Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 677 › Conversation 677-018

Nixon alone in the Oval Office on People's Republic of China and Diplomacy

Monday, March 6, 1972 · 1:28 PM–1:38 PM ET · Oval Office · 50 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation677-018 on Tape 677 (tape position 03:54:35–03:55:55)StartMonday, March 6, 1972 at 1:28 PMEndMonday, March 6, 1972 at 1:38 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 677-018 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417180931 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictated a memorandum to the Secretary of State and other officials regarding the management of public messaging following his recent trip to the People’s Republic of China. He instructed that all official comments regarding the trip must be confined strictly to the framework established in his arrival remarks at Andrews Air Force Base on February 28, 1972. This directive served to ensure administrative consistency and control the narrative surrounding the diplomatic breakthrough.

Audio

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NARA Description

On March 6, 1972, 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. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 677-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 677-18

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

The President dictated a memorandum to the Secretary of State, et al.
                                            29

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                                                    Conv. No. 677-18 (cont.)

     The People’s Republic of China [PRC trip
          -Public statements
               -The President’s remarks at Andrews Air Force Base, February 28, 1972
                      -Directions for comments

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I have a letter of a sentence that reads in regard to my arrival remarks at Amherst Air Force Base on February 28th.
Please provide that sentence to read as follows.
The questions on those subjects should be set strictly within the framework of my arrival remarks at Amherst Air Force Base on February 28th.

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.
  • 677-012 1:28 PM · 57 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.
  • 677-013 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.
  • 677-019 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 36 conversations from March 6, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 677-018, March 6, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417180931). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/677-018 (accessed November 2, 2026).