{"conversationCode":"136-017","tapeNumber":136,"conversationNumber":17,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-136-017","startDateTime":"1972-07-22T20:20:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-07-22T20:23:00.000Z","startDate":"22-Jul-1972","startTime":"4:20 PM","endDate":"22-Jul-1972","endTime":"4:23 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.;","description":"On July 22, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at Camp David from 4:20 pm to 4:23 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 136-017 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"CDST","recordingDevice":"Camp David Study Table","latitudeEstimated":39.648333,"longitudeEstimated":-77.465,"chronCode":3,"chronRelease":"Third Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"28-Feb-2002","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 136-17\n\nDate: July 22, 1972\nTime: Unknown between 4:20-4:23 pm\nLocation: Camp David Study Table (telephone)\n\nThe President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.\n\n[This is the original beginning of conversation No. 136-017, which has been merged with\nconversation 136-016.]\n\n[See Conversation No. 197-17C]\n\n       President's schedule\n             -Representatives of Baltic Republics\n                  -Possible meeting with the President\n                       -The President’s view\n                  -Soviet Union reaction\n                  -Possible meeting with Vice President Spiro T. Agnew\n                  -Lithuanians\n\n       Kissinger's conversation with John B. Connally\n\n       Invitation to Kissinger","filename":["136-017-splice.mp3"],"tapeStart":"00:51:33","tapeEnd":"00:52:57","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Kissinger, Henry A."],"prevCode":"136-016","nextCode":"136-018","tapeTranscriptFile":"136a.mp3,136b.mp3","transcript":[{"start":3117.87,"end":3118.19,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":3118.59,"end":3119.75,"text":"Yes, please."},{"start":3119.77,"end":3120.71,"text":"Mr. Kissinger, please."},{"start":3120.77,"end":3122.07,"text":"Thank you, Mr. President."},{"start":3124.94,"end":3125.82,"text":"Mr. Kissinger is on."},{"start":3126.46,"end":3126.88,"text":"Hello."},{"start":3127.58,"end":3128.04,"text":"Mr. President."},{"start":3129,"end":3136.74,"text":"Oh, Henry, we were looking over one schedule item here that I wondered about, and I had a reaction that was negative on it."},{"start":3137.88,"end":3145.37,"text":"The people representing the three Baltic countries, republics, want to come in."},{"start":3146.03,"end":3149.19,"text":"My own view is that that just sends the Russians right up the wall."},{"start":3149.61,"end":3156.89,"text":"I'm not much in favor of it, and the only reason I would go along with it is if you thought there was a major political gain."},{"start":3157.47,"end":3159.23,"text":"Well, what I thought I'd do is have Agnew see him."},{"start":3160.21,"end":3160.75,"text":"Let him see him."},{"start":3161.49,"end":3170.31,"text":"But I think if I do, I think it's just to just thumbs your nose right at the Russians, particularly with the Lithuanians having just had a hell of a fight."},{"start":3170.71,"end":3173.15,"text":"I think we can do them without receiving them."},{"start":3173.33,"end":3175.17,"text":"I would much prefer it, Mr. President."},{"start":3175.21,"end":3177.33,"text":"My instinct is exactly as good."},{"start":3177.35,"end":3177.89,"text":"Fine, fine."},{"start":3177.91,"end":3179.27,"text":"Well, we've got bigger games to play."},{"start":3179.49,"end":3180.11,"text":"I couldn't agree more."},{"start":3180.13,"end":3182.72,"text":"Bigger games to play, and we'll play them."},{"start":3183.34,"end":3183.61,"text":"Good."},{"start":3183.84,"end":3184.84,"text":"On the two points you made."},{"start":3184.86,"end":3185.32,"text":"Good, good."},{"start":3185.84,"end":3189.52,"text":"One other thing I wanted to tell you, if you felt, I mean, I didn't know what you were going to do, but..."},{"start":3190.32,"end":3193.06,"text":"If you want to, you're welcome to come to Camp David, you know."},{"start":3193.1,"end":3193.98,"text":"It's cooler up here."},{"start":3194.12,"end":3196.2,"text":"Oh, you're very nice."},{"start":3196.58,"end":3197.78,"text":"It's much nicer if you want to come."},{"start":3198.04,"end":3198.32,"text":"Right."},{"start":3198.56,"end":3200.28,"text":"I have some friends down there."},{"start":3200.3,"end":3200.52,"text":"Okay."},{"start":3200.54,"end":3202.6,"text":"I appreciate it very much."},{"start":3202.7,"end":3203.08,"text":"All right."},{"start":3203.2,"end":3203.9,"text":"Fine, Henry."},{"start":3204.01,"end":3204.86,"text":"Okay, thank you."},{"start":3205.11,"end":3211.35,"text":"Mr. Colson, please."}],"transcriptBoundary":{"start":3118,"end":3208,"startMethod":"llm-alignment","endMethod":"llm-alignment"},"transcriptConfidence":"high","transcriptSource":"bigtape","aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discussed whether to grant a meeting request from representatives of the Baltic republics, a move both men feared would provoke a hostile reaction from the Soviet Union. Nixon expressed his strong preference against a presidential audience, citing recent geopolitical tensions involving Lithuania. The two agreed that the meeting should be deferred to Vice President Spiro Agnew to maintain diplomatic discretion while still acknowledging the petitioners.","topics":["Baltic Republics","Soviet Union relations","Spiro T. Agnew","Diplomatic protocol","Foreign policy"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T08:32:53.555Z"},"topicSlugs":["baltic-republics","soviet-union-relations","spiro-t-agnew","diplomatic-protocol","foreign-policy"],"audioDurationSec":93,"audioFiles":[{"file":"136-017-splice.mp3","bytes":1484982,"durationSec":93,"bitrate":127745,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T14:10:22.743Z","originalFilename":["136a.mp3","136b.mp3"],"spliceSource":{"spliceType":"bigtape","sourceFiles":["136a.mp3"],"cutStart":3116.5,"cutEnd":3209.5,"adjustedStart":3116.5,"adjustedEnd":3209.5,"boundaryMethod":"llm-alignment","confidence":"high","splicedAt":"2026-09-18T14:10:22.743Z"},"transcriptPrev":{"segments":17,"replacedAt":"2026-09-18T08:55:35.947Z"},"audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/136-017-splice.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/136-017","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/136/conversation-136-017","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}