Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 709 › Conversation 709-017

Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on Henry Kissinger

Monday, April 17, 1972 · 12:06 PM–12:15 PM ET · Oval Office · 24 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); [Unknown person(s)]Conversation709-017 on Tape 709 (tape position 03:30:36–03:32:23)StartMonday, April 17, 1972 at 12:06 PMEndMonday, April 17, 1972 at 12:15 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 709-017 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consulted with unidentified staff regarding the current locations and status of Henry Kissinger, Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, and Kenneth Rush. The dialogue focused on confirming logistical details and departures related to high-level diplomatic or military coordination. The discussion served as a brief administrative check-in to verify the whereabouts of key officials involved in sensitive governmental operations.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Yeah.
Yeah, would you tell them?
Oh, is he in the bathroom now?
It's the Western Gate.
Yeah, I see.
Well, look, is Admiral Moore, they left Moore in Russia.
They should have left.
Oh, I see.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On April 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:06 pm and 12:15 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 709-017 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 709-17

Date: April 17, 1972
Time: Unknown between 12:06 pm and 12:15 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with an unknown person in Henry A. Kissinger's office.

     Kissinger
          -Location
          -Meeting with Washington Special Action Group [WSAG]

     Adm. Thomas H. Moorer and [David] Kenneth Rush
         -Location

Also recorded on April 17, 1972

  • 709-016 12:02 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Donald B. Rice, Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, George P. Shultz, Stephen B. Bull, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:02 pm to 12:06 pm.
  • 709-018 12:06 PM · 35 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:06 pm and 12:15 pm.
  • 709-019 12:15 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:15 pm to 12:28 pm.
  • 023-003 12:28 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 12:28 pm.
  • 023-004 12:28 PM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:28 pm and 12:31 pm.
  • 709-020 12:28 PM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:28 pm and 12:31 pm.
  • 709-021 12:28 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:28 pm and 12:31 pm.
  • 709-022 12:31 PM · 41 sec — Manolo Sanchez and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:31 pm and 4:53 pm.

All 48 conversations from April 17, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 709-017, April 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/709-017 (accessed October 12, 2026).