Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 388 › Conversation 388-017
Nixon, Kissinger & Haig on Vietnam Negotiations and North Vietnam
Wednesday, November 8, 1972 · 3:30 PM–3:37 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 8 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Henry Kissinger and Alexander Haig to deliberate on the timing and public announcement of upcoming peace negotiations with North Vietnam. The discussion focused on managing the logistics of these talks while coordinating a strategic message to South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu, whom Nixon insisted must not test his authority. The participants emphasized that the administration remained in a position of strength following the 1972 election and resolved to utilize the available time to ensure the peace settlement met their terms.
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Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 5 minutes of this recording (about 68% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Oh, hi, how are you?
We just, uh, dropped a note to your committee.
They wanted to put a meeting up.
It was a bunch of food.
Why do you think they want to do that?
Uh... Well, they let us announce it ahead of time.
Well, I'm sorry about it.
So, uh... Jack, that's a... Oh, what I'd like to do is to also...
I've got to...
I've got to...
He's calling me.
I've got to do that.
The, uh...
There are those figures for the 24th and 36th selections.
I mean, what is this?
It's a shadow.
Yeah.
Okay.
Monday, Thursday, Tuesday, Tuesday.
That has an option on Sunday.
Sunday is what?
The 9th year.
But I'm sure there will be a minute to be moved up to the 7th year.
Well, I can tell you that's the value.
We're not going to wait that long.
The baby's going to be tied on.
And that's going to start to... We don't see a queer wedding again.
We're going to stay in the limelight.
We're going to stay in the limelight.
We're going to stay in the limelight.
We're going to stay in the limelight.
We're going to stay in the limelight.
We're going to stay in the limelight.
We're going to stay in the limelight.
We're going to stay in the limelight.
Well, they just probably couldn't get ready with it on Thursday.
But they proposed the bullies.
It was a bad day.
We shouldn't do this in the middle of the week.
Because I think the amazing reason is probably because we're close to lunch.
They may want to get someone to advise them to do so, but they've got the right to take advantage of that.
Right.
Second, maybe they want to put out some cool news to prevent the issue of, for whatever reason, I'm not concerned about the delay on that thing.
Screw it now.
The election is over.
So far, it's just doing our time.
If I can get it done in a reasonable time.
Your trip's already been announced to Saigon.
Yes, sir.
But I'd like to have the announcement.
It's early.
So I'm just telling them we have to announce it.
The latest draft is my disadvantage of announcing it.
Yeah, we do have all the work of all the good partners.
We're going to do what we want.
All right.
And let you, what do you say, don't worry about it.
We don't care about it.
Time is working in our favor.
Let's use the time and use it well.
I think she will.
The question is, is it going to be Dan and Connor all the way through?
That's just that common.
It's going to be a little bit out of thin air.
We're looking at how that goes right now, too.
The election is over, and it's a hell of a thing.
And that's the way it is.
And if you want the bloodlines, that's where it's going to go.
Right?
Are they saying they've got a second player?
So I'll have to wait until Saturday to propose to the committee.
I don't think they're going to propose to the court on Saturday because they're here in the election.
They're half-closed.
I think she's probably going to have to do that.
Maybe there's some reason for that.
They may have, they have, we have a lot of information that they arrested, uh, to engage in a sort of new procedure of what would happen in the next three years.
We told them that after the next three years, in two weeks, we would report the book and sign it.
And I think what they now have to do is to tell their truth.
Now, let me say this, though.
If there's any of this, please correct me if I'm wrong.
We're ruthless as hell.
I mean, you're .
The options we have, I admit, aren't going to be delayed.
They say the plan here punches all of you through the roof, so .
So we can get to the day-to-day and say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
But I don't think we can do it in a day or two.
We can do it in a day or two.
We can do it in a day or two.
We want to do it in a day or two.
I'm sorry, but the main thing I wanted to say, Allison, you know you're good.
I'm sorry.
You've got a long time with me.
And the main thing is that you have trust.
You're all good.
I don't want you to trust me.
I don't want you to trust me.
I don't think I want you to tell him don't test the president at this point.
He's got no damn wallet anymore.
He's screwing around.
It's not going to be taken well.
We've got to have a letter.
... ... ... ... ...
NARA Description
On November 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Charles W. Colson, White House operator, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:30 pm to 3:37 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 388-017 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 388-17
Date: November 8, 1972
Time: 3:30 pm - 3:37 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Henry A. Kissinger and Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
Vietnam negotiations
-North Vietnam
-Message
-Meeting
- 55 -
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Conversation No. 388-17 (cont’d)
-Postponement until November 21, 1972
-Announcement
-Timing
Charles W. Colson entered at 3:31 P.M.
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
1972 election
1924 and 1936 elections
-Figures on returns
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
The President talked with the White House operator at 3:32 pm.
[Conversation No. 388-17A]
[See Conversation No.33-79]
[End of telephone conversation]
Colson left at 3:32 pm.
Vietnam negotiations
-North Vietnam
-Meeting, November 21, 1972
-Announcement
-Timing
-November 17, 1972
-Haig’s forthcoming trip to Saigon
-November 15, 1972
-Delay
-Le Duc Tho
Vietnam negotiations
- 56 -
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Conversation No. 388-17 (cont’d)
-North Vietnam
-Meeting
-Announcement
-Timing
-November 17, 1972
-Proposal
-November 14, 15, 1972
-Delays
-Reasons
-Moving supplies into South Vietnam
-Withdrawal of North Vietnamese troops
-1972 election
-Haig’s forthcoming trip to Saigon
-Announcement in Saigon
-Announcement
-Timing
-US bombing
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-1972 election
-Reaction to settlement agreement
-North Vietnam
-Meeting
-Proposal
-November 14, 1972
-1972 election
-North Vietnamese troops
-Restiveness
-Procedure
-Settlement agreement
-Signing
-Peace
-US bombing
-Public support
Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 3:33 pm.
-North Vietnam
-Meeting
-Timing
-November 21, 1972
- 57 -
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Conversation No. 388-17 (cont’d)
-November 17, 1972
-November 15, 1972
-November 22, 1972
-November 20, 1972
The President's schedule
-[Dr. William O. Chase]
Vietnam negotiations
-Haig’s forthcoming trip to Saigon
-The President’s message for Thieu
-Haig’s conversation with the President
-Trust
-The President’s decision
-Support for Thieu
-Warning about testing the President
-Letter from Thieu
Kissinger and Haig left at 3:35 pm.
The President’s schedule
-Chase
-The President’s forthcoming trip to office
Butterfield left at 3:37 pm.Also recorded on November 8, 1972
- 033-075 3:28 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 3:28 pm to 3:30 pm.
- 033-076 3:30 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:31 pm.
- 033-077 3:30 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:31 pm.
- 033-078 3:30 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:32 pm.
- 388-013 3:30 PM · 10 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 3:30 pm and 3:31 pm.
- 388-014 3:30 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:31 pm.
- 388-015 3:30 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Marjorie P. Acker met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:31 pm.
- 388-016 3:30 PM · 5 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 3:30 pm and 3:32 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 388-017, November 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/388-017 (accessed October 25, 2026).