President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to discuss urgent foreign policy and domestic administrative matters, focusing primarily on the status of ongoing diplomatic initiatives with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and upcoming economic policy announcements. Kissinger provided updates on the internal power dynamics within the Chinese leadership and coordination regarding the President's planned trip. Additionally, they reviewed talking points for an economic statement—involving coordination with Treasury Secretary John Connally and Arthur Burns—and strategized on how to leverage Kissinger’s public profile for future political and academic engagements.
On September 23, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:01 am to 10:35 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 280-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 280-3
Date: September 23, 1971
Time: 10:01 am - 10:35 am
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.
People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Message to Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters
-Time
-Mao Tse-tung
-Kissinger's communication with PRC delegation
-Meeting
-Time
-Mao
-Health
-Cancellation of flights
-Resumption of civilian flights
-Military flights
-Chou En-lai
-PRC Army
-Air Force
-Leadership
Foreign economic policy
-Preparation of statement for the President
-The President's appearance at the Detroit Economic Club
-Speech
-Length of statement
-Announcement
-Possible speech by John B. Connally
-Confidence in the US
-Surcharge
-Floating currencies
-Restrictions
-Surcharge
-Automatic adjustment of currencies
-Trade
-Devaluation of currencies
-Negotiations
-Floating of currencies
-New program
-Old system
-Germany, Japan
-Arthur F. Burns
-Cabinet meeting
-Date
-Connally
-Meeting
-The President's speech at International Monetary Fund [IMF]
-Changes
-Memorandum to the President
-US balance of payments
-Preservation of system
-Reform international monetary system
-Import surcharge
-Policies
-Negotiations
-Old monetary system
-New program
-Crisis-free
-Connally
-Adjustment of exchange rate
-Negotiations
-Assessments
-Competitive position
-Kissinger's preparation of talking point paper
-Preparation
-Connally
-Attaching Burns’ memorandum
-Cabinet meeting
-Time
-Connally's schedule
-Time
-Burns
-Length of meeting
-Technical discussions
Kissinger's schedule
-W[illiam] Averell Harriman
-Call to Kissinger
-Harriman's fiancee [Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward]
-Background
-Leland Hayward
-Randolph Chuchill
-The President's meeting, Chicago Convention
-1952
-Background
-Opposition to the administration
-Opposition to draft bill
-Vietnam negotiations
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Motivation
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Actions
-Democrats
-Pressure
Polls
-Gallup
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-US involvement in Vietnam
-Vietnam election
-David Brinkley
-[Arnold] Eric Sevareid
-Brinkley and Sevareid
-Brinkley
-Kennedy family
-National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
-President’s view
-Kennedy family
PRC
-Domestic situation
-Message
-The President's trip to the PRC
-Possible cancellation
-Changes in the PRC
-Kissinger’s forthcoming visit
-Possible cancellation
-Announcement
-Soviet Union-US summit
-Harriman
-Support for the President’s PRC initiative
-Concerns
-Effect on Soviet Union
Japanese-US relations
-Edwin O. Reischauer
-George W. Ball
-Amount of Retainer as Lobbyist
-John N. Mitchell
-Ball's actions
**********************************************************************
[Previous National Security (B) withdrawal reviewed under MDR guidelines case number
LPRN-T-MDR-2014-017. Segment declassified on 01/19/2018. Archivist: MAS]
[National Security]
[280-003-w003]
[Duration: 7s]
Japanese-US relations
-Handling of announcement
-US communication with the Japanese
-Potential Japanese leak of communication
**********************************************************************
Japanese-US relations
-The President's Administration
-Relations with Japan
-Visit by the President to Tokyo
-Stopover from Peking
-PRC response
-Japanese response
-Possible visit by the President
-Eisaku Sato
-Japanese Government
-Textile negotiations
-Japanese representative
-Visit to Kissinger
-Negotiations deadline
-President's conversation with Takeo Fukuda
-Date
-Announcement
Foreign policy
-Sato
-Soviet Union reaction
-Japanese reaction
-State Department Reaction
-Characterized
-Soviets
-PRC
-Soviets
-Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Josip Broz Tito
-Soviet response
-Kissinger's conversation with PRC delegation
-US strategy
The President's schedule
-Trip to Alaska
-West Coast
-Kissinger's schedule
-Taft Schreiber
-Meeting with businessmen
-Visit to Ronald W. Reagan
-Cabinet meeting
-Kissinger's attendance
-William P. Rogers
-Peter G. Peterson
-Handling of issue [Council on International Economic Policy [CIEP staffing?]
-Connally
-Paul A. Volcker
-Peterson
Kissinger's schedule
-Eugene J. McCarthy
-Herbert Stein meeting
-Vietnam War opponents
-Agreements
-Administration actions
-Public support
-Stein
-McCarthy
-Kissinger's conversation
-The President
-Politics
-Political parties
-The President's conversation with Haldeman
-Philadelphia
Public relations
-1972 campaign
-Television
-Cabinet officers
-Kissinger's role
-Celebrity
-Television
-Coverage
-Kissinger's television appearance
-Audience size
-Trip to the PRC
-Quality of coverage
-Mike Wallace
-CBS
-Invitation for television appearance
-Foreign relations groups
-University appearances
-Kissinger's trip to the PRC
-Post-trip activities
-New York City
-Universities appearances
-Debate at Yale University
-Princeton University
-Kissinger's schedule
-Appearances
-Off-the-record
-On-the-record
-Philadelphia
-Southern California
-University of Southern California [USC]
-Schreiber
-Kissinger’s conversation with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Businessmen
-Dinner
Number of guests
-Mass audiences
-Universities
-Audience
-Off-the-record
-Outcome of events in PRC
PRC
-Delay in PRC's response
-Amount of information
-Kissinger's negotiations with PRC delegation
-Advance men
-Questions
-Aircraft
-Kissinger's trip to the PRC
-PRC's response
-Announcement of the President's trip
-Walters
-Time
-Television
-Press conference
-Oval Office
-Walters
-Mao
-Delay
-Vietnam
-PRC's response
-Effect on the President's trip
-Soviet Union
-PRC
-Relations with the US
-Hanoi
-Domestic situation
-Possible events
-Airports
-Chou En-lai
-President’s trip
Kissinger's schedule
-Walter L. Cronkite, Jr.
-The President's visit
Vietnam negotiations
-Seven Points
-US position
-Constitutional process
-Demands
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-Communist takeover
-US position
Kissinger's schedule
-Walters
Kissinger left at 10:35 am.This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.