Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 329 › Conversation 329-025

Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam War and Military Strategy

Tuesday, April 11, 1972 · 2:08 PM–2:45 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation329-025 onTape 329 (tape position 01:37:03–01:43:10)StartTuesday, April 11, 1972 at 2:08 PMEndTuesday, April 11, 1972 at 2:45 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 329-025 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to discuss intensifying military operations in Vietnam, specifically focusing on increasing the aggressiveness of U.S. naval gunfire and air attacks near the DMZ. Nixon directed Kissinger to order the Navy to advance its positioning to strike further inland, while also deciding to dispatch Alexander Haig to Vietnam for a firsthand situational report. Additionally, the pair coordinated a strategy for briefing Congressional leaders Mike Mansfield and Hugh Scott and reviewed logistical plans for the upcoming Soviet summit.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Is your meeting all right at the Wessie today?
Good.
Is there anything new today at the Wessie?
Is it bigger, the loss of lights, planes, if that's it?
Maybe it can, but we're going to buy a little insurance.
I know.
What do you mean?
This flight isn't going to go off?
What distance?
Exactly what do you mean?
You're referring immediately above the DMC or way upward?
Well, we've given them the direction.
Well, we've moved you on a cable in my face.
Why not Friday?
I'm going to do it because I need to for other reasons.
Larry can go to hell.
I've tried to throw people around.
With a little public opinion, we can work the North over again.
Does Hay agree with you that this ought to be done?
Well, well, anyway, when I suggest it, I think Hay's going to go.
And that's that.
Just say I want to go out there so I can have a first-hand report as to what the hell's going on out there.
Okay.
I'm giving him a hard time.
You tell him that I'm giving you a hard time, Andy, after all these complaints.
Because I have, anyway.
Who the hell taught you all, you know, to be true?
I've been calling night after night after night.
Nobody's doing anything.
It occurred to me, how about having the Navy move further up that road?
They aren't afraid of you, are they?
Well, how about having the cruisers particularly go up the road 75 miles, shovel stuff up the road further?
All right.
Can that order be given or has it been given?
Give it a meeting.
I want that to move up.
And we can do that very dramatically and soon.
Let's get that right up there at that number.
Sorry, but lunch today is... Oh, yeah.
You're going to have to see it next week, isn't it?
With regard to Mansfield and Scott, I think I'll let you be able to talk.
I don't know what you do.
They've been briefed on it.
We can just say that it was just discussed.
We tell them we think they want one, and that it will only embarrass them.
That's right.
What about the attitude toward the Russians?
Wouldn't you rather let Mansfield fervor out than let the Russians out?
Or would you want it the other way?
I won't say a word.
Fine, I wouldn't say a word about that.
Oh, I would say if the Russian summit comes up, yes, we'll go on.
Yeah.
And on the argument that we're afraid to lose pilots, that makes some argument to me.
But if, on the other hand, the question is how we end this damn war, is that your point?
You are a homologous.
Basically, the fleet now is not going to be conscious.
The B-52 is not going to be conscious, correct?
That's true.
But you want that?
Yeah.
All right.
Yeah, yeah, but get the fleet up there.
They can hammer it fine.
And also, on the other thing, get Hague out there.
He'll know how I feel.
I told both, both Robert E. Gray and both Garrett Hague.
Christ's sakes, now's the time that we've got to look forward a year.
Good, good, good.
You're going to talk to Gruber if we're deaf watching.
Yeah, I think it's a good idea.
And incidentally, I wouldn't mind going to Vienna.
It's both better.
There's Salzburg, and they have a lot of creeks around, and all the tourists and so forth.
It's probably fine.
I like Salzburg better, but I love Salzburg, especially the club in the summer.
But anyway, let them pick the place.
I don't care if you work.
Right.
But we don't, now we've got to avoid what we possibly can at dinner.
All right.
Right.
Good.
All right.
All right.

NARA Description

On April 11, 1972, 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 2:08 pm and 2:45 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 329-025 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 329-25

Date: April 11, 1972
Time: Unknown between 2:08 pm and 2:45 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Washington Special Action Group [WSAG] meeting

     Vietnam
          -Air attacks
                -Loss of planes
                -Demilitarized Zone [DMZ]
                -Authority
                       -The President's call to Thomas H. Moorer
                -Timing
          -Melvin R. Laird
          -Public response
          -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
                -Trip
                       -Report to the President
          -Air attacks
                -The President's call to Moorer
                       -The President's instructions to Kissinger
          -US Navy
                -Naval gunfire
                       -Targets
                       -Orders
          -Briefing
                -Michael J. Mansfield
                -Hugh Scott
          -Mansfield
                -Soviet Issues
                       -Soviet Summit
                            -The President's attendance
          -Air attacks
                -Casualties
          -Naval fleet
          -B-52s
          -Tacair
          -Haig's trip
                -The President's previous Conversation with John W. Vogt
                       -Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.

     The President's trip to Soviet Union
           -Kissinger's conversation with Carl Gruber
           -Stop in Vienna
           -Salzburg
                 -Possible stopover
                 -Tourists
           -State dinner

     The President's meeting with Kissinger

Also recorded on April 11, 1972

  • 022-108 1:14 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:14 pm and 2:06 pm.
  • 022-109 2:06 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard M. Helms talked on the telephone from 2:06 pm to 2:08 pm.
  • 329-021 2:06 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard M. Helms met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:06 pm to 2:08 pm.
  • 329-022 2:08 PM · 3 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 2:08 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 329-023 2:08 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:08 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 329-024 2:08 PM · 30 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 2:08 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 329-026 2:45 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:45 pm to 2:55 pm.
  • 706-004 2:57 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:57 pm to 3:03 pm.

All 29 conversations from April 11, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 329-025, April 11, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/329-025 (accessed September 18, 2026).