Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 43 › Conversation 043-152

Nixon phone call with Stennis on Laos cease-fire and PRC-US liaison office

Wednesday, February 21, 1973 · 3:12 PM–3:15 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Stennis, John C.Conversation043-152 on Tape 43StartWednesday, February 21, 1973 at 3:12 PMEndWednesday, February 21, 1973 at 3:15 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 043-152 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon calls Senator John C. Stennis to check on the senator's recovery and to provide a confidential briefing on recent diplomatic developments. The discussion centers on the favorable implications of the Laos cease-fire for U.S. military expenditures and the upcoming announcement regarding the establishment of liaison offices between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Additionally, Nixon previews the release of American prisoners held in China, including CIA operative John Downey, and suggests that these improved relations serve as a strategic check on the Soviet Union.

Audio

Download MP3 · 4.3 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Hello.
Senator Stanton speaking.
Hello.
Hello, Mr. President.
Well, I'm just checking in to see how you're feeling this week.
My goodness, Elias.
Yeah.
You called, said you called like this and bounced me out of bed a lot faster.
Yeah, yes.
Well, it's coming along all right, is it?
Coming along all right so far, Mr. President.
Right, right.
Good.
Just fine.
Good, good.
You're up.
You continue to do a mighty fine job.
Well, we were glad to see that Laos ceasefire.
As you know, John, all these things are very fragile because these communists can't be trusted, but at least the Laos ceasefire like the Vietnam one, it means we will be able to discontinue our air attacks there, which is good.
Yes, sir.
And we won't get any planes lost.
Make it so much better for you, too.
Well, another thing, too, that it'll save us a little money that we'll probably have to use for other purposes.
That's right.
Right.
I had remembered, I remembered you said...
What are you expecting on that?
Yeah, we thought we'd get it a little sooner, but they're about a week late, but they are fighting and arguing.
Cambodia, incidentally, Kissinger just got back from China, a couple of interesting things.
He will have, there'll be a communique tomorrow.
This is to you in confidence at the moment, but it'll be announced tomorrow at 11.
We're going to have an interest, what we call sort of an office.
Let them have an office here simply for discussion, and we'll have one in Peking.
Now, that will not in any way infringe upon the Taiwanese.
It's not recognition, but you know there are countries where you do not have...
relations where you have a sort of a...
The purpose of this will be for trade matters and that sort of thing.
So that'll be announced tomorrow.
But more important than that, he got very good assurances of cooperation from them on Southeast Asia.
Now, what they will do, we don't know, but we have reason to think they'll help.
He won't say too much about that publicly, but privately, the assurances are very good.
A couple of other things you'll be interested in that he will announce tomorrow.
They had two flyers, you know, in China.
And now they will be released in the next two or three weeks.
And then they also have this fellow Downey, you remember?
He's a CIA man.
He's in for five, imprisoned, you know, because he's caught...
And they say the last half of this year they're going to examine his sentence.
That's all they'll announce tomorrow.
But as a matter of fact, they have told us that if I write a letter to them at that time, that they'll release him.
So that'll get everybody out of China that they held.
Just splendid.
Congratulations again in this office here, I mean, this peaking situation.
I think that'll mean a great deal.
Well, what it'll do is to, it's also another thing, John, it's going to mean it'll keep the Russians a little loose, too.
Yeah.
You know?
Yeah.
Well, that's just splendid, Len.
I'm so glad to see it come about, and you stay with it.
I'll be with you any time I can.
Well, I appreciate it, and we're just glad you're coming along there.
Yes, sir.
Okay, bye.
Thank you very much.
So long.

NARA Description

On February 21, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and John C. Stennis talked on the telephone from 3:12 pm to 3:15 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 043-152 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 43-152

Date: February 21, 1973
Time: 3:12 pm - 3:15 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with John C. Stennis.

[See Conversation No. 860-4]

       Stennis’s health

       Southeast Asia
            -Laos cease-fire
                  -US bombing
                       -Budget savings
            -Cambodia

       The People’s Republic of China [PRC]
            -Communiqué
                  -Henry A. Kissinger
            -PRC-US liaison office
                  -Trade issues
                  -Taiwan
                  -Purpose
                  -Announcement
                        -Timing
            -Southeast Asia
            -Release of Americans in the PRC
                  -John Downey
                        -Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
            -Liaison office
                  -Soviet Union
                                             -88-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on February 21, 1973

  • 860-004 3:12 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John C. Stennis met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:12 pm to 3:15 pm.
  • 043-153 3:15 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:15 pm and 3:26 pm.
  • 043-154 3:15 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:15 pm and 3:26 pm.
  • 860-005 3:15 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:15 pm and 3:23 pm.
  • 860-006 3:15 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:15 pm and 3:23 pm.
  • 860-007 3:15 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:15 pm and 3:23 pm.
  • 860-008 3:15 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:15 pm and 3:23 pm.
  • 860-009 3:23 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:23 pm to 3:26 pm.

All 88 conversations from February 21, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 043-152, February 21, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/043-152 (accessed October 11, 2026).