Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 336 › Conversation 336-054

Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam War and peace negotiations

Monday, May 8, 1972 · 6:14 PM–6:22 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation336-054 onTape 336 (tape position 02:38:12–02:38:25)StartMonday, May 8, 1972 at 6:14 PMEndMonday, May 8, 1972 at 6:22 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 336-054 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the strategic rationale behind the administration's recent escalation of the Vietnam War, specifically focusing on the decision to mine North Vietnamese harbors. Nixon emphasizes that these actions are not intended to expand the conflict, but are necessary measures to secure a lasting and honorable peace. He seeks Kissinger's alignment in maintaining national resolve to ensure the policy succeeds in achieving a favorable conclusion to the war.

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 02:38:12 into the tape and ends around 02:38:25.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

2:38:12I ask you for the same strong support that you've always been
2:38:42It is you most of all who will be watching.
2:38:44I know that you want to end this war.
2:38:45I know how much you want to regret it.
2:38:46I need you to know that all that I have said and done in this past three and a half years, I will try to do my end to war right now.
2:38:51You want peace.
2:38:51I want peace.
2:38:52But you also want honor, not defeat.
2:38:53You want a temperate peace, not a peace that is merely afraid to do what I want.
2:38:56At this moment, we must stand together in purpose.
2:39:09And so often in the past, we Americans did not choose to serve in the course of office.
2:39:13I had a mini-division on 110, where every vote was sure we could make the race.
2:39:16But what did I do?
2:39:17I asked for your support in this decision, a decision which has only one purpose, not to expand the war, not to escalate the war, but to end this war and win the kind of peace that will last.
2:39:25With God's help and your support, we will accomplish that critical task.

NARA Description

On May 8, 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 6:14 pm and 6:22 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 336-054 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 336-54

Date: May 8, 1972
Time: Unknown between 6:19 and 6:22 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Meeting with the President

Also recorded on May 8, 1972

  • 336-041 5:55 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and 6:09 pm.
  • 336-049 6:09 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:09 pm to 6:14 pm.
  • 336-050 6:14 PM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:14 pm and 6:22 pm.
  • 336-051 6:14 PM · 24 sec — 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 6:14 pm and 6:22 pm.
  • 336-052 6:14 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:14 pm and 6:22 pm.
  • 336-053 6:14 PM · 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 6:14 pm and 6:22 pm.
  • 336-055 6:14 PM · 44 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:14 pm and 6:22 pm.
  • 336-056 6:22 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:22 pm to 6:34 pm.

All 94 conversations from May 8, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 336-054, 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/336-054 (accessed September 18, 2026).