Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 207 › Conversation 207-006

Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Speechwriting and Vietnam War

Monday, August 21, 1972 · 12:28 PM–12:31 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation207-006 on Tape 207StartMonday, August 21, 1972 at 12:28 PMEndMonday, August 21, 1972 at 12:31 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 207-006 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger reviewed specific language for an upcoming address, focusing on political messaging and foreign policy rhetoric. The pair finalized the phrasing regarding draft evaders and debated how to characterize U.S. relationships with various global regions to ensure diplomatic inclusion. They also reached a consensus on the wording used to describe South Vietnam's military capacity to resist enemy offensives.

Audio

Download MP3 · 5.6 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
I'm going to be interested in using it sometime.
I'll do it right after the convention.
Yeah, right.
I'm going to take it to Florida.
Right, right.
I want to go over a couple of brief questions if I can.
First, with regard to the...
I'm just checking the numbers and things now.
I use the term hundreds of draft evaders.
Is it thousands or hundreds?
I think I can say hundreds and get away with it.
All right, I'll just say hundreds.
Who at least have gone to Canada.
That's funny, sir.
They're not.
Well, I think it's just as well to say hundreds.
I just don't want to say thousands, you see.
All right, fine.
Second point.
You remember we had that, you suggested a line about standing by our Europe and Asia and so forth.
I put in a very good line on it.
And the point is, you said Europe and Asia.
Allies, shouldn't I say allies?
Or do we have allies in Latin America?
I'll call them that then.
Why don't we say Europe, Asia, and Latin America?
Yeah.
I mean, Val Cruz, I mean, basically, we have the Alliance for Progress and the Statement of Caracas and all that sort of thing.
But I agree they're not allies.
But if you prefer not, leave it out.
I just wonder if the Latins might not appreciate
Why don't we just say our allies and friends?
Our allies and friends in Europe, Asia.
I'm not going to mention Africa.
God, that's going too far.
Do you mind just saying Europe, Asia and Latin?
See, we've got them.
Yeah, and very few friends.
Okay.
I've got a second.
The final point is one that we discussed but that I come back to again.
I said that regardless of how the negotiations come out, that we can, that we now help by the way that the South Vietnamese have met the offensive of the enemy.
They, and you said they have the capacity to defend themselves.
I wonder if that strip doesn't have a problem
I know it's stronger the other way, but it doesn't hurt it any to say soon.
Because that really means, well, we've got an operation.
That's what I was really trying to say.
Okay.
I'll put soon in.
Okay.
That's all I have.
Thank you.
All right.
Good.
there but I think they do now sure that's what I mean right as long as it would irritate us without

NARA Description

On August 21, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 12:28 pm to 12:31 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 207-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 207-6

Date: August 21, 1972
Time: 12:28 pm - 12:31 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

Henry A. Kissinger talked with the President.

[See Conversation No. 140-58]

Also recorded on August 21, 1972

  • 140-056 11:20 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 11:20 am.
  • 140-057 11:20 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:20 am and 12:28 pm.
  • 207-004 11:20 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 11:20 am.
  • 207-005 11:20 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:20 am and 12:28 pm.
  • 140-058 12:28 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:28 pm to 12:31 pm.
  • 207-007 12:31 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:31 pm and 1:31 pm.
  • 207-008 12:31 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:31 pm and 1:31 pm.
  • 207-009 12:31 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:31 pm and 2:58 pm.

All 18 conversations from August 21, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 207-006, August 21, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/207-006 (accessed October 9, 2026).