Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 336 › Conversation 336-056

Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam War and Naval blockade

Monday, May 8, 1972 · 6:22 PM–6:34 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 10 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.; [Unknown person(s)]Conversation336-056 on Tape 336 (tape position 02:39:09–02:49:14)StartMonday, May 8, 1972 at 6:22 PMEndMonday, May 8, 1972 at 6:34 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 336-056 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discussed the messaging and strategic rationale for the upcoming presidential speech announcing a naval blockade of North Vietnam. They reviewed the presentation of various U.S. courses of action, focusing on how to address potential North Vietnamese rejection of withdrawal offers and POW negotiations. The discussion emphasized the importance of maintaining a firm tone regarding the blockade while managing press perceptions and briefing administration officials like Melvin Laird and William Rogers.

Audio

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Position in tape: 02:39:09 – 02:49:14

part B, 35:48

336a.mp3
336b.mp3
336c.mp3

NARA Description

On May 8, 1972, 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. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 336-056 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 336-56

Date: May 8, 1972
Time: 6:22 - 6:34 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

     Vietnam
          -President’s speech on the blockade
                -US courses of action
                     -Wording
                -Deletions
                -US withdrawal

The President talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 6:22 pm and 6:34
pm.

[Conversation No. 336-56A]

                -Changes

[End of telephone conversation]

                -US offers
                     -North Vietnam rejection
                     -Prisoners of war [POWs]
                     -Withdrawal
                -Cambodia
                -Wording

                -Melvin R. Laird, William P. Rogers
                -Tone
           -Blockade
                -President’s decision
                      -President’s orders
           -Kissinger’s briefing
                -Termination of war
                -Importance
           -Kissinger’s meeting with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
           -Blockade
                -President’s speech
                      -Demeanor
                            -Press reports
                -Kissinger’s briefing
                      -Arrangements
           -Previous US actions
                -Cambodia, Laos
                -Rogers, Laird
                -Cambodia
                -Laird, Rogers
           -Blockade
                -President’s decision
                -President’s speech
                      -Delivery
                            -Tone

Kissinger left at 6:34 pm.

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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And so often in the past, we Americans did not choose to serve in forced amounts.
I had a mini-division on 110, where every vote was sure we would make the least of it.
But at one time, I asked for your support in this 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.
With God's help and your support, we will accomplish that dream.
It's so good that the last time, that the light they had shut down, it's not quite as good as it was.
In other words, they have dipped too much.
I don't write enough, but I can give the comments very well.

— 1 min 3 s with no transcribed speech —

I want to just step over for the rest of the last minute, but it's not okay.
Five years ago, I was doing that.
I was a doctor.
I was a doctor.
I was a doctor.
I was a doctor.
I was a doctor.
Thank you.
Thank you.
When we set out the three courses of action, we found out the first one was the course of E, and we all know that, but then another one we found out, and we say that, you know, that we say that when abandoning our purpose, we do it now, and so it's not a big deal, it's not a scare, and it's a progression of life, and it's not a commandment, it's not a commandment, it's not a commandment, it's not a commandment, it's not a commandment,
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, if they say, if we say, that you're a local treasurer, because if they believe the way they have to work, you know, it's easy to get out there and become a treasurer.
I'm glad you're here.
I'm glad you came out here.
I'm glad you came out here.
I'm glad you came out here.
I'm glad you came out here.
I'm glad you came out here.
I'm glad you came out here.
I'm glad you came out here.
I'm glad you came out here.
I'm glad you came out here.
I'm glad you came out here.
I'm glad you came out here.
I think that is true.
I think that is true.
I think that is true.
I think that is true.
I think that is true.
I think that is true.
They're going to ask for a higher price.
That's the point I made about this one.
The price should be a higher price.
Uh...
I don't know if he'll say it in such a way.
I think you should.
I think you should.
Okay.
Okay.
We didn't get any credits at all for the unreasonable amount of money.
They wanted to put out a particular system to blockade that we wanted to do.
I think at this stage of the game, we haven't received any questions.
That's what we've been doing for years.
I mean, that's, you're not ordering me now, but... No, but if you're asked, that's what I'm going to say.
I'm talking about this.
I would say that I would have said it when I was president yesterday.
One thing I think that you might have in mind is I'd say, don't raise hopes.
You should adapt to it and raise hopes that this is going to end itself.
You see what I mean?
I'd love to raise hopes.
No, I couldn't.
No, I think the point is, you can say this is a waste of time, but it will work.
I put it that way.
Two things I'll do with this meeting and this briefing tomorrow, what I'm trying to think of as good, to convey some of the human process, because for you, there's no one as big a savior as the human.
Just the many that give to the human, which you can't save.
And also get across the, you know, this utter idiocy that they're talking about.
I got an idea of, uh, you know, Mr. Alston, I guess it was.
He's got a giant guy with a shanker and all that bullshit.
I mean, if you, if you find out that you've never seen him on the cold in the motion, uh, the cold, the last emotion, let's say, the second thing, I guess, the first thing is that you can't have it with anyone having it, because it's not going to happen.
And whether it's a, you cannot have this, you can't have it with anyone having it.
And it was,
I think that's for that.
That's right.
And you can, incidentally, I want yours to be, I want you to look at the tape.
But we've actually found data on more of my interviews, I've been showing my pictures, that get pulled more, get heads down, get heads under the legs.
I think you're right.
I think you're right.
That way, too, it's consistent with what you've done previously with that discrepancy.

Also recorded on May 8, 1972

  • 336-050 6:14 PM · 48 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 · 27 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.
  • 336-054 6:14 PM · 16 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.
  • 336-055 6:14 PM · 47 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.
  • 336-057 6:34 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:34 pm and 7:14 pm.
  • 336-058 6:34 PM · 2 min — 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 6:34 pm and 7:14 pm.

All 118 conversations from May 8, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 336-056, 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/336-056 (accessed November 2, 2026).