Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 402 › Conversation 402-007

Nixon & Kissinger on Diplomacy and Foreign policy

Sunday, January 21, 1973 · 5:22 PM–5:29 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation402-007 on Tape 402StartSunday, January 21, 1973 at 5:22 PMEndSunday, January 21, 1973 at 5:29 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 402-007 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the complexities of diplomatic communications and the perceived dishonesty of foreign counterparts regarding official correspondence. The two explore the necessity of maintaining a firm public stance while coordinating their strategic approach to upcoming negotiations. They conclude by scheduling a follow-up meeting at the Executive Office Building for the following evening to further assess their position.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 30% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello.
I'm just calling to, uh, if that's something that's been around since very recently, but there's nothing else to report.
Well, I talked to him on the phone briefly, too, before, uh, prior to the inspection.
He gave that impression to me.
Of course, I, uh, you know...
His feeling is that if he tells him personally, it's why he doesn't write something different in the letter.
He's making a record in the letter.
So that's very possible.
But the only problem we really have here, Henry, is that I see it as a lie.
I don't know what to do with those leaders.
We have to go back to America.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
said they were not ready for this.
Well, we will just take a quick gander at 8 o'clock tomorrow night.
And we'll be here.
We'll meet at the EOB.
And I think just one more question.
I don't know how the hell that's going to happen.
It seems to me that all of us have got nothing to do with it.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
You'll be long enough.
You'll be long enough.
What?
Well, if you get stuck, what?
Well, but if you do, there's no problem with that.
The problem is that we're still going forward in the same paper sign.
Although, you never...
Uh, they have a clear understanding of what you're doing right there.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, when you say we're putting a hard case together, I don't know.
We've got just the extra time.
I hope this goes for Christ's sake.
I don't think nobody's going to say anything.
Nobody's going to say anything.
I guess the main thing that's been to the board, I'm sure, is certainly what he tells us.
He was not going to have it.
I'm sure he was.
In other words, he wants to be there with you rather than just cry.
I understand.
I understand.
Good.
Well, that's the thing to do.
I'm just... Sure.
I said it.
I hope he's back.
That's why I keep all that thinking down.
Sure.
Sure.
Sure.
I'm sure.
I'm sure.
Good.
Good.
All right.
We'll see you tomorrow.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.

NARA Description

On January 21, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:22 pm to 5:29 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 402-007 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 402-7

Date: January 21, 1973
Time: 5:22 pm and 5:29 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

[See Conversation No. 36-35]

Also recorded on January 21, 1973

  • 402-004 5:00 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 5:00 pm and 5:02 pm.
  • 402-005 5:00 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:00 pm and 5:22 pm.
  • 036-034 5:02 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:02 pm and 5:22 pm.
  • 036-035 5:22 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 5:22 pm to 5:29 pm.
  • 402-008 5:33 PM · 2 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 5:33 pm and 5:43 pm.
  • 402-009 5:33 PM · 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 5:33 pm and 5:43 pm.
  • 402-010 5:43 PM · 15 sec — Unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building on an unknown date, sometime between 5:43 pm on January 21, 1973 and 7:56 am on January 22, 1973.
  • 402-011 5:43 PM · 38 sec — Unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building on an unknown date, sometime between 5:43 pm on January 21, 1973 and 7:56 am on January 22, 1973.

All 17 conversations from January 21, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 402-007, January 21, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/402-007 (accessed October 1, 2026).