Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 467 › Conversation 467-014
Nixon & Moorer on Operation Lam Son and Laos
Wednesday, March 17, 1971 · 9:10 AM–9:14 AM ET · Oval Office · 2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Admiral Thomas H. Moorer to address inaccuracies in press reporting concerning the military situation in Laos, specifically Operation Lam Son. They discussed erroneous Associated Press and Time magazine accounts regarding ARVN troop movements and enemy logistics along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Nixon emphasized a preference for factual reporting over optimistic spin, directing Moorer to ensure public messaging remained grounded in actual military results.
- Operation Lam Son
- Laos
- Media coverage
- ARVN
- Ho Chi Minh Trail
- Military intelligence
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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NARA Description
On March 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Adm. Thomas H. Moorer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:10 am to 9:14 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 467-014 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 467-014
Date: March 17, 1971
Time: 9:10 am - 9:14 am
Location: Oval Office
The President talked with Admiral Thomas H. Moorer
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
Laotian operation (Lam Son)
-Military situation
-Associated Press Report
-Army of the Republic of Vietnam [ARVN]
-Inaccuracy
-General Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-Time magazine report
-Ho Chi Minh Trail
-Truck traffic
-Inaccuracy
-Tchepone
-Air strikes
-Weather
-Press reports
-InaccuraciesAlso recorded on March 17, 1971
- 467-012 9:01 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:01 am and 9:10 am.
- 467-013 9:01 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:01 am and 9:10 am.
- 467-015 9:15 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:15 am to 9:16 am.
- 467-016 9:16 AM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:16 am and 9:42 am.
- 467-017 9:16 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:16 am and 9:42 am.
- 467-018 9:16 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:16 am and 9:42 am.
- 467-019 9:42 AM · 36 sec — Manolo Sanchez and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:42 am and 10:04 am.
- 467-020 2:32 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:32 pm and 2:43 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 467-014, March 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/467-014 (accessed October 12, 2026).