Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 44 › Conversation 044-053

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Cease-fire agreement

Wednesday, March 28, 1973 · 3:57 PM–4:00 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation044-053 on Tape 44StartWednesday, March 28, 1973 at 3:57 PMEndWednesday, March 28, 1973 at 4:00 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 044-053 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discussed the messaging and content for an upcoming presidential speech regarding the Vietnam War, focusing on the enforcement of the cease-fire agreement. They collectively decided to remove references to economic aid for North Vietnam while incorporating stronger language to threaten consequences for ongoing cease-fire violations and infiltration. Additionally, they addressed the need to pressure the bureaucracy to take a more vigilant stance against potential Communist offensives and coordinated on Kissinger's upcoming diplomatic meeting with Soviet Ambassador Anatoliy Dobrynin.

Audio

Download MP3 · 8.9 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Yeah.
Mr. President.
Hi, Henry.
I got your memorandum on Vietnam and so forth.
Let me tell you one problem I have here and whether we can handle it.
with going into the aid to North Vietnam and this is very hard.
I would not recommend it.
And even aid to the South and that sort of thing.
My point being that the purpose of saying how we're going to keep the agreement and the rest, I think I can... You see, after my meetings with Chu, I'll have to see the press and I'll just lay it out there, perhaps.
with hitting it now is it needs more explanation so I've got to put I've got to know I agree with that see my problem no I agree with it I put down everything that might conceivably be what I what I feel in this one I should say is without raising I will raise a little bit of a problem I said that you know the idea that after 25 years of guerrilla war there's still some problems and so forth but we expect compliance but nothing more than that but I mean they used to say look
accomplished our goal and that's not, not Pollyannaish, but I'll leave a little bit of a thing.
I think if I get into the enforcement of the agreement and the aid to the North, that really requires a second, it really requires another speech.
Do you agree?
Do you agree?
I agree.
I think I would have one sentence in there that looked, it sounds threatening to the North.
Right.
Okay.
I mean, that sentence about that, it must be observed.
I'm in a room where no one can hear me.
This infiltration situation is very ominous.
It's now possible even that they'll start an offensive.
The bureaucracy is about as bad as they were in India, Pakistan.
They just want to bug out.
And I'm trying to browbeat them into taking a more vigilant position.
We've got to prevent the offensive.
And if we give the impression that nothing is being done now, that you can't make an explicit threat.
But if you could put in something that in the light of your previous thing, it can be just one sentence.
Dropping the aid, I completely agree with.
But the hell with the aid.
We'll just put it in there.
We expect an agreement has been made that we expect it to be complied with.
Something like that.
And we shall not tolerate a failure to strictly comply with the agreement.
Two sentences like that would be worth more than all the aid garbage we can put out.
I don't think this is the time even to mention aid to North Vietnam.
I agree.
I agree the hell with them.
In fact, in May, if this continues, we may have to cancel the whole idea.
because of their continued violation, you mean?
Exactly.
Right.
I haven't had a chance to talk to Dobrynin yet.
I talked to him last night, Mr. President.
He claims there's no problem about...
No real problem.
What's the date?
You are from the other date, too, or just...
I'm seeing him at 6 o'clock today, Mr. President.
Okay.
And we'll get into it then.
All right, fine.
I would just assume, if we can get ready, have it earlier, but if necessary, either time.
Okay, good.
Right.

NARA Description

On March 28, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:57 pm and 4:00 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 044-053 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 044-053

Date: March 28, 1973

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

Time: Unknown between 3:57 pm and 4:00 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

[See also Conversation No. 425-19]

       Kissinger’s memorandum on President’s March 29 speech
             -Economic aid
                     -North Vietnam
                     -South Vietnam
             -President’s meeting with Nguyen Van Thieu
                     -Press relations
             -Wording
                     -Enforcement of cease-fire agreement
                     -Aid to North Vietnam
                     -Subsequent speech on Vietnam
                           -Stronger language
                           -North Vietnam
                           -Cease-fire
             -Washington Special Action Group [WASG]
             -Infiltration
             -Bureaucracy’s attitude to South Vietnam
                     -Comparison with India and Pakistan
                     -Possible Communist offensive
             -Threat to North Vietnam
             -Aid to North Vietnam
                     -Cease-fire violations
                     -Cancellation

       Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
            -Kissinger’s conversation
            -Forthcoming meeting
            -Soviet summit
                   -Scheduling

Also recorded on March 28, 1973

  • 425-017 3:47 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:47 pm to 3:50 pm.
  • 425-018 3:50 PM · 10 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 3:50 pm and 3:57 pm.
  • 425-019 3:57 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:57 pm to 4:00 pm.
  • 044-054 4:00 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:00 pm and 4:11 pm.
  • 425-020 4:00 PM · 10 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 4:00 pm and 4:11 pm.
  • 425-021 4:00 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:00 pm and 4:11 pm.
  • 044-055 4:11 PM · 49 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:11 pm and 4:12 pm.
  • 425-022 4:11 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:11 pm to 4:12 pm.

All 65 conversations from March 28, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 044-053, March 28, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/044-053 (accessed October 1, 2026).