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

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation714-003 onTape 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.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 167.4 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 168.2 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 48.7 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 00:55:36 into the tape and ends around 00:59:48.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 · Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.

55:38I think you're right.
55:40They're like pulling my leg.
55:42You've got to hit it this way.
55:48Damn clear.
55:49Yeah.
55:50You know what I'm saying?
55:52Yeah, yeah, yeah.
55:53And I've got something about the National Command Center and the rest.
56:00I'll sit down and read.
56:04He knows it.
56:06And also, of course, that's the toughest thing.
56:24I do, I think you got another job.
59:28Hi, John, how are you?
59:29Oh, sorry, I had to get off.
59:32No, I understand.
59:32You've got to look at it a bit.
59:34Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob.
59:36Oh, no, that's no problem.
59:37It's a pleasure.
59:38Exactly.
59:38Bob told me he had something really, really working on yesterday.
59:43He's got a... We, uh... We had to do a... We're not doing anything in Hanoi and Haifa.

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.

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 · 53 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 · 3 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 56 conversations from April 20, 1972 →

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 September 18, 2026).