Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 489 › Conversation 489-031

Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam War and Press Relations

Monday, April 26, 1971 · 8:30 PM–8:51 PM ET · Oval Office · 21 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation489-031 on Tape 489 (tape position 05:40:20–05:40:41)StartMonday, April 26, 1971 at 8:30 PMEndMonday, April 26, 1971 at 8:51 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 489-031 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to deliberate on the administration's public relations strategy regarding the ongoing conflict in Vietnam. The discussion focused on addressing negative press coverage and managing the political implications of critical reports. Nixon initiated the session to dictate a memorandum outlining potential administrative responses to dampen public opposition and control the narrative surrounding the war effort.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I had a minister, another guy, that wanted to do is press the taxes in regard to the in Vietnam through the quote, thousands, unquote.
Watch what that do.
And all are doing it's problem because it could be

NARA Description

On April 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 489-031 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 489-31

Date: April 26, 1971
Time: Unknown between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President dictated a memorandum for Henry A. Kissinger.

     Vietnam
          -Press coverage
                -Possible administration response

Also recorded on April 27, 1971

  • 489-025 8:30 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
  • 489-026 8:30 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
  • 489-027 8:30 PM · 44 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
  • 489-028 8:30 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
  • 489-029 8:30 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Betty Graham met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
  • 489-030 8:30 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
  • 489-032 8:30 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.
  • 489-033 8:30 PM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 pm and 8:51 pm.

All 46 conversations from April 27, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 489-031, April 27, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/489-031 (accessed October 10, 2026).