Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 223 › Conversation 223-020

Nixon phone call with Haig on Vietnam War and Diplomatic negotiations

Sunday, October 22, 1972 · 10:10 AM–10:16 AM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation223-020 on Tape 223StartSunday, October 22, 1972 at 10:10 AMEndSunday, October 22, 1972 at 10:16 AMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 223-020 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig meet at Camp David to strategize on ongoing diplomatic negotiations regarding the Vietnam War. Nixon expresses strong reservations about finalizing an agreement before the upcoming presidential election, fearing it will be perceived as a surrender. The two men discuss maintaining a firm stance with their counterparts, emphasizing that the U.S. will continue to negotiate while refusing to be pressured into a premature settlement that could undermine their political or military position.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 41% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Cool.
Now, I will be back about 12 o'clock or 12.
I can't believe it.
I'm just coming back anyway.
And I thought that we could get together.
We'll meet and sort of talk this thing out a bit.
If you agree, that's fine.
Okay.
And I didn't use that any further.
Thank you.
Have you talked to Green again or not?
Sure.
Now, the only thing that I was thinking there, if you want to play at a higher level, I almost think I might have to talk to him at this point.
My answer is, I think we just have to tell him.
You could expect a negative, but we had it all set, because they're going to have a big resolution to play it as you put it on.
On the basis that you try to...
You need not be concerned about the election deadline.
That'd be the best thing you know, is that the next election season, that's on.
Well, I see your point.
I mean, that'd be confident.
Yeah, totally.
We will say, basically, on all the military sites and so forth and so on, that's a deal.
We're ready.
And we'll see.
We'll work with you to see what we can work out.
We may have to go our own way.
We understand we're going to go our own way.
But we haven't given up on you.
We're still working on it.
We're still working on it.
But we've got to put the lid on this thing and hold it.
And we need to just say that our relationship
two great powers must not be affected by the fact that these two bits which are acting the way they are.
And then now let's keep our heads, if you keep theirs down, we'll keep theirs down.
That's the responsibility.
I really feel that I have, if I told you that, that could have quite an impact on you.
And I'll be there at 1215.
And if we think well, I'll call an ambulance.
just lay it out like that, but we'll talk it through first.
The other thing is that I just have a good little morning email, and I am just really adamant on not going to the office at this point in time, because the book is a complete surrender.
You know, I mean, it'll be played that way, and also it'll look like Ramsey required to go in on all I had, and making sure we're going to get the prisoners back, and sure,
You know, but they'll say, what in the hell have we fought for in the prisoners?
He's going to the Naui, you know, now.
He's like, I think another part of the game, he can make a commitment to go to the Naui later.
Yeah, and I'll say, all right, let's meet in Paris and keep talking in the Naui later.
Or he must, it must not be.
The point is this.
I strongly feel that Vietnam, in some particular
I think that we are doing the wrong thing because of the election.
And I just think we ought to say no.
There's not going to be a good election.
The main point is we've come a long way.
In other words, they haven't got all the cards either.
And we're still buying.
And that's the way it's going to be.
So therefore, we'll have to.
The sad part of it is that I just don't know how to sell Vietnam.
I don't see any leadership other than the Jews.
I don't see any other course.
But then what happens?
I'm going to be strong if we cut off at the system center.

NARA Description

On October 22, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 10:10 am to 10:16 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 223-020 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 223-20

Date: October 22, 1972
Time: 10:10 am - 10:16 am
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

[See Conversation No. 151-11]

Also recorded on October 22, 1972

  • 151-008 9:45 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:57 am.
  • 223-016 9:45 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:57 am.
  • 223-017 9:45 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:57 am.
  • 151-009 9:57 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 9:57 am to 10:09 am.
  • 223-018 9:57 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:57 am to 10:09 am.
  • 151-010 10:09 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:09 am and 10:10 am.
  • 223-019 10:09 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 10:09 am and 10:10 am.
  • 151-011 10:10 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone at Camp David from 10:10 am to 10:16 am.

All 26 conversations from October 22, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 223-020, October 22, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/223-020 (accessed October 10, 2026).