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Conversation 540-001

TapeTape 540StartTuesday, July 20, 1971 at 7:35 AMEndTuesday, July 20, 1971 at 7:53 AMTape start time00:00:47Tape end time00:04:35ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Rogers, William P.;  Kissinger, Henry A.Recording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon, Secretary of State William P. Rogers, and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger coordinated strategy regarding ongoing efforts to achieve an honorable end to the Vietnam War. The discussion centered on aligning U.S. negotiating objectives—specifically a ceasefire, POW release, and regional peace—with potential legislative maneuvers in Congress. The participants evaluated how to manage Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield’s involvement to prevent unfavorable legislative interference with the administration's diplomatic goals.

Vietnam WarPOWsCongressMike MansfieldForeign PolicyDiplomatic Strategy
AudioNARA Description

On July 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:35 am and 7:53 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 540-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 540-1

Date: July 20, 1971
Time: Unknown between 7:35 am and 7:53 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with William P. Rogers and Henry A. Kissinger.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Mr. President, I agree to this.
I will not try to convince Dennis of any very major news.
Why don't we?
I don't think we are.
But they're going to.
They're acting.
They're getting together.
And we support the presence of the United States in negotiations consistent with our objectives to include it.
ceasefire, the release of POWs, and honor, and negotiate an honorable end to the war against the separatists, the ceasefire, the release of POWs, and a settlement which will respect the right of all nations in the area to live in peace, free from outside interference.
God will be moved by fantasy.
It's just basically summarizing our things in three points so that they .
Having acted in the House, not acted.
I've never known a Congress where they don't put in something, you know what I mean?
They've got to do something.
You're right, they should have not.
The great person he is, what we wanted and felt could probably get man to be able to do it.
Let's say if a dentist agrees to have nothing and you try to get him to do it, okay, fine.
You get my point.
In other words, we don't have...
I think we get the dentist to pay there and say, no, here's the situation.
It would be useful to have nothing.
Can you swing it?
And they say, we can't.
No, we can't.
Look, if they can't,
and you try to get Mansfield to take something like this, that's what I would be talking about, sir.
I think that he is the way that Mansfield may affect him a little bit, though I don't know.
You know this?
Yeah, but that's about as much as he could do.
Okay.
You guys are done.
We'll all go together.
I'm just going to do it the same way that you guys are going to do it.
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