Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 666 › Conversation 666-003

Bull on Foreign policy and Negotiation strategy

Monday, February 7, 1972 · 11:54 AM–12:23 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsBull, Stephen B.;  [Unknown person(s)]Conversation666-003 onTape 666 (tape position 02:35:57–02:38:08)StartMonday, February 7, 1972 at 11:54 AMEndMonday, February 7, 1972 at 12:23 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 666-003 ↗

AI Summary

Stephen B. Bull and an unidentified participant discuss the administration’s messaging strategy regarding negotiations and the potential for a political settlement. The conversation focuses on clarifying the U.S. position on separating political and military issues while critiquing the use of propaganda channels. They emphasize a preference for formal bargaining sessions and ensure consistent messaging across official channels, including past statements from the President and Henry Kissinger.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 167.7 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 168.2 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 15.2 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 02:35:57 into the tape and ends around 02:38:08.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) ·JSON data · Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.

2:35:57They have always insisted, in one way or another, on a political condition.
2:36:01They would never allow a separation.
2:36:03That is good.
2:36:03Now, a good way to handle that would be if I'm asked that.
2:36:06They've always insisted on a political connection.
2:36:08The President of the United States has said that.
2:36:13The Secretary of State has said that.
2:36:15And the Kissinger said it in the records.
2:36:17Sorry, I'm sorry.
2:36:18Okay.
2:36:19And then now she said, now, on the other hand, I would not leave any impression.
2:36:23I still leave a little door open with regard to the possibility of negotiations being given up.
2:36:30No.
2:36:30No, we, but frankly, the way to succeed in negotiations is not to have this propaganda channel.
2:36:37This, that we don't buy propaganda shots, is not the way that what we, we think what we do is shoot.
2:36:44Go to the bargaining table.
2:36:48Bargaining table, either in public or private sessions, whatever they want.
2:36:53We're ready to negotiate.
2:36:54They don't have any trick language in the transcript today to make the point that they don't make a political decision.
2:37:11They never did.
2:37:13They never did.
2:37:15In August, we had already moved to the same thing, the political and military things.
2:37:23May 31st, they turned it down.
2:37:25After they made the last point, we did it because it was their dream.
2:37:31In August, one new vocation said that in August we again opted for the military.
2:37:36That's what we said in the speech.
2:37:38No?
2:37:38No, no, no.
2:37:41You know, my dad's already, wherever he's at now, he's preaching at the present part of the game, and I've always wanted to hear what he's saying.

NARA Description

On February 7, 1972, Stephen B. Bull and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:54 am and 12:23 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 666-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 666-3

Date: February 7, 1972
Time: Unknown between 11:54 pm and 12:23 pm
Location: Oval Office

Stephen B. Bull met with an unknown person.

     Request for a call to the press office
         -Bull’s schedule

Bull and the unknown person left at an unknown time before 12:23 pm.

Also recorded on February 7, 1972

  • 020-047 11:41 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:41 am and 3:41 pm.
  • 090-001 11:54 AM — President Richard M. Nixon, United States Attorneys, Treasury Department officials, and Justice Department officials, including Whitney N. Seymour, Jr., William D. Keller, James R. Thompson, Jr., Harold H. Titus, Jr., Louis C. Bechtle, Ralph Guy, Jr., Joseph L. Tauro, James L. Browning, Jr., Richard L. Thornburgh, George Beall, Herbert J. Stein, Anthony J. P. Farris, Eldon B. Mahon, Stan Pitkin, John W. Stokes, Jr., Donald O'Connor, Harry D. Steward, Robert W. Rust, James L. Treece, Gerald J. Gallinghouse, Daniel Bartlett, Frederick Coleman, Sidney I. Lezak, William Smitherman, William W. Milligan, David J. Cannon, John L. Briggs, Wayman G. Sherrer, James M. Sullivan, Jr., F. L. Peter Stone, Richard G. Kleindeinst, Myles J. Ambrose, Henry E. Petersen, Jerris Leonard, John E. ("Jack") Ingersoll, Harlington Wood, Jr., Eugene T. Rossides, John F. Hanlon, Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., Geoffrey C. Shepard, the White House photographer, and members of the press, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 11:54 am to 12:18 pm.
  • 666-004 11:54 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:54 am and 12:23 pm.
  • 666-005 11:54 AM · 1 min — Manolo Sanchez and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:54 am and 12:23 pm.
  • 090-004 12:18 PM — Unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 12:18 pm on February 7, 1972 and 11:22 am on February 9, 1972.
  • 666-009 12:18 PM · 1 min — Stephen B. Bull and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:18 pm and 12:23 pm.
  • 666-010 12:18 PM · 46 sec — Stephen B. Bull and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:18 pm and 12:23 pm.
  • 666-006 12:42 PM · 48 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Manolo Sanchez, Stephen B. Bull, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:42 pm to 1:30 pm.

All 41 conversations from February 7, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 666-003, February 7, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/666-003 (accessed September 18, 2026).