Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 677 › Conversation 677-012

Nixon & Haldeman on James C.H. Shen and Taiwan

Monday, March 6, 1972 · 1:28 PM–1:38 PM ET · Oval Office ·57 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation677-012 onTape 677 (tape position 03:41:26–03:42:54)StartMonday, March 6, 1972 at 1:28 PMEndMonday, March 6, 1972 at 1:38 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 677-012 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to coordinate the logistics and strategic approach for an upcoming meeting with Taiwanese Ambassador James C.H. Shen. The discussion focused on the urgency of the Ambassador's concerns regarding the Republic of China and the President's desire to gain a nuanced assessment of the diplomat's temperament. They also reviewed Henry Kissinger's role in the broader context of these diplomatic engagements.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Chinese ambassador feels there's great urgency on that.
before he goes.
And there's a lot of weirdness that you see in him.
You know, just a little bit of this.
You know, just want to get a sense of it.
That sounds funny.

NARA Description

On March 6, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:28 pm and 1:38 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 677-012 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 677-12

Date: March 6, 1972
Time: Unknown between 1:28 pm and 1:38 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

     The President’s schedule
          -Forthcoming meeting with [James C.H. Shen]
                -Time
                -Taiwan, Republic of China
                -Henry A. Kissinger

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 1:38 pm.

Also recorded on March 6, 1972

  • 677-011 1:28 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:28 pm and 1:38 pm.
  • 677-013 1:28 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:28 pm and 1:38 pm.
  • 677-014 1:28 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:28 pm and 1:38 pm.
  • 677-015 1:28 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:28 pm and 1:38 pm.
  • 677-016 1:28 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:28 pm and 1:38 pm.
  • 677-017 1:28 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:28 pm and 1:38 pm.
  • 677-018 1:28 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:28 pm and 1:38 pm.
  • 677-019 1:38 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:38 pm to 1:40 pm.

All 32 conversations from March 6, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 677-012, March 6, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/677-012 (accessed September 18, 2026).