Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 464 › Conversation 464-017
Nixon, Kissinger & Bull on William P. Rogers and Foreign Policy
Tuesday, March 9, 1971 · 3:01 PM–3:42 PM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to discuss persistent tensions between the White House and the State Department, specifically addressing Kissinger’s frustrations with Secretary of State William Rogers and his own potential resignation. The conversation encompassed broader foreign policy concerns, including the military situation in Laos, trade negotiations, and strategic arms limitations. Nixon reaffirmed his support for Kissinger’s role, prioritizing the need to manage bureaucratic leaks and unfavorable media coverage while coordinating future diplomatic strategies for Vietnam and the Middle East.
Audio
part C, 11:01
Download MP3 (part 1) · 166.6 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 168.0 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 150.1 MB ·Download MP3 (part 4) · 167.6 MB ·Download MP3 (part 5) · 11.8 MB
This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the players above hold the full tape, shared with neighbouring conversations. By the archivists' log it runs from 04:14:39 to 04:55:56 into the tape; their log often drifts a minute or two from the audio, so listen for the subjects in the finding aid.
NARA Description
On March 9, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:01 pm to 3:42 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 464-017 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 464-17
Date: March 9, 1971
Time: 3:01 pm - 3:42 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Henry A. Kissinger
Meeting with William P. Rogers
-Postponement
-Rescheduling
-Kissinger’s possible attendance
-Richard M. Helms
-Melvin R. Laird
-Kissinger’s possible attendance
Kissinger
-Role in administration
-Possible resignation
-Reasoning
-State Department
-Rogers
-Possible resignation
-Reasoning
-John N. Mitchell
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Work on the White House staff
-Rogers’ role
-Kissinger’s view
-President’s support
-Current situation
-Calls from State Department
-Rogers
-Relationship with Rogers
-Relations with Defense Department
-Laird
-Public attacks
-State Department
-Senate
-New York Times, March 7, 1971
-Bureaucratic leaks
-State Department
-Defense Department
Show the rest of the log (225 more lines)
******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Privacy]
[Duration: 30s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
******************************************************************************
-Rogers
-Department of State
-Call from Kissinger
-Results
-Bureaucracy
-Richard F. Pedersen
-U. Alexis Johnson
-John N. Irwin, II
-State Department
-Kissinger’s role
-Support for the President
-Possible problems
-Newsweek article on Rogers and Kissinger
-Press credibility
-Effect on Kissinger
-Liberal journalists
-Bureaucracy, liberal senators, and press
-J. William Fulbright
-W[illiam] Stuart Symington
-Laos operation (Lam Son)
-Kissinger’s conversation with General Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Need for President’s support
-Role of possible successor
-Changes
-Effect
-Rogers
-Role in administration
-Rogers
-Press commentary
-Laos (Lam Son)
Foreign policy
-Outstanding issues
-President’s view
-Japanese textiles
-Peter G. Peterson
-George P. Shultz
-Harry S. Dent
-Peter M. Flanigan
-Wilbur D. Mills
-State Department
-Vietnam
-Soviet Union
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-Middle East
-President’s view
-Rogers
-Laird
-Kissinger’s role
-State Department
Middle East
-State Department analysis
-Suez Canal
-Golda Meir
-Kissinger’s view
-Joseph J. Sisco
-Possible US negotiating strategy
-Israel
-Suez Canal
-Soviet Union involvement
Foreign policy
-President’s advisors
-Role
-Kissinger
-Rogers
-President’s foreign policy report
-State Department
-Kissinger’s possible resignation
-President’s view
-Effect on foreign policy
-Shultz
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Peterson
-John B. Connally
-Peterson
-Possible letter from President
-A memorandum
-Trade
-Great Britain
-Peterson’s view
-Options
-Connally, Clifford M. Hardin, and Maurice H. Stans’ positions
-Kissinger’s conversations with Peterson, March 8, 1971
-Bureaucracies
-US Department of Agriculture [USDA] involvement
-Negotiating role
-Peterson’s negotiations with George R. S. Baring [Earl of Cromer]
-USDA position
-Connally
-Peterson’s role
-Work with Connally and Hardin
-Soviet Union
-Kissinger’s future role
-President’s future role
-Public criticism
-State Department and Kissinger
-Relationship
-Kissinger’s possible resignation
-President’s view
-SALT
-Status
-Soviet Union response
-Possible speech by the President
-Gerard C. Smith
-US negotiators
-Instructions
-Timing
Vietnam
-Peace talks
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Chou En-lai
-Possible effect
-Possible developments
-Xuan Thuy and Dr. David K. E. Bruce
-Newsweek
-Possible talks
-Lieutenant General Vernon A. Walters
-US position
-Strategy
-Use of Soviet Union
-Summit
An unknown man [Stephen B. Bull?] entered at an unknown time after 3:01 pm
Robert A. Taft, Jr.
The unknown man [Bull?] left at an unknown time before 3:42 pm
Vietnam
-Peace talks
-US position
-Strategy
-Soviet Union
-Walters
-Military situation in Laos (Lam Son)
-Laird and Admiral Thomas H. Moorer
-Length of operation
-Kissinger’s view
-South Vietnamese position
-General Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-General Nguyen Van Thieu
-Abrams’ view
-South Vietnamese position
-Possible results
-Kissinger’s view
-Public opinion
-Los Angeles Times
-President’s meeting with press
-Comparison with Cambodian operation
-Reinforcements
-Battlefield positions
-Army of the Republic of Vietnam [ARVN]
-North Vietnamese army
-Tchepone
-Possible ARVN attack
-Kissinger’s view
-Moorer’s briefing
-Enemy losses
-Moorer’s briefing
-Congress
-Enemy losses
-Effect on future negotiations
-Air strikes
-US Air Force
-Moorer
-Timing
-Problems
-Weather
-US Air Force
-Timing
-North Vietnamese army
-Casualties
-Hill 31
-Continued ARVN action
-Ground and air power
-Abrams’ view
-Possible ARVN withdrawal
-Timing
-President’s schedule
-Possible troop announcement
-Timing
-Scenario
-President’s forthcoming speech to editors
-Format
-Possible troop announcement
-Timing
-President’s schedule
-Haig
-Laird
Kissinger’s role in administration
-Haldeman
-Ehrlichman
-Kissinger’s possible resignation
-President’s position
-State Department
-Kissinger’s background
-State Department
-Foreign Service
President’s schedule
-A meeting with Kissinger
-Middle East
-Timing
-Haldeman
-Taft
Kissinger left at 3:42 pmTranscript (AI-generated)
No transcript is available yet for this conversation. The recording may contain no audible speech, or it may not have been processed.
Also recorded on March 9, 1971
- 464-015 2:34 PM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Harry S. Dent, and Peter M. Flanigan met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:34 pm to 2:58 pm.
- 464-016 2:58 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:58 pm and 3:01 pm.
- 464-018 3:42 PM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:42 pm and 3:45 pm.
- 464-019 3:45 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Robert A. Taft, Jr., Richard Dusterberg, Mrs. Richard Dusterberg, John E. Nidecker, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:45 pm to 3:48 pm.
- 464-020 3:48 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Silvio O. Conte, Edward Farrick, Mrs. Edward Farrick, John H. LaSalle, Robert Rodriguez, Fred H. Bardwell, John E. Nidecker, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:48 pm to 3:55 pm.
- 464-021 3:55 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 3:55 pm.
- 464-022 3:55 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Manuel Lujan, Jr., John E. Nidecker, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:55 pm to 4:00 pm.
- 464-023 4:00 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 4:00 pm and 4:05 pm.
Related conversations
- Nixon & Haig on Watergate and White House staff organization May 29, 1973 · 30 min
- Nixon phone call with Haldeman on William P. Rogers and Henry Kissinger September 29, 1971 · 5 min
- Nixon, Kissinger & Safire on Vietnam War and Speechwriting January 24, 1972 · 2 min
- Nixon phone call with Haig on People's Republic of China and William P. Rogers February 29, 1972 · 3 min
- Nixon phone call with Haig on Henry Kissinger and William P. Rogers March 7, 1972 · 2 min
- Nixon phone call with Rogers on Vietnam War and Nguyen Van Thieu October 24, 1972 · 6 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 464-017, March 9, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/464-017 (accessed November 2, 2026).