Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 336 › Conversation 336-034

Nixon alone in his EOB office on Vietnam War and Address to the Nation

Monday, May 8, 1972 · 4:57 PM–5:23 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation336-034 on Tape 336 (tape position 02:00:54–02:04:34)StartMonday, May 8, 1972 at 4:57 PMEndMonday, May 8, 1972 at 5:23 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 336-034 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon rehearsed his televised address to the nation regarding the escalation of the Vietnam War and the ongoing situation in Southeast Asia. The speech served to justify his decision to implement air and naval strikes in response to North Vietnam’s invasion of the South. Nixon detailed his recent diplomatic efforts, specifically referencing failed peace negotiations in Paris and outreach to Soviet leadership, to explain the administration's strategic shift toward military pressure.

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 02:00:54 into the tape and ends around 02:04:34.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
2:01:15Five weeks ago, Mr. Lee and the Congress departments of North Vietnam watched a massive invasion of South Vietnam, and a day that was made possible.
2:01:23My thanks are to our great and other advanced and massive weapons supplied and analyzed by the Soviet Union and other communist nations.
2:01:29The South Vietnamese have fought bravely to repel this brutal assault, catching them on both sides of the ground.
2:01:34Most gradually, there have been over 20,000 civilian and national security women and children in the cities of North Vietnam and these counties.
2:01:45As I announced in my report to the nation 12 days ago, the role of the United States in consistent disinnovation has been limited to air and naval strikes on military targets in North and South Vietnam.
2:01:57As I also pointed out in that report, we have responded to North Vietnam's massive military attack by undertaking wide-ranging new peace efforts aimed at ending the war with the negotiation.
2:02:13I sent our minister to Moscow on the four days of meeting with the General Secretary of Russia and other Soviet leaders.
2:02:18I instructed them to decide our desire for a rapid solution to the war and our willingness to look at all possible approaches.
2:02:25At that time, the Soviet leaders showed interest in bringing the war to an end on a basis adjusted to both sides.
2:02:31They urged resumption of negotiations in Paris and indicated they would use their constructive efforts.
2:02:37Based on these assurances, I authorized our minister
2:02:43the top North American peace negotiator in October on Tuesday, the second of March.
2:02:50Ambassador Porter, she knows how much she negotiates in Paris on Thursday, April 9th, and on Thursday, May 4th.
2:02:58At those meetings, all we can remember, all we heard from them, was Ambassador Greger and her reflex on their demands for our security.
2:03:05For example, for May 8th, the sister meeting, I authorized Dr. Kistler
2:03:12or about failing to see what will happen in the court of peace.
2:03:14The majority of the enemy's battery bills are considered negative,

NARA Description

On May 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:57 pm and 5:23 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 336-034 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 336-34

Date: May 8, 1972
Time: Unknown between 4:57 and 5:23 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President rehearsed his “Address to the Nation on the Situation in Southeast Asia”.

[See Public Papers of the Presidents, Richard M. Nixon, 1972, pp. 583-587]

Also recorded on May 8, 1972

  • 336-031 4:50 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:50 pm to 4:55 pm.
  • 024-013 4:55 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone from 4:55 pm to 4:57 pm.
  • 336-032 4:55 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:55 pm and 4:57 pm.
  • 024-014 4:57 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:57 pm and 5:23 pm.
  • 024-015 4:57 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:57 pm and 5:23 pm.
  • 336-033 4:57 PM · 55 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 4:57 pm and 5:23 pm.
  • 336-035 4:57 PM · 17 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 4:57 pm and 5:23 pm.
  • 336-036 4:57 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:57 pm and 5:23 pm.

All 94 conversations from May 8, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 336-034, 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/336-034 (accessed October 9, 2026).