{"conversationCode":"251-042","tapeNumber":251,"conversationNumber":42,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-251-042","startDateTime":"1971-04-29T22:37:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-04-29T23:27:00.000Z","startDate":"29-Apr-1971","startTime":"6:37 PM","endDate":"29-Apr-1971","endTime":"7:27 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.;","description":"On April 29, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:37 pm and 7:27 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 251-042 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":1,"chronRelease":"First Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"5-Oct-1999","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 251-42\n\nDate: April 29, 1971\nTime: Unknown between 6:37 pm and 7:27 pm\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President talked with General Alexander M. Haig, Jr.\n\n     Prisoners of War [POWs]\n          -Repatriation\n                -Unilateral\n          -Internment in neutral country\n                -Bilateral\n                -New proposal","filename":["251-042.mp3"],"tapeStart":"03:05:06","tapeEnd":"03:05:42","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Haig, Alexander M., Jr."],"prevCode":"251-041","nextCode":"251-043","transcript":[{"start":0.31,"end":1.23,"text":"I'm sure we understand."},{"start":1.73,"end":3.97,"text":"The repatriation is unallotted."},{"start":4.43,"end":9.71,"text":"In other words, that will be done regardless of what they do, correct?"},{"start":10.05,"end":14.52,"text":"I know that, but I mean, we're willing to do that, right?"},{"start":14.58,"end":19.4,"text":"But the internment of youth in a non-general country is bilateral, right?"},{"start":19.42,"end":22.52,"text":"Or it must have been required there going into."},{"start":22.58,"end":29.52,"text":"It is that proposal that has not been made before, right?"},{"start":30.8,"end":31.53,"text":"Come on."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and Alexander Haig review the specific terms of a new proposal regarding American prisoners of war in Vietnam. They clarify that the United States remains willing to pursue unilateral repatriation of prisoners regardless of the enemy's response. Additionally, they discuss the introduction of a new bilateral proposal involving the internment of POWs in a neutral country.","topics":["Prisoners of War","Repatriation","Vietnam War","Diplomatic strategy","Military policy"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T11:47:42.052Z"},"topicSlugs":["prisoners-of-war","repatriation","vietnam-war","diplomatic-strategy","military-policy"],"audioDurationSec":36,"audioFiles":[{"file":"251-042.mp3","bytes":1446975,"durationSec":36.04,"bitrate":321165,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:36.695Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/251-042.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/251-042","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/251/conversation-251-042","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}