President Nixon met with Henry Kissinger and Soviet Ambassador Anatoliy Dobrynin to discuss the ongoing war in Vietnam. The primary focus of the conversation was Nixon's dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of U.S. propaganda efforts against North Vietnam, particularly concerning the bombing campaign and potential prisoner exchanges. Nixon directed Kissinger to pressure intelligence agencies, specifically the CIA under Richard Helms, to develop more aggressive and imaginative propaganda strategies, including the dissemination of disinformation and the announcement of increased B-52 deployments, to demoralize the enemy. Nixon also expressed a desire for new ideas on psychological warfare to be presented by Friday.
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Position in tape: 01:24:42 – 01:54:23
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190a.mp3
NARA Description
On May 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Anatoliy F. Dobrynin, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 8:44 am to 9:50 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 190-020 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 190-20
Date: May 18, 1972
Time: 8:44-9:50 am
Location: Camp David Hard Wire
The President met with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin and Henry A. Kissinger.
[Discontinuities appear in the original recording]
[Unintelligible]
The President, Dobrynin, and Kissinger left at 9:50 am.
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript was made by an AI model listening to the recording (gemini-3.8-flash) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Speaker names are the model's inference from the voices and the participant list. Words and names can still be wrong — verify against the audio and the finding aid before citing.
NixonWhy doesn't he just put the whole 1200 on that place [unintelligible] That's where he is, if he thinks it's there. The intelligence [unintelligible] accurate. He doesn't feel that he can really really give that a wallop? If they know they're in places, he'd know where they are.
NixonThe one part, Al, that I, I'm going to write a memorandum on it, but I really wish follow-up. I, I just don't think that Helms's outfit and that means of course our own outfit, even our own, that we're, we're probably doing doing the maximum that we should in terms of of propaganda, I mean in North Vietnam and in South Vietnam with the enemy.
NixonNow, are we are we doing anything like, for example, saying saying we've, pointing out that more B-52s are coming and "Come on over. You're losing," you know. I mean, every kind of a thing, you know, that was common place in World War II. But did, Helms's outfit ever come up with anything? I remember I wrote a memo on it about a week ago.
NixonWell, what are they Well, for Christ's sake, State doesn't know anything about that sort of thing.
NixonRight. Right. What are they playing? I mean, are they playing frankly, the dirty tricks game, you know. That's what you have to do, Al, if you know. It's you've got to mislead them. You don't tell them the truth. Tell them what is not true, scare the hell out of them.
NixonPoint that should be made is to now make a major effort to get prisoners. Just say, "Look, it's all over, and all mine has been [unintelligible] You'll be treated well." And you know, items
NixonWhere did these people get killed? You mean killed up in the north?
NixonJust indicate indicate, if you just tell Helms to indicate the president has ordered doubling the number of B-50 B-52s, that they're on the way. Let's put that out, that the, the number is Now, we have 100. The president has ordered another 100 to come in from Europe. Put that out.
NixonThink up Why, I just, I, I just want them to have some imagination, Al. I don't, we, we don't do anything that, you know, in NSC group. And, and that's one place we've been terribly weak throughout this whole, piece of war. On the propaganda side, just because it's in too many hands. Christ, State doesn't understand it, do they? They're pure
Nixonand all that, that's just crap. This is war. Remember George Creel in World War I? You know, even had silly OSS stuff in World War II, at times. But what, my point is, I really feel that this is a time now to if, if the, if propaganda, I mean if the tide of battle is turning, that's the time we're pouring in the propaganda. Don't you think so?
NixonYeah, but the other thing it seemed to me, remember you told me about that they just, just do one thing, why don't we do one thing? You know that C-1, what was it, C-5A they knocked out?
NixonDid they have you know that plane you said they was carrying that much ammunition, killed seven guys, yeah.
NixonYeah, yeah, yeah. Why not just put 20 B-52s in that general area there. I mean, wouldn't that be I mean, just just so the goddamn, they pulled this sort of thing they're going to get hit. Or has that been done?
NixonYou know, I, I really feel when they What was that, a, a rocket attack, or
NixonJust keep repeat the fire. Tell them on the propaganda side, just tell them that I'm, I if you could pass this word that I'm disappointed that I haven't had any ideas from Helms' outfit and not from the other outfit. And I want to see some by, I really want to see some Friday noon before I leave. What the hell are their new ideas on the propaganda front? Can you do that? Tell them I expect something, and I don't want a long paper and I don't want a long report.
NixonWhat new things are they suggest doing at this time, having in mind the fact that the tide of battle may be changing, and, and, and that we want to really pour terror into the hearts of the enemy? And, can you?
NixonYeah. I want some new ideas. Just say now, and tell them to work all night. I expect them to. They can do that. Can you do that? Not routine business, you know, like the guys are out there, poor guys in that plane, seven of them dead. Let these bastards that we have here work overnight for a change. You know, tumble off their ass and think up something, you know?
NixonSee Mr. Stewart Alsop, uh and he's a columnist in Washington, D.C. The White House operator has his number.
— 20 min 31 s with no transcribed speech —
Unknown[unintelligible]
Unknown[unintelligible]
— 1 min 31 s with no transcribed speech —
UnknownVery good.
Also recorded on May 17, 1972
131-022 7:50 AM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 7:50 am.
190-014 7:50 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 7:50 am.
190-017 7:59 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 7:59 am and 8:05 am.
190-018 8:05 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:05 am and 8:44 am.
190-019 8:05 AM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:05 am and 8:44 am.
189-001 9:14 AM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:14 am to 9:33 am.
189-002 9:33 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:33 am and 9:34 am.
189-003 9:34 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:34 am to 9:41 am.
Conversation 190-020, May 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 648452976). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/190-020 (accessed November 2, 2026).