line.
Right.
Are you going out tonight?
You there?
Well, I had initially planned to, yeah.
Yeah, that's not good.
That's good.
I was going to give you a free meal, but that's all right.
We'll let you go.
No, go on out.
That'll be good.
And do a little singing.
Okay, fine.
All right, Mr. Benson, if you...

NARA Description

On June 14, 1973, Henry A. Kissinger and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 5:43 pm to 5:46 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 040-115 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 40-115

Date: June 14, 1973
Time: 5:43 pm - 5:46 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Henry A. Kissinger talked with the President.

[See also Conversation No. 446-6C]
                                        -94-

              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Kissinger’s schedule
      -Meeting with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
            -Map room
            -Meeting
            -Leonid I. Brezhnev’s note
                 -Tone
            -Conversation with president, June 13
                 -Accommodations at San Clemente
                        -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                        -Irina Dobrynin
                        -Andrei A. Gromyko and wife [Lydia Gromyko]
                        -Security men

Kissinger’s briefings, June 14
      -Congressional reception
            -Standing ovation
      -Europe
      -Vietnam
      -Tone
      -Press conference
            -Ronald L. Ziegler

Kissinger’s schedule

President’s schedule
      -Brezhnev visit
            -Dobrynin
      -Departure to Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
            -San Clemente
            -Signing of Agreement [on Prevention of Nuclear War]
                  -Timing
                        -San Clemente, Washington
                        -Ziegler’s input
      -Ziegler meeting

Kissinger’s schedule
      -Dinner plans
            -President’s invitation
                                                -95-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on June 14, 1973

  • 040-116 5:46 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:46 pm and 5:48 pm.
  • 040-117 5:48 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 5:48 pm to 5:53 pm.
  • 446-007 5:58 PM · 4 min — 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 5:58 pm and 6:03 pm.
  • 446-008 5:58 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Chief Petty Officer met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:58 pm and 6:03 pm.
  • 040-118 6:03 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 6:03 pm.
  • 040-119 6:03 PM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:03 pm and 6:08 pm.
  • 446-009 6:03 PM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:03 pm to 6:04 pm.
  • 446-010 6:04 PM · 37 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 6:04 pm and 6:08 pm.

All 74 conversations from June 14, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 040-115, June 14, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/040-115 (accessed October 9, 2026).