Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 566 › Conversation 566-014
Nixon, Haldeman & Kissinger on Economic Policy and US-USSR Relations
Tuesday, August 17, 1971 · 2:55 PM–3:23 PM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon consulted with H.R. Haldeman regarding upcoming travel schedules and the need for a series of speeches to maintain public momentum for his new economic program. Following Haldeman's departure, Henry Kissinger joined the discussion to coordinate the timing of upcoming summit announcements with the Soviet Union and China. The participants strategized that these diplomatic breakthroughs would provide a necessary psychological lift to the nation and effectively distract from media criticism regarding Vietnam and the economy.
Audio
Download MP3 (part 1) · 169.3 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 171.7 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 8.1 MB
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 02:54:50 into the tape and ends around 03:18:34.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On August 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:55 pm to 3:23 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 566-014 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 566-14
Date: August 17, 1971
Time: 2:55 pm - 3:23 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
President's schedule
-Grand Tetons
-Speech
-Itinerary
-Sightseeing
-Rogers C.B. Morton
Accommodations
-Cabin
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-Forthcoming speech at Veterans of War [VFW] meeting
-Draft
-John K. Andrews, Jr.
-Idaho Falls
-Montana, Oregon, Washington
-[Emperor of Japan] Hirohito
-Alaska
-Michigan
-Previous trips to states
-The South
-Idaho
-James Byrnes
-South Carolina
-Number
-Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi
-Massachusetts, Rhode Island
-Trip files
-Oregon, Washington, Montana, Alaska, Michigan
-Idaho, Wyoming
-Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota
-Karl E. Mundt
-General Beadle College
-Green Bay, Wisconsin
National economy
-President's program
-John B. Connally's role
-Momentum
-Public reaction
-Polls
-Possible speeches
-Inflation, employment
-Charles W. Colson
-Effect
-Congress
-Reaction
-Stock market
-Volume
-Traders
-News media
-Possible Administration response
President's speeches
-President’s schedule
President’s schedule
-Women’s meeting
President’s speeches
-Milk producers
-Preparation
-Thomas R. Shepard, Jr. of Look magazine
-Speechwriter
Henry A. Kissinger entered and Haldeman left at 3:07 pm.
Stock market
US-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] relations
-Kissinger's conversation With Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-Accidental War Treaty
-Signing
-Timing
-William Rogers
-President's forthcoming Summit meeting
-Announcement
-Timing
-Trip
-Timing
-Berlin
-[David] Kenneth Rush
-Message
-Dobrynin
-The President’s second term
-Kissinger's conversation with Dobrynin
-President's economic program
National economy
-President's program
-Kissinger's conversations
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-1930’s
-Jacob K. Javits
-Statement
-1972 election
-Administration
-Wage and price freeze
-Public psychology
-Vietnam
-USSR
News media
-Attack on presidential policy
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Youth
-Vietnam
-July 15, 1971
-Madame Binh
-Negotiating points
-National economy
-Issue
US-USSR relations
-President's forthcoming Summit meeting
-Announcement
-Timing
-Kissinger’s conversation with Dobrynin
-People's Republic of China [PRC]
-India
-Kissinger's conversations in PRC
-India
Kissinger's schedule
-Children
-Vietnam negotiations
-Possible trip
-Elections
-Eight Points
-Le Duc Tho
-Eight Points
-Possible North Vietnamese attacks
-PRC
-Kissinger’s and the President’s trips
Vietnam
-Negotiations
-Announcement of President's forthcoming trip to Moscow
-President's forthcoming trip to PRC
-Connally's conversation with Kissinger
-Pace
-PRC
-Possible effect of USSR and PRC invitations to the President
Kissinger's forthcoming trip to PRC
-Announcement
-Timing
-Compared to USSR summit announcement
President's schedule
-Andrei A. Gromyko
-Kissinger’s conversation with Dobrynin
National economy
-President's program
-Reaction
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Edmund S. Muskie, Edward M. Kennedy
Kennedy
-Trip to India
-Pakistan
-Claim
-Possible effect
-Biafra
-Constituency
Vietnam
-President's policy
-Johnson's policy
-Possible military activities
-President's forthcoming trips
-Possible reaction by Americans
-Negotiations
-Prospects
-US troop withdrawals
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-Cease-fire
-Schedule
Kissinger's schedule
Javits
-Relationship with the Administration
-Schedule
-San Clemente
-Kissinger
-The President
Kissinger’s schedule
-The announcement
-PRC
Kissinger left at 3:23 pm.Also recorded on August 17, 1971
- 008-025 2:25 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 2:25 pm to 2:28 pm.
- 566-010 2:25 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:25 pm to 2:28 pm.
- 008-120 2:28 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:28 pm and 4:12 pm.
- 566-011 2:28 PM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:28 pm and 2:42 pm.
- 566-012 2:42 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:42 pm to 2:45 pm.
- 566-013 2:45 PM · 46 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:45 pm and 2:55 pm.
- 566-015 3:23 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:23 pm to 3:26 pm.
- 566-016 3:26 PM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:26 pm and 4:12 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 566-014, August 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/566-014 (accessed October 12, 2026).