Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 332 › Conversation 332-029

Nixon & Butterfield on Congressional relations and Vietnam War policy

Tuesday, April 25, 1972 · 10:40 AM–10:45 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation332-029 onTape 332 (tape position 03:03:03–03:04:12)StartTuesday, April 25, 1972 at 10:40 AMEndTuesday, April 25, 1972 at 10:45 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 332-029 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield to coordinate logistics for an upcoming dinner with congressmen. The discussion focused on finalizing the guest list, specifically addressing invitations for Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, Donald Rumsfeld, and former representative Clark MacGregor. The participants also reviewed drafting edits for a speech regarding Vietnam policy, emphasizing the administration's stance against communist aggression and the necessity of preventing future conflicts.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 111.9 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 111.7 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 111.8 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 03:03:03 into the tape and ends around 03:04:12.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 · Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.

3:03:04We honor her both sides, the South Vietnam and North Vietnam, each respecting the other than the others.
3:03:10Before you say, leave that view, we often want to share it with you, so put in an insert before that.
3:03:20Black or North Vietnam or any other country, we want no territory, we seek no basis, and then we often want to share it with you.
3:03:30Thank you.
3:03:33And then after they, they should take it after.
3:03:39We will not be humiliated.
3:03:42We will not be abused.
3:03:43And we will never surrender.
3:03:45We will never surrender.
3:03:52I did not say this was a matter of jingoistic national crime.
3:04:02must face up to this informed and supported communist aggression.
3:04:05If it fails in Vietnam, it will be discouraged elsewhere.
3:04:11If it succeeds there, it will be encouraged elsewhere, and the risk of war in other places in the world will be an arm's length increase.
3:04:21Please let us bring our men home from Vietnam.
3:04:23Let us end the war in Vietnam.
3:04:25But let us end it in a way that the younger brothers and the sons of the brave men
3:04:31We have fought in Vietnam.
3:04:32We'll not be fighting in some other Vietnam at some time in the future.
3:04:40My friends and critics alike, this is an election year that I risk winning the election by resisting this new aggression.
3:04:53Our air naval force is to resist this new aggression.
3:04:58that I would greatly increase my chances to win the election if I brought peace to Vietnam, whatever the price.
3:05:09I can sit in his office and act in a way that weakens the presidency of the United States.
3:05:17I completely reject.
3:05:23Well...

NARA Description

On April 25, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:40 am to 10:45 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 332-029 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 332-29

Date: April 25, 1972
Time: 10:40 am - 10:45 am
Location: Old Executive Office Building

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

     The President's schedule
          -Dinner for congressmen
               -Melvin R. Laird
                      -Invitation
               -Guest list
               -Donald H. Rumsfeld
               -Former congressmen
                      -Clark MacGregor

Butterfield left at 10:45 am.

Also recorded on April 25, 1972

  • 332-023 10:05 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:05 am and 10:40 am.
  • 332-024 10:05 AM · 35 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 10:05 am and 10:40 am.
  • 332-030 10:45 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:45 am and 10:50 am.
  • 332-031 10:45 AM · 12 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 10:45 am and 10:50 am.
  • 332-032 10:45 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:45 am and 10:50 am.
  • 332-033 10:45 AM · 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 10:45 am and 10:50 am.
  • 332-034 10:45 AM · 1 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 10:45 am and 10:50 am.
  • 332-035 10:50 AM · 1 hr 47 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler, Manolo Sanchez, unknown person(s), White House operator, Henry A. Kissinger, and John K. Andrews, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:50 am to 12:50 pm.

All 54 conversations from April 25, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 332-029, April 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/332-029 (accessed September 18, 2026).