Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 43 › Conversation 043-010

Nixon phone call with Brennan on Amnesty and Vietnam War

Wednesday, January 31, 1973 · 12:38 PM–12:41 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Brennan, Peter J.Conversation043-010 on Tape 43StartWednesday, January 31, 1973 at 12:38 PMEndWednesday, January 31, 1973 at 12:41 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 043-010 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan discuss the public and political reception of the President's recent press conference, focusing specifically on the administration's hardline stance against amnesty for Vietnam draft evaders. Nixon emphasizes his commitment to achieving "peace with honor" in Vietnam, expressing frustration that critics and the media have failed to acknowledge the achievement. Both men agree that those who avoided service should face legal consequences rather than perform alternative service in the Peace Corps, and they note with surprise the absence of questions regarding the Watergate scandal.

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Yes, sir.
Well, I thought you would be pleased with my stick and lift to your friends on Amnesty.
Well, it was a fine job.
It had to be done.
It had to be done, you know, this double standard, you know, here are these poor devils come back, you know.
I think you got the country with you on that thing, and it's just the right thing.
That's right.
If anybody wants dessert, he's got to pay a price.
The poor bastards that served paid their price.
I think there's some guys over there doing a little gagging this morning.
Oh, yeah.
When I said this, I was going to gag you to write peace with honor.
Yeah.
You know, Henry in his whole briefing never used the term peace with honor.
Yeah, I'm aware of that.
Right.
And that's why I stuck it into him again.
I said, we're just going to use it every time we can.
Our people have got to step up to that sort of thing.
Right.
Interesting, though, you noticed of all the questions and the rest, they didn't really get into much.
It was Sarah McLennan had her usual, you know, mountain.
I was stunned there was no Watergate thing even mentioned, you know.
Oh, I think they were ready for one, but it didn't go long enough.
But the thing is that we had here, when you've got a major news story, I mean, the Henry trip.
Right.
And, of course, the major news story of Vietnam writing.
What the hell?
Why do people want to write about subject B?
They want to write about subject A.
Right.
They might figure that's just old stuff and it's all been answered anyhow.
No, they figure I'm not going to say anything to you.
Yeah, yeah.
They'll have a little fun with that amnesty when that'll really bring down all of the...
Junk it in the Peace Corps.
Including most of the White House staff, but that's all right.
Yeah, the junk in the Peace Corps should go on.
But I just thought the junk in the Peace Corps is very good, because that's what people suggest, you know, let them serve two years in the Peace Corps.
Now, wouldn't that be just ducky?
Right, right.
You know, send them down to Brazil for a little vacation for two years, you know, working with the natives.
Hell no, they're going to go to jail.
Right, right.
Don't you agree?
Yes, sir, I certainly do, 100%.
And they, well, it's not a question of, as I pointed out, that's why I brought in that prisoner thing, the guy that wrote me from prison.
I'm sympathetic to him, but people got to pay a price.
Well, listen, the whole country's with you on that thing, and you stuck it to him.
It was deserved, and he was really deserved it.
Yeah, he was asking, heal the wounds.
All right, who's going to heal them?
But by the time that some of them started to think about their responsibilities, I have seen not one of the liberal columnists, not one,
who were urging peace at any price when we got peace with honor, who have said, great.
Have you?
No, no, not at all.
Not one?
Well, no, or not one of the senators or congressmen either.
No, they're still squealing their heads off.
The governor's still shooting their mouth off, you know.
Sure.
Well, fine.
Okay, you can save this for the next one, all that crap you prepared that we didn't use.
Okay.
Fine job, though.
Okay, thank you, sir.

NARA Description

On January 31, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan talked on the telephone from 12:38 pm to 12:41 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 043-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 43-10

Date: January 31, 1973
Time: 12:38 pm - 12:41 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Patrick J. Buchanan

[See Conversation No. 403-27]

       Reaction to the President’s press conference
            -Amnesty
            -Peace with honor in Vietnam settlement
                   -Henry A. Kissinger
                   -The President’s view
            -Sarah McLendon
            -Lack of questions on Watergate
            -Kissinger’s trip
            -Vietnam
            -Amnesty
                   -The Peace Corps
                         -The President’s view
                         -Brazil
                         -Buchanan’s view
                                                -7-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                                Conversation No. 43-10 (cont’d)

                         -Press comments
                         -Prisoner’s letter to the President
                         -Congress’s comments

Also recorded on January 31, 1973

  • 043-009 12:36 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 12:38 pm.
  • 403-026 12:38 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 12:38 pm.
  • 403-027 12:38 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:38 pm to 12:41 pm.
  • 403-028 12:41 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:41 pm and 2:40 pm.
  • 403-029 12:41 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:41 pm and 2:40 pm.
  • 403-030 12:41 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:41 pm and 2:40 pm.
  • 403-031 12:41 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:41 pm and 2:40 pm.
  • 403-032 12:41 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:41 pm and 2:40 pm.

All 86 conversations from January 31, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 043-010, January 31, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/043-010 (accessed October 1, 2026).