Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 322 › Conversation 322-040

Nixon, Kissinger & Haldeman on PRC-US relations and Public relations

Thursday, March 9, 1972 · 2:40 PM–4:30 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 9 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.; Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation322-040 on Tape 322 (tape position 02:06:40–02:15:56)StartThursday, March 9, 1972 at 2:40 PMEndThursday, March 9, 1972 at 4:30 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 322-040 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictates a memorandum to Henry Kissinger and H. R. Haldeman regarding media strategy and communication management. The discussion focuses on refining the public perception of the U.S. position toward the People's Republic of China, particularly concerning the recently released communiqué. Nixon also draws historical parallels to his 1959 trip to the USSR, reflecting on the effectiveness of radio and television addresses in shaping public opinion to inform his current diplomatic communications.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 7 minutes of this recording (about 79% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Random to history.
One copy to Holden.
On the one copy to Holden.
For this memo.
Random to Henry.
And I am certainly on some occasion when you're talking to a client, so if you're in the sky.
And especially when I'm in the center.
The cops.
That's a bad thing.
in relation to our state and our organization.
We've trained you well in the background.
We're going to put you on the ground.
We're going to put you on the saddle.
We're going to put you on the curb.
We're going to put you on the ground.
We're going to put you on the ground.
We're going to put you on the ground.
We're going to put you on the ground.
We're going to put you on the ground.
I'm not saying that I'm a non-collegiate man.
Well, I'm a non-collegiate man.
I'm a non-collegiate man.
I'm a non-collegiate man.
I'm a non-collegiate man.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
So, we actually started when I had to go to the show to get a report from my father's company.
He was 59.
My father was in Moscow.
I had a brain that was so good.
So, he was going to be a good resident.
He was on television, radio.
He was on TV before.
He was a lady.
He was in a company.
I had a lot of problems.
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.
That's coming up in three weeks.
We're going to do a big draft.
We're going to do three weeks.
We're going to do three weeks.
We're going to do three weeks.
In the session we had today, we drafted a 100,000 comments from the United States to the American audience at home.
We had an election coming up next week.
We had a report from the United States.
We had a Soviet audience, a Soviet team, and a Russian audience.
We had the American officials on call.
the discussion of the matter, and I was finally told not to admit it.
As far as the marriage law is concerned, I regret that this was the first time when a person of my rank would be allowed to be directed to a refugee.
I did not want it to be the last time.
That means I'll turn things on our basis.
What effect does that have on the American audience?
What?
What?
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
the kind of pressure we were under and trying to get it out.
We've got to prepare it.
It's the worst in the whole of California.
We're there for it.
We want to do it.
Yeah, I mean, of course.
I would suggest it's great to speak.
Right.
That's why it's really a lot of times
which would be the first time I have made the most possible effort
This phenomenon is totally incredible.
Incredible, of course.
But more than ever, we're going to want to recognize the current.
Every year, we're going to have to have the other end of the other in turn.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
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Yeah, I know what you want.

NARA Description

On March 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:40 pm and 4:30 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 322-040 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 322-40

Date: March 9, 1972
Time: Unknown between 2:40 pm and 4:30 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President dictated a memorandum to Henry A. Kissinger and H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

     Memorandum distribution
        -Haldeman
             -Talk with Herbert G. Klein, Ronald L. Ziegler or John A. Scali

     People’s Republic of China [PRC]
          -US position
          -Position
                -Compared to US position
                     -Kissinger’s backgrounder
                     -Communiqué

     President’s previous trip to the USSR, July 1959
           -Addressing the people of USSR
                -Radio and television
                -Media coverage
                -State Department speech draft
                -Llewellyn E. (“Tommy”) Thompson, Jr.
                      -Kitchen Debate
                -Speech
                      -Tone
                      -1960 election
                      -Significance
                      -Effect
                            -Americans-USSR
                                   -Reaction
                                        -St. Louis Dispatch
                                              -Favorable editorial

     PRC
           -Communiqué
                -Tone
                      -Leadership
                            -Public opinion
           -Perception of the President
           -Americans
                -Right-wing

Also recorded on March 9, 1972

  • 322-039 2:40 PM · 6 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 2:40 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • 322-041 2:40 PM · 8 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 2:40 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • 322-042 2:40 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rosemary Manarin met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:40 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • 322-043 2:40 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:40 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • 322-044 2:40 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:40 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • 322-045 2:40 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:40 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • 322-046 2:40 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 2:40 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • 322-047 2:40 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:40 pm and 4:30 pm.

All 28 conversations from March 9, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 322-040, March 9, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/322-040 (accessed October 3, 2026).