Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 24 › Conversation 024-059

Nixon phone call with Moorer on Vietnam War and Operation Linebacker

Tuesday, May 9, 1972 · 12:56 PM–12:58 PM ET · White House Telephone ·2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Moorer, Thomas H. (Adm.)Conversation024-059 onTape 24 (tape position 01:14:27–01:16:02)StartTuesday, May 9, 1972 at 12:56 PMEndTuesday, May 9, 1972 at 12:58 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 024-059 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Admiral Thomas Moorer discussed the implementation of the naval blockade and intensified bombing campaign against North Vietnam. Nixon emphasized the necessity of focusing on primary military targets like rail lines and power plants rather than secondary objectives. Moorer reported on a successful and supportive two-hour meeting with Senator John C. Stennis and the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding the operation.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello?
Admiral Mora, returning your call.
Who?
Admiral Mora.
Oh, yeah.
All right.
Yeah.
There you are.
Hello?
Good morning, Mr. President.
Well, I just wanted to tell you that now we depend on you to...
to see that we don't flub this one.
Yes, sir.
And particularly zero in.
Zero in.
Don't go to these secondary targets.
We're going to get those rail lines.
We've got to get the POL as a secondary place, of course, the power plants and the airfields.
But there's no damned excuse now because you have what the military has claimed it's never had before.
You've got the authority to do it.
Yes, sir.
We're going to do it, Mr. President.
I also want to tell you, I thought that was a magnificent...
I appreciate it.
I understand you called last night.
I wrote you a little note this morning, but it was just... Well, thank you.
And just stand up, did you do any good with Stennis?
Yes, sir.
I had Mr. Stennis and I had most of the Armed Services Committee this morning.
Do you think you...
We need Stennis if we can get him.
Yes, sir.
I think I can get him.
I'm working on several, but I thought it might be a little hostile perhaps, but in fact my hearing this morning, which I was there about two hours and a half, was very good.
Good.
Very good.
Good.
All right now.
Thank you, sir.
You can depend on us.
Carry on.
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On May 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Adm. Thomas H. Moorer talked on the telephone from 12:56 pm to 12:58 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-059 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 24-59

Date: May 9, 1972
Time: 12:56 pm - 12:58 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Thomas H. Moorer.

[See also Conversation No. 338-31A]

     Return call

     Vietnam

          -Blockade
               -Implementation
                    -Bombing
                          -Targets
                                -The President’s view
                          -Moorer's authority
               -The President's speech
          -Moorer's meeting with John C. Stennis and Senate Armed Services Committee
               -Need for support
               -Reception
               -Length

Also recorded on May 9, 1972

  • 024-058 12:31 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 12:31 pm.
  • 338-029 12:31 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 12:31 pm.
  • 338-030 12:31 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:31 pm and 12:37 pm.
  • 338-031 12:37 PM · 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and Adm. Thomas H. Moorer met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:37 pm to 1:12 pm.
  • 338-032 1:12 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:12 pm and 1:17 pm.
  • 338-033 1:12 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:12 pm and 1:17 pm.
  • 338-034 1:12 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:12 pm and 1:17 pm.
  • 338-035 1:17 PM · 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:17 pm to 2:00 pm.

All 96 conversations from May 9, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 024-059, May 9, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-059 (accessed September 18, 2026).