{"conversationCode":"415-016","tapeNumber":415,"conversationNumber":16,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-415-016","startDateTime":"1973-02-27T16:50:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1973-02-27T17:31:00.000Z","startDate":"27-Feb-1973","startTime":"11:50 AM","endDate":"27-Feb-1973","endTime":"12:31 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President);","description":"On February 27, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:50 am and 12:31 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 415-016 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":"5.4","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part IV","chronReleaseDate":"8-Dec-2010","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 415-16\n\nDate: February 27, 1973\nTime: Unknown between 11:50 am and 12:31 pm\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President dictated a memorandum for the file.\n\n******************************************************************************\n\n[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during\nchronological review 2007-2013]\n\n       President’s press conference\n              -Plans\n                      -Postponement\n                              -Prisoners of war [POWs]\n                              -Henry A. Kissinger, Ronald L. Ziegler\n              -Other times\n\n       Resolution of POW issue\n              -Kissinger’s advice\n                      -Laos, Cambodia\n                             -Cease-fire agreement negotiations\n                             -North Vietnam\n\f                                               -28-\n\n                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM\n\n                                     -Hard line\n                              -South Vietnam\n                                     -Cease-fire violations\n\n       Message to Nguyen Van Thieu\n             -US support\n             -Thieu’s visit\n                    -Postpone announcement\n             -POW issue\n                    -Resolution\n\n        Kissinger’s concerns regarding William P. Rogers\n               -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s opinion\n               -International Conference on Vietnam\n                       -Talks with the People’s Republic of China [PRC], Union of Soviet\nSocialist Republics [USSR]\n                       -Publicity\n\n       President’s conversation with Rose Mary Woods\n              -Invitations to church service\n                      -Mistakes\n                      -Congressmen and Senators\n              -Stephen B. Bull\n              -Maurice H. Stans\n                      -Contributors\n                              -List\n              -David Packard\n              -National Finance Committee\n\n       Invitation to the White House to Jane Payden [?]\n               -Background information\n\n       President’s talk with Ziegler\n              -Press relations\n                       -1972 campaign\n                       -Discrediting the press\n                               -Effect on voters\n                       -[Edith Efron] syndrome\n                               -Virulence\n\f                                      -29-\n\n           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM\n\n                      -Compared with 1968\n              -Censorship\n              -Publicity\n              -Press reports\n                      -Accuracy\n                      -Catherine Mackin’s story\n              -Press statements\n                      -Firmness\n                      -Adversarial tone\n                      -William L. Safire, Raymond K. Price, Jr.\n                               -Conciliatory tone\n                      -Critics\n                      -“Peace with honor”\n                      -Bias\n\nPresident’s conversation with Kissinger\n       -Recommendations\n               -Bombing, mining\n               -Accuracy\n       -Mining\n       -Announcement\n               -North Vietnam\n       -Removal of mines\n               -US statement\n                      -Delay\n                      -POWs release\n                      -Private communication\n                      -US troop withdrawal\n       -Kissinger\n               -Reception\n                      -New York\n\nBarbara Walters’s program\n       -Kissinger’s appearance\n              -President’s conversation with Haldeman\n              -War critics\n       -Bombing decision\n              -Kissinger’s compared to President’s role\n              -Compared with PRC initiative\n\f                                                  -30-\n\n                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM\n\n                          -Liberal credibility\n                                 -Claims to being a dove\n\n          Rogers\n                   -Conflicts with Kissinger\n                   -Melvin R. Laird\n\n          Press relations\n                  -Ziegler\n                  -James J. Kilpatrick, Jr. [?]\n                          -Martin Z. Agronsky [?]\n                  -Inauguration picture\n                          -Hugh S. Sidey\n                          -Photographer\n                  -James B. (“Scotty”) Reston\n                          -Special relationships\n                  -Voices in press\n                          -Avoidance in press\n                                 -Avoidance of overlooking\n                          -Lyndon B. Johnson [?]\n                          -Republican critics [?]\n\n          Cary Grant, Sophia Loren\n                -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew [?]\n                -Telephone calls [?]\n\n[Pause]\n\n          J. Strom Thurmond’s [?] vote\n                  -Special committee\n                  -Richard D. Kleindienst\n                  -Someone’s candidacy\n                         -Governor\n\n          Ken Crawford\n                -Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.\n                -Price [?]\n\n          News summary\n\f                                                  -31-\n\n                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM\n\n                 -Reorganization\n                 -Haldeman\n                 -Ziegler\n                        -Discussion with President\n                 -Commentary compared with news\n                        -Reaction to POWs\n                               -New York Times\n                               -Editorial decisions\n                               -Amnesty\n\n          Press relations\n                  -Leaks\n                            -President’s conversation with Haldeman\n                            -Charles W. Colson\n                                   -Staff\n\n          George P. Shultz and John T. Dunlop\n\n          Budget cuts\n                -Balance\n                -Shultz [?]\n\n          Press relations\n                  -White House staff\n                  -Safire\n\n          A campaign\n                -Robert C. Byrd\n\n          Foreign policy\n                 -Issues\n                 -Aid\n[Pause]\n\n          John D. Ehrlichman\n                 -Bryce N. Harlow\n                 -Congressional relations\n\n[Pause]\n\f                                             -32-\n\n                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM\n\n       Truth [?]\n\n******************************************************************************\n\nThe President finished dictating at an unknown time before 12:31 pm.","filename":["415-016.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)"],"prevCode":"415-015","nextCode":"415-017","transcript":[{"start":18.71,"end":20.15,"text":"February, at 12 o'clock, I had planned to have a press conference today."},{"start":30.49,"end":39.93,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":78.55,"end":101.35,"text":"... ... ... ..."},{"start":148.26,"end":160.56,"text":"Right."},{"start":160.58,"end":160.7,"text":"Right."},{"start":245.43,"end":267.72,"text":"and then we'll have to do all of those, and then it's going to be a couple of times."},{"start":267.74,"end":268.96,"text":"And, you know, we're going to have to do all of those things."},{"start":268.98,"end":269.9,"text":"And then we'll have to do all of those things."},{"start":269.92,"end":270.84,"text":"And then we'll have to do all of those things."},{"start":278.25,"end":299.35,"text":"Thank you for watching."},{"start":314.38,"end":335.96,"text":"Uh, Jane, uh, Jane, Jane, and, uh, I want to know if you should be in bed for a while."},{"start":396.73,"end":402.5,"text":"Uh, we actually"},{"start":427.76,"end":446.9,"text":"uh..."},{"start":455.98,"end":475.01,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":507.6,"end":507.87,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":588.73,"end":612.87,"text":"... ... ... ..."},{"start":665.16,"end":680.79,"text":"I am"},{"start":709.86,"end":736.41,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":741.06,"end":744.9,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":795.4,"end":811.49,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":827.48,"end":854.06,"text":"I'm a professional lawyer."},{"start":854.08,"end":854.6,"text":"I'm a professional lawyer."},{"start":854.62,"end":855.14,"text":"I'm a professional lawyer."},{"start":855.16,"end":855.68,"text":"I'm a professional lawyer."},{"start":855.7,"end":856.22,"text":"I'm a professional lawyer."},{"start":856.24,"end":856.76,"text":"I'm a professional lawyer."},{"start":856.78,"end":857.3,"text":"I'm a professional lawyer."},{"start":891.99,"end":910.86,"text":"uh... uh..."},{"start":924.54,"end":927.15,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":990.19,"end":1017.1,"text":"I'm sorry, I'll let you know if you could."},{"start":1017.12,"end":1017.32,"text":"I'm sorry."},{"start":1017.34,"end":1017.54,"text":"I'm sorry."},{"start":1017.57,"end":1017.76,"text":"I'm sorry."},{"start":1107.94,"end":1114.81,"text":"Thank you for watching."},{"start":1146.55,"end":1148.12,"text":"I guess that's perfect."},{"start":1179.58,"end":1182.04,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1221.7,"end":1250.64,"text":"... ... ... ... ..."},{"start":1268.47,"end":1283.28,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1305.84,"end":1330.15,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1342.08,"end":1368.92,"text":"Thank you for watching."},{"start":1377.88,"end":1380.17,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1412.59,"end":1434.75,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1442.99,"end":1462.66,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1477.71,"end":1480.77,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1527.4,"end":1539.94,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1579.04,"end":1602.89,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1608.96,"end":1630.11,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1655.32,"end":1661.44,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1769.71,"end":1796.56,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":1803.75,"end":1804.19,"text":"Thank you."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon recorded a memorandum for the file regarding his strategic communications and foreign policy management, specifically focusing on the postponement of a press conference. The discussion addresses the complexities of the Vietnam peace process, including the resolution of POW issues and the maintenance of a hard-line stance against cease-fire violations by North Vietnam. Additionally, the President reviewed internal tensions between Henry Kissinger and William Rogers, while also addressing administrative matters involving White House staff and efforts to manage press relations.","topics":["Vietnam War","POWs","Press relations","Henry Kissinger","White House administration"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T18:52:48.244Z"},"topicSlugs":["vietnam-war","pows","press-relations","henry-kissinger","white-house-administration"],"audioDurationSec":1941,"audioFiles":[{"file":"415-016.mp3","bytes":9443328,"durationSec":1940.89,"bitrate":38923,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:46.738Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:43:36.367Z","transcriptGapSeconds":474,"transcriptGapShare":0.24,"transcriptQuality":"incomplete","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/415-016.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/415-016","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/415/conversation-415-016","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}