Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 298 › Conversation 298-039
Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam War and Troop withdrawal
Thursday, November 11, 1971 · 5:50 PM–6:11 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·1 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discussed the upcoming announcement regarding Vietnam troop withdrawal timelines. The conversation centered on weighing various withdrawal options, with Nixon expressing a preference to deliberate further despite internal debate over the proposed durations. Kissinger was tasked with coordinating with Secretary of State William P. Rogers to manage the messaging and internal policy friction surrounding these strategic decisions.
- Vietnam War
- Troop withdrawal
- Foreign policy
- William P. Rogers
- Policy deliberation
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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NARA Description
On November 11, 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 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 298-039 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 298-39
Date: November 11, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.
The President's call
The President's schedule
-[William P. Rogers]
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
Vietnam
-Forthcoming troop withdrawal announcement
-Rogers's views
-Kissinger’s forthcoming conversation with RogersAlso recorded on November 11, 1971
- 014-054 5:50 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm.
- 014-055 5:50 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm.
- 014-056 5:50 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm.
- 298-036 5:50 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm.
- 298-037 5:50 PM · 6 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 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm.
- 298-038 5:50 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm.
- 298-040 5:50 PM · 15 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 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm.
- 298-041 5:50 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 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 298-039, November 11, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/298-039 (accessed September 18, 2026).