Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 714 › Conversation 714-003

Nixon & Haldeman on Soviet summit and Henry Kissinger

Thursday, April 20, 1972 · 9:27 AM–9:38 AM ET · Oval Office · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation714-003 on Tape 714 (tape position 00:55:36–00:59:48)StartThursday, April 20, 1972 at 9:27 AMEndThursday, April 20, 1972 at 9:38 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 714-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discuss the status of the upcoming Soviet summit, specifically addressing the possibility of cancellation. They coordinate a message for Henry Kissinger regarding ongoing negotiations over anti-ballistic missiles and the National Command Authority. The discussion emphasizes the need for clear communication and strategic messaging to ensure Kissinger remains aligned with the administration's position.

Soviet summit
Henry Kissinger
Anti-ballistic missiles
National Command Authority
Foreign policy
Arms control negotiations

Audio

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This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.

Listen to the full tape segment

Position in tape: 00:55:36 – 00:59:48

part A, 55:34

714a.mp3

714b.mp3

714c.mp3

NARA Description

On April 20, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:27 am and 9:38 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 714-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 714-3

Date: April 20, 1972
Time: Unknown between 9:27 am and 9:38 am
Location: Oval Office

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

     Message for Henry A. Kissinger

     Soviet summit
          -Possible cancellation
          -Kissinger
               -Negotiations
                     -Anti-ballistic missiles [ABMs]
                           -National Command [Authority] [NCA]

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 9:38 am.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

I think you're right.

They're like pulling right over.

You've gotta hit it this way.

And I've got something about the National Command Center and the rest.

I'll sit down and read.

He knows it.

And also, of course, that was the toughest thing.

Huh?

I do.

I think you know.

Well, you've got another job.

Yeah.

— 2 min 58 s with no transcribed speech —

Hi, John, how are you?

Also recorded on April 20, 1972

714-001 8:37 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:37 am and 8:41 am.
714-002 8:41 AM · 55 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:41 am and 9:38 am.
714-004 9:38 AM · 1 hr 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John B. Connally, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:38 am to 11:06 am.
714-005 11:06 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:06 am to 11:08 am.
099-001 11:08 AM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon and members of the President's Panel on Nonpublic Education, including Clarence Walton, Rev. William E. McManus, Ivan E. Zylstra, Dr. Sidney P. Marland, Jr., Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Norman Karsh, Lewis A Engman, and Roy D. Morey, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 11:08 am and 11:59 pm.
714-006 11:08 AM · 1 min — Rose Mary Woods and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:08 am and 11:39 am.
099-005 11:39 AM · 27 min — Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Egil ("Bud") Krogh, and the Domestic Council met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 11:39 am and 3:07 pm.
099-006 11:39 AM · 24 min — Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., and the Domestic Council met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 11:39 am and 3:07 pm.

All 54 conversations from April 20, 1972 →

Nixon, Kissinger & Connally on Vietnam War and Naval Blockade May 8, 1972 · 60 min
Nixon, Mansfield & Scott on Military draft extension September 14, 1971 · 1 hr 3 min
Nixon & Kissinger on National Security Council and Anti-ballistic missiles March 17, 1972 · 3 min
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Cambodia and Vietnam Cease-fire March 27, 1973 · 11 min
Nixon, Rogers & Price on Phase II economic policy and AFL-CIO October 12, 1971 · 1 hr
Nixon phone call with Colson on televised meeting and Congress June 7, 1972 · 13 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 714-003, April 20, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/714-003 (accessed November 2, 2026).