Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 386 › Conversation 386-005
Nixon & Haldeman on Vietnam War and Henry Kissinger
Tuesday, December 5, 1972 · 6:44 PM–7:35 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 50 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to deliberate on the status of Vietnam peace negotiations and the potential resignation of Henry Kissinger. The discussion focused on evaluating internal and external perceptions regarding a possible departure by Kissinger. No final actions were finalized, but the participants weighed the strategic implications of such a resignation on the ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On December 5, 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 6:44 pm and 7:35 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 386-005 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 386-5
Date: December 5, 1972
Time: Unknown between 6:44 pm and 7:35 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
Vietnam negotiations
-Haldeman’s message to Henry A. Kissinger
-Kissinger’s resignation
-The President’s and others’ viewAlso recorded on December 5, 1972
- 386-003 6:29 PM · 59 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:29 pm to 6:30 pm.
- 034-148 6:30 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:30 pm and 6:43 pm.
- 386-004 6:30 PM · 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, White House operator, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Zosimo T. Monzon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:30 pm and 7:35 pm.
- 034-026 6:43 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 6:43 pm to 6:44 pm.
- 386-006 6:44 PM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:44 pm and 7:35 pm.
- 386-007 6:44 PM · 12 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 6:44 pm and 7:35 pm.
- 386-008 6:44 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:44 pm and 7:35 pm.
- 386-009 6:44 PM · 34 sec — unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:44 pm and 7:35 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 386-005, December 5, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/386-005 (accessed September 28, 2026).