Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 362 › Conversation 362-016

Nixon & Haldeman on Vietnam War and Paris Peace Negotiations

Monday, August 14, 1972 · 2:50 PM–3:52 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation362-016 on Tape 362StartMonday, August 14, 1972 at 2:50 PMEndMonday, August 14, 1972 at 3:52 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 362-016 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictated a memorandum to H.R. Haldeman regarding political strategy surrounding the Vietnam peace negotiations. The discussion focused on undermining the credibility of Sargent Shriver by highlighting that he was intentionally excluded from past Paris negotiations by Lyndon B. Johnson. Nixon further strategized to use John Connally’s perspectives to amplify criticisms of Shriver’s public rhetoric and alignment with former officials like Dean Rusk, William Averell Harriman, and Cyrus Vance.

Audio

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NARA Description

On August 14, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:50 pm and 3:52 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 362-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 362-16

Date: August 14, 1972
Time: Unknown between 2:50 pm and 3:52 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President dictated a memorandum to H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

            Vietnam negotiations
                -John B. Connally

                     -George E. Christian's remarks
                          -R. Sargent Shriver
                               -Knowledge of Paris negotiations
                                   -Lyndon B. Johnson
                 -William P. Rogers’s possible conversation with Dean Rusk
                     -Shriver
                          -Attacks on Rusk and Johnson
                          -W[illiam] Averell Harriman and Cyrus R. Vance
                               -[William J. Jorden]
                                   -Henry A. Kissinger
                                   -Henry Cabot Lodge
                 -Shriver
                     -Attacks on credibility
                          -Connally's opinion

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 43% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Just to be sure you've got everything in common, we're trying to get across.

He said that George Christian told him that Schreiber didn't know anything about the negotiations in Paris because Johnson didn't trust him.

He suggested that Rogers might call on Rush to see if Rush would say something to understand it.

In fact, Schreiber was attacking Rush and Johnson for

This is the cancer that was.

The heat port is affecting us.

I view the fact that Jeremy advanced for his men from Paris, not ours.

I look at Henry Jordan.

He tells me, well, this is totally where everything was.

He was there with us.

I was right there with him.

And as well as

It's time to do a prayer call.

Also recorded on August 14, 1972

768-024 1:47 PM · 40 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Daniel P. Moynihan, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:47 pm to 2:48 pm.
769-002 2:48 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:48 pm and 2:50 pm.
029-073 2:50 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:50 pm and 3:52 pm.
362-015 2:50 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:50 pm and 3:52 pm.
362-017 2:50 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:50 pm and 3:52 pm.
362-018 2:50 PM · 8 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 2:50 pm and 3:52 pm.
029-065 3:52 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 3:52 pm to 3:54 pm.
362-019 3:52 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:52 pm to 3:54 pm.

All 49 conversations from August 14, 1972 →

Nixon phone call with Rebozo on Florida trip and John B. Connally February 8, 1972 · 6 min
Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Watergate and John B. Connally April 26, 1973 · 2 min
Nixon phone call with Graham on John B. Connally and Lyndon B. Johnson April 16, 1972 · 5 min
Nixon, Kissinger & Johnson on Vietnam War and 1972 Presidential Campaign July 24, 1972 · 18 min
Nixon, Corcoran & Bull on John B. Connally and Democratic Party politics March 6, 1973 · 39 min
Nixon phone call with Connally on J. Edgar Hoover and Funeral May 3, 1972 · 5 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 362-016, August 14, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/362-016 (accessed November 15, 2026).