Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 501 › Conversation 501-001

Nixon & Haig on Henry Kissinger and Gerard Smith

Wednesday, May 19, 1971 · 8:52 AM–8:53 AM ET · Oval Office · 16 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation501-001 on Tape 501 (tape position 00:04:23–00:04:49)StartWednesday, May 19, 1971 at 8:52 AMEndWednesday, May 19, 1971 at 8:53 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 501-001 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon directs Alexander M. Haig, Jr. to meet with him immediately to discuss recent developments regarding Henry Kissinger's negotiations with Gerard Smith. The President intends to consult with Haig regarding the status of these talks before proceeding to a scheduled meeting with Secretary of State William P. Rogers. This brief exchange serves to coordinate administration strategy and brief the President on critical diplomatic updates.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.
Now, Henry, I know you've been in a meeting with Smith.
Step in here before I meet with Rogers.
Can you come in now, please?

NARA Description

On May 19, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:52 am to 8:53 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 501-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 501-1

Date: May 19, 1971
Time: 8:52 am - 8:53 am
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

[See Conversation No. 3-63]

Also recorded on May 19, 1971

  • 003-062 8:35 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:35 am and 8:52 am.
  • 003-063 8:52 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 8:52 am to 8:53 am.
  • 501-002 8:52 AM · 1 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:52 am and 8:53 am.
  • 501-003 8:55 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:55 am to 9:05 am.
  • 501-004 9:05 AM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, Stephen B. Bull, unknown person(s), and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:05 am to 10:14 am.
  • 003-064 9:45 AM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 9:45 am to 9:46 am.
  • 501-005 10:14 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:14 am and 10:22 am.
  • 501-006 10:14 AM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:14 am and 10:22 am.

All 48 conversations from May 19, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 501-001, May 19, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/501-001 (accessed September 28, 2026).