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

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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This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 01:34:48 into the tape and ends around 01:43:44.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
1:34:57It should be a pretty good operation.
1:34:58It's simple.
1:34:59That's good, good.
1:34:59That's good.
1:35:00That's good.
1:35:25How does he see that defense?
1:35:26Is that his investment?
1:35:27Is that what you needed?
1:35:27Or if you've been doing it all week, you're going to handle it.
1:35:29I think he's going to do that.
1:35:30He receives it because he's, here's his problem.
1:35:32He needs like hell to draw that line.
1:35:33This is a crazy thing.
1:35:34You're not going to lose on it.
1:35:36You're going to put it on the line.
1:35:37Here's his problem.
1:35:37He's thinking of a story, a record.
1:35:39You have to recognize it.
1:35:40There's no chance of it.
1:35:56You've already ended it.
1:35:56Now this is one where you're trying to get something done, waiting for something done to be done.
1:35:58Something's done, sure.
1:35:59But not, just don't worry about directing it high.
1:36:00The odds of making it work and there only one in a thousand or a hundred or something anyway, you've got to go the hardest time you can.
1:36:42I don't know, it really has to be a little different.
1:36:43It had sex on it, I guess.
1:36:43But this kind of thing really did not go longer than the first thing.
1:36:45It was a good day out there.
1:37:18They're on six West Point residents.
1:37:19Six residents are guests on six.
1:37:20Well, there's plenty of room.
1:37:20There's a lot of room.
1:37:21If they want, they don't have to be right.
1:37:22They're all staff people.
1:37:22That's all they need to know right now.
1:37:23They have to use it as far as they ought to use it.
1:37:24I'm not going to be there.
1:37:25I also get them.
1:37:25I'm getting them truly.
1:37:56Listen, be quiet.
1:37:57Where?
1:37:57It does not hurt if you got a thing.
1:37:58Well, I think it could be at least something there.
1:37:59It tends to be over across from somewhere.
1:38:00It's got to be other than that, too.
1:38:00Well, you better not say that.
1:38:01The lawyer's viewpoint.
1:38:01You better not say that because I have to do that.
1:38:02You must do this.
1:38:03It doesn't matter.
1:38:03It's not your service.
1:38:04You're not supposed to put it out.
1:38:04You got to do it.
1:38:36All right.
1:38:36I'll get our side of it.
1:38:37I didn't know all these things would bother me.
1:38:39They're very bad.
1:38:58I know you don't buy a columnist one by one, but the columnists are starting to write that kind of thing, and that's sort of been kind of starting to develop, that, well, there's an election, and I'd like to get this, et cetera.
1:39:03But a lot of that's going down, and we've got panels and so forth doing that.
1:39:04And I said, you see, you may be lying to an extent, but he's probably finding what he believes in there.
1:40:58I wrote a bunch of notes on what was going on.
1:41:26And that's really been something for him all along, and I'm proud of him.

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.

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 · 19 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.

All 12 conversations from May 29, 1971 →

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 September 26, 2026).