Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 582 › Conversation 582-006
Nixon, Phouma & Khammao on Laos and People's Republic of China
Thursday, September 30, 1971 · 3:38 PM–4:10 PM ET · Oval Office · 16 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Prime Minister Souvanna Phouma of Laos, along with Prince Khammao, Alex Toumayan, and Alexander Haig, to discuss the geopolitical implications of the President's upcoming trip to the People's Republic of China. Phouma expressed strong support for the opening of relations with Beijing, while noting Hanoi's apprehension regarding potential shifts in Chinese policy toward North Vietnam's regional ambitions. Nixon emphasized his intention to maintain U.S. foreign aid for countries threatened by communist aggression even after the conclusion of hostilities in Southeast Asia, despite facing increasing domestic pressure from Congress regarding such assistance.
- Laos
- People's Republic of China
- North Vietnam
- Foreign Aid
- Southeast Asian diplomacy
- Cold War relations
Audio
NARA Description
On September 30, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Souvanna Phouma, Prince Khammao, Alex Toumayan, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:38 pm to 4:10 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 582-006 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 582-006
Date: September 30, 1971
Time: 3:38 pm - 4:10 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Souvanna Phouma, Prince Khammao, Alec Toumayan, Alexander M.
Haig, Jr.; members of the press were present at the beginning of the meeting.
[The recording began while the conversation was in progress]
Vietnam
-Military leaders
-North Vietnam
-Period after Dien Bien Phu
-1962 and 1963
-Situation
-Laotian soldiers
-Captured North Vietnamese soldiers
-Handling
-Economy of the North
-Bombing
-Floods
-Hanoi
-Red River Delta
The President's forthcoming visit to the People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Reaction
-Effect on Southeast Asia
-Great power relationships
-Expectations
-Differences between the United States [US] and the People's Republic of China
[PRC]
-Rapprochement
-Future foreign relations with the People's Republic of China [PRC]
United States [US] relations with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Issues
-Berlin
-Strategic arms limitation
-Middle East
The President's forthcoming visit to the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Reaction of North Vietnam
-Relations between the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and North VietnamShow the rest of the log (26 more lines)
-French Colonial rule, North Vietnamese
-South Vietnam
-Cambodia
-Laos
-Pathet Lao
-Role
-Analogy to Central Europe and Moscow
-Possible events after end of Vietnam War
-The Prime Minister’s conversation with the Secretary of State
-Thailand and North Vietnam
-Pathet Lao
-United States [US] relations with Asian nations
-United States [US] Congress
-Aid for Laos
-United States [US] assistance to foreign countries
-Proximity to the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
Relations between the United States [US] and Laos
-The President's visit to the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-1962 Geneva Accords
-United States [US] policy
-History of Laos
The President, Souvanna Phouma et al. left at 4:10 pm.Transcript (AI-generated)
No transcript is available yet for this conversation.
Also recorded on September 30, 1971
- 582-002 2:22 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:22 pm and 2:50 pm.
- 582-003 2:25 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:25 pm to 2:50 pm.
- 582-004 2:50 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:50 pm and 2:54 pm.
- 582-005 2:50 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:50 pm and 2:54 pm.
- 078-003 2:54 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Democratic Congressmen from the South, including Tom Bevill, Omar Burleson, William M. Colmer, David N. Henderson, Alton A. Lennon, George H. Mahon, Olin E. ("Tiger") Teague, Joe D. Waggonner, Jr., John D. Ehrlichman, George P. Shultz, Clark MacGregor, and Richard K. Cook, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 2:54 pm to 3:35 pm.
- 582-007 4:10 PM · 1 min — Stephen B. Bull and United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at 4:10 pm.
- 582-008 4:10 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 4:10 pm.
- 582-009 4:10 PM · 1 hr 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Sir Alexander F. Douglas-Home, George R. S. Baring, Henry A. Kissinger, Ronald L. Ziegler, White House photographer, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:10 pm to 5:31 pm.
Related conversations
- Nixon & Ziegler on Press conference and Laos February 17, 1971 · 2 min
- Nixon, Kissinger & Phouma on Vietnam War and Laos October 27, 1972 · 52 min
- Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Laos February 22, 1973 · 3 min
- Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Foreign Aid and North Vietnam February 20, 1973 · 11 min
- Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Cease-fire agreement March 28, 1973 · 4 min
- Nixon, Kissinger & Rogers on Congressional relations and Foreign aid February 22, 1973 · 22 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 582-006, September 30, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417179055). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/582-006 (accessed November 12, 2026).