Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 233 › Conversation 233-002

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Vietnam War

Tuesday, December 5, 1972 · 9:39 PM–10:05 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 54 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation233-002 on Tape 233StartTuesday, December 5, 1972 at 9:39 PMEndTuesday, December 5, 1972 at 10:05 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 233-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictates a memorandum regarding urgent Vietnam negotiations and the necessity of escalating military action. He references key advice from Henry Kissinger and John Connally, emphasizing the need for a firm stance following the administration's recent success in the 1972 election. The President uses this time to formalize his strategic directives and reflections on the ongoing peace process.

Audio

Download MP3 · 2.1 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

I was interrupted in the call by the, uh, the last, uh, and the heart of it began with the messages from Henry to, uh, step up the military, uh, and finally the following, Connolly after Connolly, had read it, and came down finally with a very firm, uh,
... ... ... ... ... ... ...

NARA Description

On December 5, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:39 pm and 10:05 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 233-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 233-002

Date: December 5, 1972
Time: Unknown between 9:39 pm and 10:05 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President dictated a memorandum.

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
chronological review 2007-2013]

       Interruption
             -Call

       Vietnam negotiations
             -Henry A. Kissinger
                  -Messages to the President
                         -Military
                         -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                         -John B. Connally
                         -Strong action
                         -1972 election

*****************************************************************

[This dictation continues as Conversation No. 233-3]

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

Also recorded on December 6, 1972

  • 157-002 9:31 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans, and Harrison H. ("Jack") Schmitt talked on the telephone at Camp David from 9:31 pm to 9:39 pm.
  • 233-001 9:31 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans, and Harrison H. ("Jack") Schmitt met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:31 pm to 9:39 pm.
  • 157-003 9:39 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:39 pm and 10:05 pm.
  • 233-003 9:39 PM · 34 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:39 pm and 10:05 pm.
  • 233-004 9:39 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:39 pm and 10:05 pm.
  • 233-005 9:39 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:39 pm and 10:05 pm.
  • 157-004 10:05 PM · 29 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David from 10:05 pm to 10:34 pm.
  • 233-006 10:05 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 10:05 pm to 10:34 pm.

All 49 conversations from December 6, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 233-002, December 6, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/233-002 (accessed October 10, 2026).