Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 335 › Conversation 335-027

Nixon & Haldeman on Vietnam War and US-Soviet Summit

Wednesday, May 3, 1972 · 5:11 PM–5:35 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation335-027 on Tape 335 (tape position 02:33:52–02:50:31)StartWednesday, May 3, 1972 at 5:11 PMEndWednesday, May 3, 1972 at 5:35 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 335-027 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discussed the logistical and political implications of the upcoming US-Soviet Union summit in light of the deteriorating military situation in Vietnam. They weighed the risks of proceeding with the summit against options for unilateral cancellation or mutual postponement, particularly considering the necessity of continued U.S. bombing campaigns. Additionally, the pair briefly touched upon the President's upcoming appearance at the funeral of J. Edgar Hoover.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 111.5 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 106.9 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 02:33:52 into the tape and ends around 02:50:31.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
2:35:23But it's totally accurate and I don't, I can't tell if it's not going to keep my brain going.
2:35:26The main thing on that is the fact that you're there.
2:35:31There's so much verbiage out about J. Edgar Hoover now that what you say, even if it were the gist of your address, would make some shit out of it.
2:35:37It really won't.
2:35:38But the fact that you're there and the people that met with him.
2:35:44Mrs. Eisenhower's going to school.
2:35:48We're going to see her.
2:35:48We're going to see her.
2:35:50That's okay.
2:35:55Yeah, I guess.
2:36:00He's convinced.
2:36:12He comes around, he went, he went around it from every possible direction, followed every line out as far as we could follow and all that.
2:36:22And it's all over.
2:36:23He can't go.
2:36:31First of all, he says, a lot of what we're talking about may well be good because some of the options are risky.
2:36:56Excellent, 7.
2:36:597, then that will eliminate one option, any option at least.
2:37:08Uh, eliminate the bombing option.
2:37:11Eliminate the bombing, the pre-summoned bombing option.
2:37:17Eliminate the bombing options against the cancellation options.
2:37:30...as an alternate approach to the same basic point, calling into the data and saying, obviously we can't proceed with the summit.
2:37:57I don't think that's a good idea.
2:37:58He argues, he's trying to argue this, he's afraid they'll run out and cancel it before we get a chance to do the campaign.
2:38:06But he says if they do that, they'll get the record perfectly and all that.
2:38:15It's just, the thing that overrides totally with that is that you cannot...
2:38:26Captured what?
2:38:53This is fine.
2:38:55It's necessary.
2:38:56Pass it.
2:39:35He goes, we have to bomb.
2:39:37And nothing seems to follow.
2:39:44He thinks that we didn't bother him.
2:39:54That's then you're in a reasonably good position.
2:40:21Actually, it's viable in the sense that if you could work it out with the right amount of people on national television, we couldn't schedule something any later than that.
2:40:33But from a political viewpoint, it could be a lot more useful to do this later than that.
2:40:46It might be such a good habit.
2:40:48If you went on a postponement, a mutual postponement instead of a unilateral cancellation, you would keep the hope of the people around.
2:40:56You wouldn't do that, I know, next to foreign policy as well, but you would keep your posture of strength on.
2:41:03And then you would act.
2:41:08You're willing to sit down and talk with them under these circumstances, and you avoid that.
2:41:15Posture will work.
2:41:16It's not a...
2:41:22I'm not sure he even wants to kill me.
2:41:25That's what I'm calling it.
2:41:27Yeah, that's right.
2:41:28I tried, but I made it quite strongly in that situation.
2:41:32He said, I didn't do well.
2:41:33What he said is, I am convinced the president will not cancel this on the phone.
2:42:13be in a position of signing a statement of whatever that thing is until we agree to postpone the song.
2:42:24You don't have a big stage where you can just say postpone it until you have a problem with the situation.
2:42:39and they wanted to go home.
2:42:40And they raised out immediately and said, then you can take the Democratic candidate.
2:42:44And I said, under no circumstances would you even consider it.
2:42:49He goes, of course, you can take the Democratic candidate.
2:42:51And they briefly, bleakly, said, whoa, whoa, whoa.
2:42:56I said, how could they fit you with everything you wanted to know?
2:43:01And before you go, you have to agree for your reason.
2:43:03While you were gone, I would agree to let you return.
2:43:06You would agree to let me return.
2:43:09I think you have to agree to that.
2:43:15The idea of this going, I mean, you just want to say, I'm the president.
2:43:20Just what Lyndon Johnson said after you came over to the White House that day and everything worked out and then you got NC about it.
2:43:25Went out the next day and said, well, you know, you have to.
2:43:33What do you do about a bomb?
2:43:36What do you mean?
2:43:37You have to bomb.
2:43:42You have to bomb in any event, really.
2:43:45Sure, because it's mined by the military.
2:43:50He's now raised to the specter of the military situation.
2:43:56He says it would be over by the end of the year.
2:44:08I would have charged her with money, but I just completely denied it.
2:44:16Would you treat that as a serious suggestion?
2:44:18Of course not.
2:44:21And good decision on that, because you've never taken senators from Congress before.
2:44:43I'm sure it is there.
2:45:07That's totally based on our action in Vietnam, rather than on their action.
2:45:15We cancel it, we claim their action, supporting our people.
2:45:28You wait over one month on the assignment, on the condition that things are then.
2:45:47And also that you have the problem of, just the problem of how you survive that heat in my state.
2:46:16It's quite true.
2:46:17It's a sighing experience.
2:46:19It's not as bad as it used to be.
2:46:22It's one of those pretty functions that have changed the atmosphere that we've come with.
2:46:28It's got us in four days with no ceremony.
2:46:34It's a good time now.
2:46:36It's nice to have work with it.
2:46:40It's probably a little bit more than I thought.
2:46:43That's why I have a smartphone.
2:46:47Okay.
2:46:48Okay.
2:47:20um the soviet negotiations and the soviet summit being as separable from vietnam right and if they see vietnam as one problem you have to deal with you know trying to
2:47:44But they have also seen a Soviet man writing an earlier picture of a longer war in Europe and China for many more complex American exclusive powers.
2:48:01What better man, frankly, to see the Soviet leader?
2:48:20He gets quite intrigued by what he thinks is a profound argument in his speech, though, which is that the Russians not only are our people, but they are the people of India, as that's true of what you're talking about, and that they said that...
2:48:48Where are you?
2:48:56Where are you?
2:48:59Where are you?
2:49:25it doesn't have
2:49:52There may come up with a better idea tomorrow.

NARA Description

On May 3, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:11 pm to 5:35 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 335-027 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 335-27

Date: May 3, 1972
Time: 5:11-5:35 pm.
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

     J. Edgar Hoover

     -Eulogy
          -Length
                -Number of words
          -Further work
     -Funeral
          -President's presence
                -Importance
          -Mamie G.D. Eisenhower

Vietnam
     -US-Soviet Union Summit
          -Henry A. Kissinger’s meeting with Haldeman
          -Possible cancellation by Leonid I. Brezhnev
                -Bombing
          -Postponement option
                -Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
          -Joint announcement
                -Kissinger's advice
                      -Haldeman’s view
          -North Vietnam offensive
                -Timing with Summit
                -Capture of Hue
                -Soviet trip
                      -Timing
                -Bombing
                      -Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.’s advice
                      -Timing
                            -Kissinger's trip to Paris
                      -Equipment
                      -Reasons
                      -Soviet response
                            -Possibility of Soviet cancellation
          -Postponement option
                -Arrangements
                      -Dobrynin
                -Advantages
                      -Political
                      -Brezhnev
                      -Public opinion
          -Cancellation by President
                -Kissinger's prediction
                      -Previous meeting with Haldeman

                      -Consequences
                            -Public opinion
                            -Political
          -Postponement
                -Disadvantages
                      -Democratic candidates
                            -Possibility of attending Soviet summit
                            -Briefings
                                  -Times
                                  -Lyndon B. Johnson
     -Bombing
          -Necessity
                -Military situation
                -Kissinger's advice
     -Soviet summit
          -Possibility of taking Democratic candidates
                -Senators
                -Congressmen
                -Cabinet members
                -Secretary of State
     -Soviet Summit
          -Bombing
                -Kissinger’s view
                -The President’s view
                -Possibility of Summit cancellation
                      -US and Soviet Union responsibility
          -Postponement
                -Timing
          -Situation in Vietnam
          -Agreement and ceremonies
                -Possible perceptions
          -Link with Vietnam
                -Public perception
          -Link with Europe, People’s Republic of China [PRC], Latin America, Middle
                East
     -Soviet Union
          -Arms for North Vietnam, India and Cuba
                -Kissinger’s view
     -Congress
          -Military aid

President's schedule

     Vietnam
          -Soviet summit
               -President's alternatives
                     -Compared to PRC trip decision

Haldeman left at 5:35 pm.

Also recorded on May 3, 1972

  • 023-143 3:49 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Warren E. Burger talked on the telephone from 3:49 pm to 3:53 pm.
  • 335-022 3:49 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Warren E. Burger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:49 pm and 3:53 pm.
  • 023-144 3:53 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:53 pm and 3:56 pm.
  • 335-023 3:53 PM · 41 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:53 pm and 4:34 pm.
  • 023-145 3:56 PM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:56 pm.
  • 335-024 4:55 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John K. Andrews, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:55 pm to 5:10 pm.
  • 335-025 5:10 PM · 22 sec — 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 5:10 pm and 5:11 pm.
  • 335-026 5:10 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:10 pm and 5:11 pm.

All 63 conversations from May 3, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 335-027, May 3, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/335-027 (accessed October 10, 2026).