Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 336 › Conversation 336-016
Nixon & Kissinger on foreign policy and policy implementation
Monday, May 8, 1972 · 3:58 PM–3:59 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building
AI Summary
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to refine the phrasing of a specific policy proposal, identified as the "second course of action." They determined that the language should explicitly state the intent to "take over the facility" to ensure that the administration’s commitment to the relevant association is clearly communicated. This brief discussion focused on strengthening the clarity and perceived resolve of the administration's stated objectives.
- foreign policy
- policy implementation
- strategic communication
- Nixon administration
Audio
Download MP3 (part 1) · 112.6 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 112.3 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 49.5 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 01:39:22 into the tape and ends around 01:40:20.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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
NARA Description
On May 8, 1972, Henry A. Kissinger and President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:58 pm and 3:59 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 336-016 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 336-16 Date: May 8, 1972 Time: Between 3:58 and 3:59 pm Location: Executive Office Building Henry A. Kissinger talked with the President. [See Conversation No. 24-5]
Also recorded on May 8, 1972
- 336-013 3:46 PM · 2 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 3:46 pm and 3:58 pm.
- 336-014 3:46 PM · 39 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 3:46 pm and 3:58 pm.
- 336-015 3:46 PM · 37 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 3:46 pm and 3:58 pm.
- 024-005 3:58 PM · 55 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 3:58 pm to 3:59 pm.
- 024-006 3:59 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:59 pm and 4:13 pm.
- 336-017 3:59 PM · 2 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 3:59 pm and 4:13 pm.
- 336-018 3:59 PM · 2 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 3:59 pm and 4:13 pm.
- 336-019 3:59 PM · 15 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 3:59 pm and 4:13 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 336-016, May 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/336-016 (accessed October 9, 2026).