Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 385 › Conversation 385-018
Nixon & Haig on Vietnam War and Henry Kissinger
Monday, December 11, 1972 · 5:42 PM–7:10 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 7 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Alexander Haig discussed the stalled Vietnam peace negotiations and the potential for a diplomatic breakdown with North Vietnam. The two reviewed the possibility of taking the stalled talks public, though Nixon expressed skepticism about such an approach. Nixon emphasized the need for a firm military response to North Vietnamese intransigence, suggesting an escalation of the bombing campaign should a negotiated settlement remain out of reach.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 28% 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.
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NARA Description
On December 11, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 385-018 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 385-18
Date: December 11, 1972
Time: Unknown between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
Vietnam negotiations
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Location
-Haig’s schedule
-Return
-Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Breakdown
-Publicity option
-Kissinger
-The President’s possible television [TV] statement
-US bombing of North Vietnam
-Duration
-December 12, 1972 schedule
-North Vietnam’s positionAlso recorded on December 11, 1972
- 034-047 5:37 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 5:37 pm to 5:42 pm.
- 034-048 5:42 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:49 pm.
- 385-017 5:42 PM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-019 5:42 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-020 5:42 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-021 5:42 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-022 5:42 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-023 5:42 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 385-018, December 11, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/385-018 (accessed October 1, 2026).