Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 421 › Conversation 421-019

Nixon & Scowcroft on Vietnam War and Military Strategy

Wednesday, March 21, 1973 · 6:01 PM–6:05 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Scowcroft, Brent G. (Gen.)Conversation421-019 on Tape 421StartWednesday, March 21, 1973 at 6:01 PMEndWednesday, March 21, 1973 at 6:05 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 421-019 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and General Brent Scowcroft discussed potential military responses to North Vietnamese infiltration and supply efforts in violation of existing agreements. The conversation focused on the strategic timing for resuming bombing campaigns, weighing the value of current military action against the ongoing status of American prisoners of war. Nixon and Scowcroft evaluated whether a limited, signal-based bombing campaign would effectively establish a foundation for future military escalation should North Vietnamese provocations continue.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hi.
You know, I'm not sure.
They're talking about what they're going to do to the police.
We're better off doing it now rather than then.
We'll make a much clearer case when we still have P.O.W.s.
And then after the Q has come, what I'd like to see would be judged.
And there certainly is not going to be any clear case
The bulk of the evidence indicates that they don't know off on their reason why it does this internet with no reason at all.
The pattern is just about the pattern of the previous year.
Very heavy.
Now the answer to this is yes.
the momentum of the provocation, which would probably be to press conferences.
I'm not sure it's so much between now and two or three weeks as it is between, if it's a case of now or never.
The question is whether now is the correct answer.
That's right.
Well, it's not clear.
It certainly has no answer.
It gives a slight signal.
We do it for a few days, and we stop.
So then if they don't stop, there is a foundation.
Thank you.
No, I don't.
I don't feel as though.
They were able to go on and we wanted some kind of performance.
That's right, then we're almost

NARA Description

On March 21, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:01 pm and 6:05 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 421-019 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 421-19

Date: March 21, 1973
Time: Unknown between 6:01 pm and 6:05 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft.

       Vietnam
            -US military actions
                 -Prisoners of war [POWs]
                 -Nguyen Van Thieu
            -North Vietnam infiltration
                 -Resupply efforts
                 -Press conference [?]
                                               -15-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                         Conversation No. 421-19 (cont’d)

                  -New York Times report [?]
             -Resumption of bombing
                  -Alternatives
                  -Military value
                  -Henry A. Kissinger

The President and Scowcroft left at 6:05 pm.

Also recorded on March 21, 1973

  • 037-191 4:41 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:41 pm.
  • 037-193 4:43 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 4:43 pm to 4:45 pm.
  • 421-016 4:43 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:43 pm to 4:45 pm.
  • 421-017 4:45 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:45 pm and 4:53 pm.
  • 037-194 4:53 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:53 pm and 4:58 pm.
  • 421-018 4:53 PM · 1 hr 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, White House operator, William P. Rogers, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John W. Dean, III, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:53 pm to 6:01 pm.
  • 037-195 4:58 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 4:58 pm to 5:00 pm.
  • 037-196 6:09 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:09 pm and 7:25 pm.

All 80 conversations from March 21, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 421-019, March 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/421-019 (accessed October 6, 2026).