Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 395 › Conversation 395-024
Nixon & Haig on Vietnam War and Paris Peace Accords
Friday, January 12, 1973 · 8:55 AM–9:23 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 28 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Alexander Haig met to coordinate the messaging and diplomatic strategy surrounding the nearing Vietnam peace settlement. They discussed the importance of managing Congressional relations and the timing of public announcements to ensure political support, specifically addressing the sensitivities of South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu. The conversation focused on maintaining a low-key approach to the negotiations and preparing for briefings with Congressional leaders to present the agreement as the best achievable outcome.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 16 minutes of this recording (about 56% 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 January 12, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:55 am to 9:23 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 395-024 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 395-24
Date: January 12, 1973
Time: Between 8:55 am 9:23 am
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
Congressional hearings
-23-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 395-24 (cont’d)
-The President's conversation with Stephen B. Bull
-Haig's courtesy calls to Senators
Unknown man
-Departure
Henry A. Kissinger
-Press relations [?]
-Bombing [?]
Haig's trip to Saigon
-Complication
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Haig’s assignment
-The President’s representative [?]
Vietnam settlement
-Timing
-Le Duc Tho
-Cease-fire provision
-The President's announcement
-Kissinger
-Timing
-Wording
-Further discussions
-Briefing for Congressional leaders
-Previous experience
-Thieu's position
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Kissinger
-Mistaken impression
-The President's role
-Asians
-Kissinger
-Best possible agreement
-Congressional support
-The President's announcement
-Timing
-Signing
-The President’s schedule
-24-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 395-24 (cont’d)
-San Clemente
-Thieu
-Midway Island
-Briefing for William P. Rogers and Melvin R. Laird
-The President's conversation with Col. Richard T. Kennedy
-Timing of announcements
-Bombing halt
-Kennedy
-Timing
-Kissinger's schedule
-Previous briefings
-Breakdown of negotiations
-Resumption of bombing
-Suspension of bombing
-The President's schedule
-Florida
-Kissinger
-Saigon
-Postponement
-Congress
-Haig's trip to Saigon
-Rogers's response
-Laird
-Meeting in Florida
-Decision
-Rumors of progress
-Bombing halt
-Haig's trip to Saigon
-Thieu cooperation
-Congress
-Public statements
-Announcement
-Kennedy
-Rogers, Laird
-Kissinger
-Super Bowl
-Kennedy’s advice
-Congressional relations
-Senate
-Briefing
-25-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 395-24 (cont’d)
-Agreement
-Content
-Timing
-Rogers
-Congress
-Timing
-Kissinger’s return to Paris
-Agreement details
-Compared to principles
-Briefing for Congressional leaders
-Timing
-US military actions
-Bombing
-South Vietnamese Air Force
-Laird
-Cease-fire
-Bombing
-South Vietnam
-US withdrawal
-Cambodia, Laos
-Agreement
-Thieu’s cooperation
-Announcement
-Timing
-Haig's trip to Saigon
-1968 bombing halt
-Effect
-Bombing halt
1972 election
-Kissinger
-Kennedy
-Rogers
-H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Congressional relations
-Press relations
-Haig's trip to Saigon
Haig left at 9:23 am.
-26-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUMAlso recorded on January 12, 1973
- 035-150 8:07 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:07 am and 8:19 am.
- 035-151 8:19 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Col. Richard T. Kennedy talked on the telephone from 8:19 am to 8:28 am.
- 395-019 8:19 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Col. Richard T. Kennedy met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:19 am to 8:28 pm.
- 395-020 8:28 AM · 15 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 8:28 am and 8:55 am.
- 395-021 8:28 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:28 am and 8:55 am.
- 395-022 8:28 AM · 45 sec — 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 8:28 am and 8:55 am.
- 395-023 8:28 AM · 16 sec — 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 8:28 am and 8:55 am.
- 395-025 9:23 AM · 49 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:23 am and 10:30 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 395-024, January 12, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/395-024 (accessed October 11, 2026).