Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 417 › Conversation 417-014

Nixon & Stennis on Prisoners of War and Vietnam War

Monday, March 5, 1973 · 4:44 PM–4:46 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Stennis, John C.Conversation417-014 on Tape 417StartMonday, March 5, 1973 at 4:44 PMEndMonday, March 5, 1973 at 4:46 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 417-014 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Senator John C. Stennis discussed the ongoing return of American prisoners of war, with the President emphasizing the administration's firm stance during the negotiation process. The two men shared positive sentiments regarding the returnees' morale and the successful execution of the withdrawal schedule. Nixon specifically highlighted a letter from Captain Jeremiah Denton as a poignant summary of the prisoners' experience and high spirits.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 38% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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?
Hello?
Well, you seem to sound better each time I call you.
Right.
Everything is in good shape now.
I mean, it's moving along on schedule.
Good.
Well, I don't think that you get all those
We had to be, we were very tough on them.
They started fiddling around.
And I say this publicly that I just told them to quit clearing their minds and quit withdrawing.
We sent them a private message that we were going to keep the kids until they came through for another four hours.
Well, the others, they certainly are great when they come back.
They're here.
Right.
Yes.
I received a letter from Captain Denton, who was the first one off, you know, on the first flight.
And, uh, unless I can copy it, but he's so good.
So good that he just, he sums up, sums up everything.
Well... Good.
Good.
Right.
Well, well...
We'll call everyone back.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On March 5, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and John C. Stennis met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:44 pm to 4:46 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 417-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 417-14

Date: March 5, 1973
Time: 4:44 pm - 4:46 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Senator John C. Stennis.

[See Conversation No. 37-59]

Also recorded on March 5, 1973

  • 037-058 3:34 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:34 pm and 4:44 pm.
  • 417-010 3:34 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:34 pm and 4:44 pm.
  • 417-011 3:34 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:34 pm and 4:44 pm.
  • 417-012 3:34 PM · 10 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 3:34 pm and 4:44 pm.
  • 037-059 4:44 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John C. Stennis talked on the telephone from 4:44 pm to 4:46 pm.
  • 037-060 4:48 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 4:48 pm to 4:49 pm.
  • 417-015 4:48 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:48 pm to 4:49 pm.
  • 417-016 4:50 PM · 1 hr 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:50 pm to 6:06 pm.

All 31 conversations from March 5, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 417-014, March 5, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/417-014 (accessed October 6, 2026).