Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 391 › Conversation 391-007
Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam negotiations and Nguyen Van Thieu
Wednesday, November 1, 1972 · 2:57 PM–4:12 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger deliberate on potential diplomatic emissaries to South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu, considering figures such as William F. Buckley Jr. The discussion shifts to evaluating the qualifications and suitability of high-level diplomatic appointees, specifically debating the effectiveness of Ambassador Kenneth Rush. The conversation highlights the administration's strategic search for an envoy capable of managing delicate negotiations with the South Vietnamese government.
- Vietnam negotiations
- Nguyen Van Thieu
- Diplomatic emissaries
- Ambassadorships
- Kenneth Rush
- William F. Buckley Jr.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 45% 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 November 1, 1972, 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 2:57 pm and 4:12 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 391-007 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 391-7
Date: November 1, 1972
Time: Unknown between 2:57 pm and 4:12 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.
Vietnam negotiations
-Possible emissary to Nguyen Van Thieu
-William F. Buckley, Jr.
-James L. Buckley
-Ambassadorships
-Value
-[Graham Martin]
-[David] Kenneth Rush
-Melvin R. Laird
-Rush
-Background
-ToughnessAlso recorded on November 1, 1972
- 391-005 2:10 PM · 48 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:10 pm to 2:57 pm.
- 391-006 2:57 PM · 12 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 2:57 pm and 4:12 pm.
- 811-001 3:01 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:01 pm to 3:04 pm.
- 811-002 3:04 PM · 23 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:04 pm and 3:08 pm.
- 811-003 3:04 PM · 1 hr 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, John Cardinal Krol, White House photographer, Stephen B. Bull, Manolo Sanchez, and James McGettigan met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:04 pm and 4:07 pm.
- 811-004 4:07 PM · 1 min — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:07 pm and 11:59 pm.
- 391-008 4:12 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Raymond K. Price, Jr., Henry A. Kissinger, and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:12 pm to 4:23 pm.
- 032-121 4:23 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:23 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 391-007, November 1, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/391-007 (accessed October 5, 2026).