Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 329 › Conversation 329-009

Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam War and B-52 bombers

Tuesday, April 4, 1972 · 8:45 PM–8:50 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation329-009 on Tape 329 (tape position 00:13:19–00:17:45)StartTuesday, April 4, 1972 at 8:45 PMEndTuesday, April 4, 1972 at 8:50 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 329-009 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to discuss military operations in Vietnam, specifically focusing on the deployment of B-52 bombers. Nixon expressed frustration regarding delays caused by weather conditions and sought confirmation that military commanders had the necessary authority to launch strikes. The President directed Kissinger to ensure that massive air strikes were carried out over the next 24 hours to maintain momentum in the conflict.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 18% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
At all?
Yeah.
I wonder if he's having a report on the weather.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I love the, uh, dropout.
No, no projections, that's for sure.
They hope it, they think it's gonna break any time.
You never know.
It's starting to clear.
And it does.
All hell breaks loose for it every time you do it.
That's big.
Wow.
You can't do any of the other things until you've done everything.
But the main thing is that I want you to go forward and go on that high path and then we'll recruit everyone.
One couple is never enough to be useful.
The weather there is all right.
Yeah.
There's nothing else fitting that to be useful.
I know.
Yeah.
I agree.
I agree.
But if we're going to be stuck in there too long, we can't be, you know, we can't be stuck in the mud all the time.
Because otherwise, you know, we can't be stuck in the mud all the time.
That'll raise all the help that we'll have to do in the rest of the summer for the weather.
You sent me a little note on the, uh, uh, the river.
I forgot what the name of it was.
I don't know what it was called.
Yeah.
Well, on the other hand, well, I'm not concentrating on the B-3.
That's over.
Could we just tell them more or do you have a practice call again to give a massive strike to the D-3 out here for the next 24 hours?
Can you do that?
You know how to do that, right?
That's fine, we'll have some contact with them.
50 trees should be in the center.
Now what about 50 trees above?
But, I mean, the 52s.
Tell me about the 52s.
Yeah, I know.
But use the 52s the other place, too.
You've given authority to use it above the DMC, haven't you?
All right.
All right.
All right.
Right.
And, uh, but they haven't talked to me yet.
Oh, yeah, they haven't.
I see.
I see.
All right.
They've got all the authority they need.
And, uh, more, I don't know, because of that story.
They are.
Okay.
Just pray for the, pray for the goddamn, the weatherman, okay?

NARA Description

On April 4, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:45 pm to 8:50 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 329-009 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 329-9
Date: April 4, 1972
Time: 8:45 pm - 8:50 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

     [See Conversation No. 22-77]

Also recorded on April 5, 1972

  • 022-076 8:15 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:15 pm and 8:45 pm.
  • 329-001 8:15 PM · 7 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 8:15 pm and 8:45 pm.
  • 329-002 8:15 PM · 24 sec — unknown person(s) and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:15 pm and 8:45 pm.
  • 329-003 8:15 PM · 52 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 8:15 pm and 8:45 pm.
  • 022-077 8:45 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:45 pm to 8:50 pm.
  • 329-010 8:50 PM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:50 pm and 9:42 pm.
  • 329-011 8:50 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:50 pm and 9:42 pm.
  • 329-012 8:50 PM · 20 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 8:50 pm and 9:42 pm.

All 54 conversations from April 5, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 329-009, April 5, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/329-009 (accessed October 1, 2026).