Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 417 › Conversation 417-017

Nixon & Kissinger on Foreign Policy and Diplomacy

Wednesday, March 7, 1973 · 12:24 PM–2:31 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation417-017 on Tape 417StartWednesday, March 7, 1973 at 12:24 PMEndWednesday, March 7, 1973 at 2:31 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 417-017 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discussed the strategic signaling of the administration's foreign policy following a meeting with German Ambassador Rolf Pauls. They evaluated the diplomatic necessity of pressing Chancellor Willy Brandt to ensure consistency between his private and public stances. Additionally, the President authorized an intensified aerial bombing campaign in Cambodia, insisting that strikes must be operationally significant rather than targeting minor assets like individual trucks.

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 60% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.

I hope I wasn't too up with our good friend Paul's.

I was watching you out of the corner of my eye.

Well, it wasn't that they're talking to me, but I just thought we ought to just let a shot across the bow there.

What do you think?

And did it get off to him?

But of course, he probably disagreed with Brown for it.

Right?

But that's letting these people know that they can't have it both ways.

And you, you, you know, you often said that.

I don't.

He'll get that back to bottom.

Now on this other thing, the strike that you're going through, we're going to try to plan that for the weekend.

But let's be damn sure now that we really get something here.

Now you don't want to fly a lot of stuff over there right now.

That's good.

But let's step it up.

I mean, I see no reason not to really whack the hell out of them.

I can't believe it.

On the trail, I understand.

But if they're continuing to .

But if there's not, you know, this trail, remember, you're probably about to use a F-105 to hit one truck.

None of that crap.

Okay, we'll look it up.

NARA Description

On March 7, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:24 pm and 2:31 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 417-017 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 417-17

Date: March 7, 1973
Time: Unknown between 12:24 pm and 2:31 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

Henry A. Kissinger talked with the President.

       Foreign relations
              -President's meeting with Rolf Pauls
                      -Willy Brandt
                      -Public compared with private meetings
                             -Historical record

       Cambodia
            -Potential bombing strike
                   -Timing
                   -Targets
                          -Ho Chi Minh Trail [?]
                          -F-105 Airplane
                                  -Truck
                   -Cessation [?]

Also recorded on March 7, 1973

871-011 12:20 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:20 pm and 12:24 pm.
871-012 12:20 PM · 1 min — Unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 12:20 pm on March 7, 1973 and 9:51 am on March 8, 1973.
417-018 12:24 PM · 25 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 12:24 pm and 2:31 pm.
417-019 12:24 PM · 4 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 12:24 pm and 2:31 pm.
417-020 12:24 PM · 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 12:24 pm and 2:31 pm.
417-021 12:24 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:24 pm and 2:31 pm.
417-022 12:24 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:24 pm and 3:00 pm.
417-023 12:24 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:24 pm and 3:00 pm.

All 23 conversations from March 7, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 417-017, March 7, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/417-017 (accessed October 5, 2026).