Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 406 › Conversation 406-019

Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam War and Paris Peace Accords

Tuesday, January 30, 1973 · 5:30 PM–5:50 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 18 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation406-019 on Tape 406StartTuesday, January 30, 1973 at 5:30 PMEndTuesday, January 30, 1973 at 5:50 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 406-019 ↗

AI Summary

President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to discuss the status and implementation of the Vietnam peace settlement following the Paris Accords. They analyzed specific provisions regarding elections, the National Council, and the management of prisoner of war (POW) returns. Additionally, the pair coordinated strategies for managing press relations and briefed each other on upcoming diplomatic travel and internal scheduling requirements.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 6 minutes of this recording (about 35% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I mean, somebody may.

The question of what the parties will agree in 90 days to an election.

Of course, they're not going to agree.

But they're not going to agree.

Because what you can say, there's no requirement that they agree to an election in 90 days at all.

There's a requirement that they are opposed to agree on a national council in 90 days.

There's no time limit on the election.

What about the, uh, all the provisions of this agreement, of course, with regard

So there is no restraint, whatever.

We barely set a neutral restraint.

We had a restraint with the Soviets and the Chinese, their allies.

Part of the thing was self-restraint.

But we could have a situation where while all this is not being maintained,

Yeah, I know that.

All right.

I had those things unlocked.

It was good to have them there.

You never know.

Well, you never know what a question may trigger a response.

Thank you.

Yeah.

I think I should have mentioned this, the better goal there is that the crash load is not sophisticated enough for the truck to know how much we're on our way out.

It's really, it's really, it's really, it's really, it's really, it's really, it's really,

Did I?

No, it's not.

That's true.

It's true.

All right.

Let's put it out on the nose and this.

You know, they want it to come from the nose.

You know, you can't.

You can't.

They did not.

They gave the list, which is part of the sign.

One of the best agreement on the requirement to do it from now on.

Oh, I agree.

Agreement on the requirement to let the business to last over the next 60 days.

But that's it.

That's it.

We have to hang on to that.

That's it.

That's right.

Turn it up a little.

And also, while it doesn't help us in our relations with our brothers and sisters, the very fact that they went away, and Russia, and China, and so on, that's fine.

But we've got to do the best we can.

And that's totally up to everybody to do that.

They don't like it, but it's true.

What a story for me to write something like this.

It seems to me really impossible if I'm really good at it.

Well, I haven't been to the bathroom, which is a big, big difference.

But, you know, it's going.

And that's not fair.

It didn't help me at all.

We had expected to try to do what we did.

But we would have, uh, eventually, uh, the other time, right?

And that, that, that happened.

I know I need a super phone.

For the folks.

We are sitting over 30 miles from the end of the city.

There's a lot of water.

The left side of the home is right on the shore.

You know, I don't know if we're going to make it back.

You know, we're leaving, but we're going to make it back.

I hope all the days that I can see, I can make it back.

Yes.

Great.

What am I going to do?

I love it.

I thought they ought to come back and complain to me, and then count the damage, count the damage.

Because also you've got to start carrying the hot with the leaders on this, you know, you know what's next.

We like to put eggs on, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs.

Is anybody watching?

Thank you.

NARA Description

On January 30, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:30 pm to 5:50 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 406-019 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 406-19
                                              -12-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                               Conversation No. 406-56 (cont’d)

Date: January 30, 1973
Time: 5:30 pm - 5:50 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger. Discontinuities appear in the original recording.

       Vietnam settlement
            -Recognition
            -Elections
                  -National Council
                  -Requirements
            -Replacement of arms
                  -Soviet Union, People's Republic of China [PRC]
                  -Modern weapons
            -Memorandum
            -Possible questions for the President
            -Amnesty
                  -The President's policy
            -Press relations
                  -Joseph W. Alsop
                  -Press coverage
                         -Sophistication
                         -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
                         -Negativity
            -Kissinger's trip
            -Aid to North Vietnam
            -Bombing of North Vietnam
            -Prisoner of War [POWs]
            -Signing
                  -Paris
            -Provisions
                  -Moscow
                         -POWs
            -Value to US
                  -Elections
                  -Hanoi
                  -Soviet Union
                  -PRC
                  -Bombing
                                      -13-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                    Conversation No. 406-56 (cont’d)

     -Press response
           -Stewart J.O. Alsop
           -Time
           -Life
           -Newsweek
           -National Review
     -Kissinger's briefing
           -Protocols
     -Liberals
     -Press response
           -Stewart Alsop
           -[First name unknown] Rose [?]
                  -Liberal
     -Kissinger’s schedule
     -Nguyen Van Thieu visit
           -President's conversation with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
           -San Clemente, Washington, DC
           -Cabinet meeting
           -National Security Council [NSC] Meeting
           -Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft
           -Spiro T. Agnew [?]

President's schedule
      -California
      -Stop

Kissinger’s trip to PRC

Kissinger’s schedule
      -Trip to Vietnam
      -Cabinet meeting
      -Meetings with Congressional leaders
            -Agnew
      -Vacation

Vietnam settlement
     -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s trip [?]
           -Report
           -Manila
     -POWs
                                               -14-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 406-56 (cont’d)

       President’s schedule
             -Barber’s appointment

       Vietnam settlement
            -Discouragement

The President and Kissinger left at 5:50 pm.

Also recorded on January 30, 1973

406-020 6:08 PM · 15 sec — 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 6:08 pm and 6:15 pm.
406-021 6:08 PM · 13 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 6:08 pm and 6:15 pm.
406-022 6:15 PM · 31 min — 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 6:15 pm and 6:45 pm.
406-023 6:45 PM · 16 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 6:45 pm and 6:50 pm.
406-024 6:45 PM · 7 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 6:45 pm and 6:50 pm.
406-025 6:45 PM · 9 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 6:45 pm and 6:50 pm.
036-120 6:50 PM · 37 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan talked on the telephone from 6:50 pm to 6:51 pm.
406-026 6:50 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:50 pm to 6:51 pm.

All 51 conversations from January 30, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 406-019, January 30, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/406-019 (accessed October 6, 2026).