Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 316 › Conversation 316-014

Nixon with unidentified visitors in his EOB office on Vietnam War

Tuesday, January 25, 1972 · 4:36 PM–5:30 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation316-014 on Tape 316 (tape position 02:37:22–02:37:37)StartTuesday, January 25, 1972 at 4:36 PMEndTuesday, January 25, 1972 at 5:30 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 316-014 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon practices a public statement regarding the administration’s Vietnam policy, specifically addressing the withdrawal of American forces and the transition to South Vietnamese self-defense. The recording captures the President rehearsing his rhetoric to ensure a clear articulation of the consequences should the enemy reject diplomatic negotiations or escalate military aggression. This exercise serves as a preparation for a forthcoming address aimed at justifying the administration's strategic posture in the ongoing conflict.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 111.7 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 61.0 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 02:37:22 into the tape and ends around 02:37:37.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

2:37:22If the enemy rejects our effort to negotiate, we will continue our program of ending American involvement in the war by withdrawing our remaining forces and solving the enemy's development capability of defending themselves.
2:37:32If the enemy's answer to our peaceful plan is to step up, step up their attacks, I shall be my, step up their attacks.

NARA Description

On January 25, 1972, 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 4:36 pm and 5:30 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 316-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 316-14

Date: January 25, 1972
Time: Unknown between 4:36 pm and 5:30 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 19-59]

Also recorded on January 25, 1972

  • 316-010 4:35 PM · 44 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:35 pm to 4:36 pm.
  • 019-059 4:36 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:36 pm and 5:30 pm.
  • 316-011 4:36 PM · 53 sec — 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 4:36 pm and 5:30 pm.
  • 316-012 4:36 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:36 pm and 5:30 pm.
  • 316-013 4:36 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:36 pm and 5:30 pm.
  • 019-060 5:30 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 5:30 pm to 5:32 pm.
  • 316-015 5:30 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:30 pm to 5:32 pm.
  • 316-016 5:32 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:32 pm and 6:32 pm.

All 29 conversations from January 25, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 316-014, January 25, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/316-014 (accessed September 26, 2026).