Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 336 › Conversation 336-057
Nixon alone in his EOB office on Vietnam War and Mining of Haiphong Harbor
Monday, May 8, 1972 · 6:34 PM–7:14 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building
AI Summary
President Nixon rehearsed his televised "Address to the Nation on the Situation in Southeast Asia," during which he planned to announce the mining of North Vietnamese harbors and the interdiction of rail lines. The discussion focused on refining the speech's tone and delivery, particularly addressing concerns about congressional reception and public perception of his war policies. The President articulated the strategic conditions for the cessation of these military actions, including the return of prisoners of war and a ceasefire, while explicitly signaling the move to the Soviet Union.
- Vietnam War
- Mining of Haiphong Harbor
- Televised Address
- Prisoners of War
- US-Soviet Relations
- Ceasefire
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 02:49:14 into the tape and ends around 02:56:39.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
2:49:14But I think you're right.
2:49:14I think you're right.
2:49:15That way, too, it's consistent with what you've done previously with that discrepancy.
2:49:21But I'll be happy to do it after that.
2:49:24Well, we may have a...
2:49:26This time goes on.
2:49:27They get a quite heavy murder.
2:49:28They may have to, you know, have to go on something alive at night or something like that.
2:49:37That's something we haven't done.
2:49:40We'll...
2:49:42One of the dangers, if I go live, is that the congressional committee is going to be on record.
2:49:51You know, it's an interesting thing.
2:49:56I think how history repeats itself.
2:50:04Remember the camp?
2:50:09The house?
2:50:11They put me through.
2:50:11November 3rd, they put me through.
2:50:12And, of course, they used to like my mother a lot.
2:50:14But, November 3rd, they didn't have no help.
2:50:16They were grabbing me out of here.
2:50:18Well, Cambodia was unbelievable.
2:50:19They didn't help me at all.
2:50:40This time we can't even tell you.
2:50:43But this given that you were the meeting man, you couldn't handle it, and here's your brother-in-law telling you tonight that these guys, I mean, they had disposed of you and sent you out to do some support.
2:50:59Now he says it's a good decision.
2:51:01But even today, in the words of his supporters, that was a decision you had to make.
2:51:06Well, I was almost happy to be here.
2:51:08I don't want to take some questions.
2:51:11Well, it's a matter of position.
2:51:15Well, I think he's positioned with the only one .
2:51:42Well, this will be a hard delivery.
2:51:48The cotton has to pass through there.
2:51:54Well, I will do it cool, and then I'll be moving.
2:51:56Oh, yeah.
2:51:56It's going to be hard to get it all the way in.
2:52:11Throughout the war here in Iran, the United States has tried to re-industrialize, to re-industrialize its unprecedented panel of support, and our responsibility is to bring nation-to-nation peace to this America as a whole, and peace on the continent.
2:52:26However, when they have any advantage over this country, they throw this whole out into the battle on the territory of this country, and do this in a way that you could simply do it in a certain sense.
2:52:3960,000 Americans currently live in the United States.
2:52:40They know that necessity will be created because of this country's trust in the United States.
2:52:44And therefore, the group now must be denied the right to supply the people of the United States.
2:52:50The World War II nation republic did not.
2:52:53I order the following agents, which are easy to implement, to try and save the people of the United States.
2:52:58All agents in our community of sports will be mined.
2:53:02They'll have access to these sports.
2:53:05And there will be many stable operations coming to the sports.
2:53:09United States forces have been directed to take appropriate measures to divvy internal and military forward waters in North Vietnam and to get to the military response.
2:53:18Rail and all other communications have been cut off to the maximum extent possible.
2:53:24They are made for us in the military targets in North Vietnam over the years.
2:53:29These actions are not directed against our military mission.
2:53:32Countries with ships presently in our ability to support and motorize their ships will run three day-long journeys to leave the city.
2:53:39The actions I have ordered will cease in the following conditions of act.
2:53:48First, all unarmed prisoners of war must be returned.
2:53:53Second, there must be an intervention to provide ceasefire throughout the region.
2:53:59Once president of the border leaves, once the intervention to provide ceasefire is begun, we will stop all unarmed prisoners of war throughout the region.
2:54:09And at that time, we will proceed with a complete withdrawal of all American forces to Vietnam before us.
2:54:12These are terms which do not require us to remember them.
2:54:16They would prevent the United States from withdrawing them.
2:54:22They would have to kill them to remember them every time.
2:54:24They would allow negotiations with the political center of the country to be at peace themselves.
2:54:32They would prevent all the nations which have suffered this long war.
2:54:35They would permit the last of the urgent working communities
2:54:42Your people have suffered too much in your pursuit of conquest.
2:54:49Do not compound their hate with continued arrogance.
2:54:54Choose to step the path of a peace that redeems your sacrifice and scarifies children and countries that may run out of reconciliation.
2:55:05Their hate looks out for you now.
2:55:10you shall continue to have our firm support in your resistance against aggression.
2:55:13It is your spirit that will be turned down by the United States.
2:55:16It is your will that will shape the future of your country.
2:55:22Third, to other nations, especially those which are allied with North Carolina, the actions I have announced tonight are directed against you.
2:55:28Their sole purpose is to protect the lives of 60,000 Americans who have been greatly endangered in the event that our nation has to continue to rule for.
2:55:37and to prevent the imposition of a communist government when through aggression upon a nation of 17 nations.
2:55:41I particularly direct my comments to the Soviet Union.
2:55:46We respect the Soviet Union as a great power.
2:55:50We recognize the right of the Soviet Union to defend its interests on the earth's surface.
2:55:54The Soviet Union, in turn, has recognized our right to defend our interests.
2:55:59No Soviet soldiers have done it yet.
2:56:0260,000 Americans are.
2:56:03We expect you to help your allies.
2:56:05We cannot expect us to be led by the people who love our colonies, but let us, among all great powers, know our origins, only for the purpose of their defense, not for the purpose of launching invasions against their enemies.
2:56:13Otherwise, the cause of peace, the cause of the people who have so great a say, will be served to the end.
2:56:21Our two nations have made significant progress in our negotiations with these powers.
2:56:30We are now in nature of greatness, on nuclear arms, on trade, on a host of other issues.
2:56:35Let us not slide back through the dark shadows of our previous age.
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 6:34 pm and 7:14 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 336-057 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 336-57
Date: May 8, 1972
Time: Unknown between 6:34 and 7:14 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President rehearsed his “Address to the Nation on the Situation in Southeast Asia”.
[This is a continuation of Conversation No. 336-34]
[See Public Papers of the Presidents, Richard M. Nixon, 1972, pp. 583-587]
(rev. Nov-01)Also recorded on May 8, 1972
- 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.
- 336-056 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.
- 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.
- 336-059 6:34 PM · 14 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.
- 336-060 6:34 PM · 18 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 6:34 pm and 7:14 pm.
- 336-061 6:34 PM · 25 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 6:34 pm and 7:14 pm.
- 336-062 6:34 PM · 35 sec — 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.
- 336-063 6:34 PM · 42 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 6:34 pm and 7:14 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 336-057, 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/336-057 (accessed September 18, 2026).