Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 507 › Conversation 507-007

Nixon & Haldeman on Henry Kissinger and Paris Trip

Saturday, May 29, 1971 · 10:32 AM–10:48 AM ET · Oval Office · 9 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation507-007 on Tape 507 (tape position 01:34:48–01:43:44)StartSaturday, May 29, 1971 at 10:32 AMEndSaturday, May 29, 1971 at 10:48 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 507-007 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman met to discuss strategic communications, including talking points for Henry Kissinger’s upcoming trip to Paris and managing the administration’s relationship with the press regarding columnist Chalmers Roberts. The conversation also touched upon logistical arrangements for Special Assistants to the President attending an event at West Point. The President emphasized the importance of maintaining a firm public stance and controlling the narrative against critical media coverage.

Audio

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Position in tape: 01:34:48 – 01:43:44

1:34:46

507a.mp3

NARA Description

On May 29, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:32 am and 10:48 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 507-007 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 507-7

Date: May 29, 1971
Time: Unknown after 10:32 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
     Henry A. Kissinger
          -Trip to Paris
                -Talking points
                -Purpose

     West Point
          -Weather
          -Alumna on trip
                -Special Assistants to the President [SAP]

     Kissinger
          -Press
               -Administration’s position
               -Chalmers Roberts

**********************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 21s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

**********************************************************************

     David R. Derge
          -Wife

     Thomas W. Fletcher, Sr.
         -Note from President
         -Daughter

**********************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 44s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

**********************************************************************

Haldeman left at an unknown time after 10:32 am.

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.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

It's going to be a pretty good operation.

It's simple.

It's going to be a pretty good operation.

How does he see that?

Because that's been something that you need to do all week.

You're going to hang on to my piece and the writing receives it.

He's using his problem.

He needs like hell to draw that line.

This is a crazy thing.

You're not going to lose on that.

You're going to put it on the ground.

Here's his problem.

He's thinking of a story, a record.

You have to recognize it, Henry.

There's only half of it.

You've already ended it.

Now this is one where you're trying to get something done, waiting for something done to be done.

Something's done, sure.

You've got nothing.

Just don't worry about the record tonight.

The odds of making it work are only one in a thousand or a hundred or something anyway.

You've got to go the hardest line you can.

I don't know, it really has to be a little bit, it had sex on it, I guess.

But, uh, it actually, oh, it is, it does sex on it.

But this kind of thing really, you know, no longer is the kind of thing that hurts the man, because it's sort of a different kind of situation.

Hold that right there.

It was a good day out there, wasn't it?

They're on six West Point graduates.

Six presidential guests on six.

Thank you for that.

Thank you.

Well, there's plenty of room.

There's a lot of room.

If they want, they don't want to be right.

They're all sappy.

They're special.

They still make it out.

They don't use it.

But they ought to use it.

I don't know.

I also get it.

I'm getting it.

Listen, be quiet.

Where?

It does not hurt if you got a thing.

Well, I didn't mean to do something there.

There's a test field or a car show somewhere.

It's got a test field on it, too.

I think, you know, we best not say the lawyer's viewpoint.

You better not say that, because I have to do that.

I must do this.

I don't think that matters.

I'm just here to make sure that I'm supposed to put it out.

Yeah.

I think that all of these things that Bob and David did were very effective.

You know, you don't buy a columnist one by one, but the columnists are starting to write that kind of thing.

That's sort of been kind of starting to develop.

Well, there's a lecture in that, right?

There's a lot of that going down.

You may be lying to an extent, but he's probably finding what he's doing.

— 1 min 53 s with no transcribed speech —

So you're just watching that, just clunk all of a sudden.

So he's not going to be able to work.

So he's gone.

He will next week.

This is a general requirement.

It must be terrible.

Just stop.

I wrote a bunch of notes when I was coming home.

And that's really been something for him all along.

And I'm proud of him.

Also recorded on May 29, 1971

507-001 8:13 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:13 am and 9:08 am.
507-002 8:13 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:13 am and 9:08 am.
507-003 8:13 AM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:13 am and 9:08 am.
507-004 8:13 AM · 1 hr 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, and Nelson A. Rockefeller met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:13 am and 10:32 am.
003-190 9:08 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:08 am and 10:00 am.
003-191 10:00 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Nelson A. Rockefeller talked on the telephone from 10:00 am to 10:06 am.
507-005 10:32 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:32 am and 10:48 am.
507-006 10:32 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:32 am and 10:48 am.

Nixon alone in the Oval Office on Civil War and West Point June 2, 1971 · 1 min
Nixon & Haig on Vietnam War and Military morale May 16, 1972 · 6 min
Nixon phone call with Colson on Watergate and Congressional relations March 16, 1973 · 19 min
Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Cuba and Hijacking Agreement February 13, 1973 · 2 min
Nixon phone call with Haig on John B. Connally and National Economy June 20, 1973 · 2 min
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Propaganda May 17, 1972 · 5 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 507-007, May 29, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/507-007 (accessed November 11, 2026).