Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 713
Nixon White House Tape 713 (April 19, 1972)
4 conversations · Oval Office · about 1 hr 30 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Kissinger, Buchanan, Bull, Haldeman
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met in the Oval Office to coordinate strategy ahead of Kissinger's secret mission to Moscow to negotiate with Soviet leaders regarding the Vietnam War and a potential summit. They discussed maintaining a tough military posture, including continued bombing of North Vietnamese targets to leverage negotiations, while framing the Moscow trip as a broader diplomatic effort. The participants also finalized plans to conceal Kissinger’s location by claiming he was attending staff meetings at Camp David, effectively keeping the press and public in the dark until a planned announcement following the talks.
President Nixon and his daughter, Tricia Nixon Cox, discussed logistics regarding upcoming travel plans and family engagements. The conversation touched upon the President's scheduled meetings, specifically mentioning General Alexander Haig's recent return from Vietnam, and addressed scheduling conflicts involving First Lady Pat Nixon. The exchange served primarily as a coordination check for family events, including a proposed trip to Kansas and potential travel to Chicago.
President Nixon and his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, discussed administrative arrangements regarding the First Lady’s return travel from New Bern, North Carolina, and the coordination of a telephone call to Tricia Nixon Cox. The brief meeting centered on logistical scheduling, including confirming the timing of Pat Nixon’s arrival and integrating additional itinerary items. The President directed Woods to facilitate further communication with the family to finalize these travel and scheduling details.
United States Secret Service agents met with President Nixon in the Oval Office to coordinate security logistics and verify the President's upcoming movements to the Executive Office Building. The brief exchange primarily focused on scheduling and the practicalities of the President's transit between official locations. The meeting concluded without any substantive policy developments, serving as a routine check-in for the protection detail.