Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 278 › Conversation 278-048

Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam War and Prisoners of War

Thursday, September 16, 1971 · 10:34 AM–10:48 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation278-048 on Tape 278 (tape position 02:03:37–02:09:36)StartThursday, September 16, 1971 at 10:34 AMEndThursday, September 16, 1971 at 10:48 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 278-048 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the stalled peace negotiations regarding Vietnam and the critical, unresolved issue of American prisoners of war. Facing pressure from Senator Mike Mansfield to set a withdrawal deadline, Nixon expresses frustration with the political opposition and orders an urgent, independent military and political assessment from Sir Robert Thompson. Additionally, the pair reviews the status of the Draft Extension Bill, with Nixon expressing deep skepticism regarding the feasibility and cost of transitioning to an all-volunteer military.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 11% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Is there anything I can say with regard to what Porter did say or what he didn't say?
If there is anything I can say.
Well, I noticed in the news summary there was another
uh, statement with regard to their EOW for December 30th version, as you can see.
The EOW thing, uh, the real, that's the only question on Vietnam.
It's both a new problem, you know, and, uh, I suppose it would be, I ask you, you can say, but how do you, what do you hope to do?
You see, as to how we get some indication that we're talking about the problem.
in many panels, including the response to the seven points of the conspiracy theory.
It's a hard line to decide.
If we press them and line them, aren't they, that's the name to them, is that they're escalated by our safety.
And what would you say to them if you want to say that?
I suppose it's a critical question.
You say we claim they haven't made it clear when they'll make one.
I see that one.
Go ahead.
Yeah, like Mansfield, uh, the C.A.
all day at D.C.
I thought the only time that was.
Huh?
All right, go to the next one.
Well, you'll see what he said this morning.
He said, well, he's going to insist on opening a deadline, uh, maybe two and a half months earlier because the time has been wasted.
Exactly, I didn't know damn well the casualties were down.
One-fifth of a similar period of five years, after 116, they said they were buried at 58.
They're getting out and they're moving out to another base.
They may want to get out and turn the country over to combat.
I do not believe the situation is unstable.
You have got many things to get on the double, I don't mean per se, but I'd like to get an analysis by Bunker of what the situation really is.
The second point is I think that I do feel that Bunker is going to do his best to get to
We're going to stand right by him and tell him to do this for himself.
So he gets paid quite a bit of money to make that stand right around him as clear as he can be.
Do you want to go with it?
It's not as good as it's supposed to be.
Can't you do that or have you done it?
It doesn't get true.
It's not perfect.
It doesn't make sense.
The other point is, though, that if I do, they'll want Munker's hand in the assessment of the political situation out there.
Hague, of course, will want to do the assessment of the military situation.
I wonder if you could get Thompson to go out there on a quick trip.
All right.
Get a cable to him, and I want him to give me an assessment within one week.
Okay, will you do that?
And before then, I said, wait a minute, I want to live in 48 hours.
I want it before the monthly trip, the monthly meeting.
And I was going to go to something like that.
And he's sitting there.
He knows what he's doing.
And I'd like to have that before the monthly meeting.
It would be very helpful for me to have that before the monthly meeting.
And the other thing is that I think it's important to do what?
Do what?
On this draft thing, what is your view that they lay this thing on the table and say, well, maybe they're going to go all out and volunteer on it?
Goddamn, I don't think that's going to happen.
Well, we can, but I mean, it's an enormous amount of money, and I don't think it's going to work.
That's the point.
What do you think?
Moral?
Well, that assumes, and you'll get back to a vote how, assuming that the House will go to another conference.
See, the problem is, that's the behavior that said you want to go to another conference.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
OK. All right.

NARA Description

On September 16, 1971, 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 10:34 am and 10:48 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 278-048 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 278-48

Date: September 16, 1971
Time: Unknown between 10:34 am and 10:48 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with an unknown person [Henry A. Kissinger?].

     Vietnam
          -William Porter
          -Conversation
          -News summary
                -Time
          -Prisoner of war [POW] issue
                -Questions
                -Problems
                -POW wives
                      -Pubic relations
                -Indications of action
                      -Response to proposals
                -US policies
                -Negotiations
                      -Claims by the US
          -Michael J. Mansfield
                -Press story

                      -Deadline, ramifications
          -Casualties
               -Vietnam
          -US military and political position
               -Ellsworth F. Bunker
               -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
               -Report
               -Sir Robert K.G. Thompson
                      -Possible trip
                           -Cable
          -Draft Extension Bill
               -George P. Shultz
               -All volunteer army
                      -Cost and effectiveness
               -Conference Committee action
               -F. Edward Hébert

Also recorded on September 16, 1971

  • 009-036 10:33 AM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield talked on the telephone from 10:33 am to 10:34 am.
  • 278-047 10:33 AM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:33 am to 10:34 am.
  • 009-037 10:34 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:34 am and 10:48 am.
  • 278-049 10:34 AM · 8 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 10:34 am and 10:48 am.
  • 278-050 10:34 AM · 1 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 10:34 am and 10:48 am.
  • 009-038 10:48 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and F. Edward Hébert talked on the telephone from 10:48 am to 10:57 am.
  • 278-051 10:48 AM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon, F. Edward Hébert, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:48 am to 10:57 am.
  • 009-039 11:15 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:15 am and 11:48 am.

All 52 conversations from September 16, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 278-048, September 16, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/278-048 (accessed October 12, 2026).