Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 246 › Conversation 246-016

Nixon alone in his EOB office on Vietnam War and Speechwriting

Wednesday, April 7, 1971 · 3:11 PM–3:15 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·46 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation246-016 onTape 246 (tape position 03:24:47–03:25:33)StartWednesday, April 7, 1971 at 3:11 PMEndWednesday, April 7, 1971 at 3:15 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 246-016 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon utilized this brief meeting to rehearse a public address regarding his Vietnam War policy. He focused on articulating his administration's strategy for troop withdrawal while maintaining stability in the region. The rehearsal served as a final refinement for the speech prior to its public delivery.

Audio

Download MP3 · 1.8 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).

Part of it.
Yeah, yeah.
As I continued facing what I found in any of the new offices, I was able to make the date for the recent American issue, and I was able to announce a step-up in control, without jeopardizing my regime's approach to Vietnam.
The agent of my oldest role, Henry Leonard, had golfed on a wave before he reached the chances of a lasting peace.
In January 1921, at the time of his death by a gun, there were no American combat coaches in Vietnam, and the Americans were killed.

NARA Description

On April 7, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:11 pm and 3:15 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 246-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 246-016
Date: April 7, 1971
Time: Unknown between 3:11 pm and 3:15 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President rehearsed a speech
[A transcript of the final version of this speech appears in Public Papers of the Presidents,
Richard M. Nixon, 1971, pp. 522-527]

Also recorded on April 7, 1971

  • 246-015 3:10 PM · 35 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:10 pm to 3:11 pm.
  • 246-017 3:15 PM · 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:15 pm to 3:55 pm.
  • 246-018 3:55 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:55 pm and 4:09 pm.
  • 246-019 3:55 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:55 pm and 4:09 pm.
  • 246-020 4:09 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:09 pm to 4:10 pm.
  • 246-021 4:10 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • 246-022 4:10 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • 246-023 4:10 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:30 pm.

All 42 conversations from April 7, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 246-016, April 7, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/246-016 (accessed September 18, 2026).