Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 297 › Conversation 297-032

Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam War and Troop withdrawal

Friday, November 12, 1971 · 12:59 PM–2:20 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation297-032 onTape 297 (tape position 01:51:14–01:52:27)StartFriday, November 12, 1971 at 12:59 PMEndFriday, November 12, 1971 at 2:20 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 297-032 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger deliberated on the messaging strategy for an upcoming announcement regarding U.S. troop withdrawals in Vietnam. They assessed how to respond to potential press inquiries concerning the pace of the withdrawal and specifically debated whether to explicitly characterize the policy as an increased rate of removal. The two agreed on a strategy for managing follow-up questions from the media to ensure the administration's narrative remained controlled.

Audio

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Position in tape: 01:51:14 – 01:52:27

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yn eich syniad, byddai'n gorfod i mi ddim dweud ein bod ni'n cynyddu'r cynyddu cyflwyniad.
Nawr, byddant yn dweud hynny mewn gwirionedd.
Dydw i ddim yn hoffi ei ddweud, ond os yw hynny'n cael ei ddweud mewn unrhyw ffordd, rydw i'n credu y byddwn ni'n gorfod i ni ddweud hynny.
Mae'r papur yma yn dweud bod hynny'n cynyddu'r cynyddu cyflwyniad.
Mae hynny'n dweud.
Nid yw hynny'n bwysig cael ei ddweud.
Dwi'n meddwl y byddai'n cael ei wneud yn y ffordd honno.
Y peth pwysicaf yw'r cwestiynau dilyn, a byddaf i'n ysgrifennu'r cwestiynau.
Iawn, byddaf i'n ysgrifennu'r cwestiynau.

NARA Description

On November 12, 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 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 297-032 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 297-32

Date: November 12, 1971
Time: Unknown between 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

       Vietnam
            -The President's forthcoming troop withdrawal announcement
                 -Possible press questions
                       -Rate of withdrawal
                              -Paper

Also recorded on November 12, 1971

  • 297-029 12:59 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 297-030 12:59 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 297-031 12:59 PM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 297-033 12:59 PM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 297-034 12:59 PM · 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 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 297-035 12:59 PM · 3 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 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 297-036 12:59 PM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.
  • 297-037 12:59 PM · 4 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 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.

All 93 conversations from November 12, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 297-032, November 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/297-032 (accessed September 18, 2026).