Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 333 › Conversation 333-011
Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam War and Military withdrawal
Wednesday, April 26, 1972 · 1:10 PM–1:45 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the endgame for U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, debating whether to fully withdraw all personnel or maintain a presence of advisors and civilians. Nixon expresses concern over domestic political pressures and the perception of American weakness, framing the conflict's mounting casualties in the context of historical wars. The discussion centers on maintaining resolve against political critics and the potential impact of the ongoing battle at Kontum on U.S. policy decisions.
- Vietnam War
- Military withdrawal
- Political resolve
- U.S. advisors
- Kontum
- Casualties
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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NARA Description
On April 26, 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 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 333-011 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 333-11
Date: April 26, 1972
Time: Unknown between 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with an unknown person [Henry A. Kissinger?].
Vietnam
-Report
-US military involvement
-Termination
-Civilians
-Advisors
-Briefing
-Troop losses
-Compared to World Wars I and II
-Kontum
-Liberals
-US responseAlso recorded on April 26, 1972
- 023-080 1:10 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm.
- 333-009 1:10 PM · 7 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 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm.
- 333-010 1:10 PM · 1 min — 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 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm.
- 333-012 1:10 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm.
- 333-013 1:10 PM · 42 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 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm.
- 333-014 1:10 PM · 38 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 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm.
- 333-015 1:10 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 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm.
- 023-081 1:45 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 1:45 pm to 2:07 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 333-011, April 26, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/333-011 (accessed September 18, 2026).