Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 665
Nixon White House Tape 665 (February 3, 1972)
12 conversations · Oval Office · about 5 hr 56 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Bull, Kissinger, Haldeman, Rogers
President Nixon met with Henry Kissinger, H. R. Haldeman, William Rogers, and Kenneth Keating to coordinate Administration responses to political challenges, specifically regarding Senator Edmund Muskie’s recent speeches and media criticism. The group discussed strategies to manage the fallout from the President's upcoming trip to China, focusing on framing the diplomatic effort as a necessary opening rather than a final conclusion. Additionally, they addressed the strained relationship between Treasury Secretary John Connally and David Kennedy, and prepared Ambassador Keating for upcoming Senate Foreign Relations Committee testimony regarding U.S. policy toward India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
President Nixon met with his aide, Stephen B. Bull, to coordinate administrative logistics regarding an upcoming meeting with Ambassador Ellsworth F. Bunker. The discussion focused on scheduling and preparations for this diplomatic consultation. Following the brief briefing, Bull departed the Oval Office.
President Nixon met with Ellsworth Bunker and Henry Kissinger to discuss the deteriorating situation in Vietnam and the upcoming diplomatic visit to the People's Republic of China. The conversation focused on bolstering military strength through increased bombing operations, the necessity of protective reaction strikes against North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites, and the management of U.S. troop withdrawal announcements. Nixon emphasized the importance of Bunker remaining in his post to provide continuity during the expected communist spring offensive and forthcoming negotiations. Additionally, the group reviewed the status of U.S.-India relations and the potential for a residual military force in South Vietnam.
President Nixon met with his personal valet, Manolo Sanchez, in the Oval Office to discuss logistical details regarding the President's upcoming schedule. The conversation focused on managing the daily itinerary and coordinating professional obligations. No significant policy decisions were recorded during this brief administrative interaction.
President Nixon dictates a confidential memorandum to Secretary of State William P. Rogers to guide his upcoming discussions with Soviet Ambassador Anatoliy Dobrynin ahead of the Moscow summit. The President emphasizes a cautious approach toward the summit agenda, specifically regarding the Middle East, Vietnam, and SALT negotiations, while urging Rogers to avoid premature commitments or explicit references to linkage. Nixon further instructs that US trade and credit concessions should be utilized as strategic bargaining chips rather than early giveaways. Finally, the President mandates that these sensitive guidelines remain restricted to Rogers and Henry Kissinger to maintain tactical control over the diplomatic process.
President Nixon met with H. R. Haldeman and Henry Kissinger to discuss preparations for his upcoming trip to the People's Republic of China, including logistical arrangements and media strategy. The conversation centered on managing the professional friction between Secretary of State William Rogers and Kissinger, with Nixon emphasizing the need for a unified administration front to ensure the success and perception of his China initiative. Additionally, they reviewed domestic issues such as stock market performance, unemployment figures, and the President's upcoming schedule, which included a visit to Florida to provide a quiet environment for policy study.
President Nixon met with his personal aide, Stephen B. Bull, to clarify scheduling logistics. The discussion focused on confirming the timing for an upcoming appointment that had caused confusion. The meeting concluded with Nixon reassuring Bull to avoid unnecessary pressure regarding the schedule.
President Nixon met with H.R. Haldeman, Ronald Ziegler, and Henry Kissinger to strategize the administration's public relations response to Senator Edmund Muskie’s Vietnam speech and to analyze the latest North Vietnamese negotiation proposals. Following these internal policy discussions, the President met with Soviet poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko and interpreter Demitir Zarechnak to discuss U.S.-Soviet cultural relations and the geopolitical significance of Nixon's upcoming diplomatic trips to the People's Republic of China and the USSR. The conversation emphasized the President's goal of leveraging personal diplomacy to improve international stability and establish a framework for long-term peaceful cooperation between world powers.
President Nixon met with Stephen B. Bull to discuss the Soviet poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. During the brief exchange, Nixon drew a comparison between the poet and a German professor. No further significant policy decisions or administrative actions were recorded during this brief encounter.
President Nixon met with his aide Stephen B. Bull to coordinate the scheduling of Charles W. Colson. The discussion focused on establishing a protocol for when Colson should be notified of upcoming plans. They ultimately decided that Bull should inform Colson of these arrangements approximately ten minutes in advance.
President Nixon, Charles Colson, and Ron Ziegler met to discuss domestic political strategy, focusing on exploiting the recent peace negotiation failures of Democratic candidate Edmund Muskie. Nixon directed his team to aggressively attack Muskie's public statements regarding the Vietnam War, arguing that they undermined the administration's ongoing diplomatic efforts. Additionally, the group reviewed positive economic indicators—specifically improvements in unemployment rates for married men—and strategized on how to promote these figures to the public to improve the President's image ahead of the 1972 campaign.
President Nixon, Admiral Thomas Moorer, and Henry Kissinger met to discuss the necessity of maintaining direct communication channels between the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, notwithstanding bureaucratic concerns from the Department of Defense. Nixon emphasized his constitutional duty as Commander-in-Chief and expressed frustration with constraints following the Charles Radford security leak incident involving columnist Jack Anderson. The President instructed Kissinger and General Alexander Haig to manage potential friction with the Secretary of Defense to ensure the military leadership could continue to report directly to him.