Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 720 › Conversation 720-015

Nixon, Woods & Sanchez on Vietnam War and Haiphong blockade

Friday, May 5, 1972 · 12:34 PM–12:41 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Woods, Rose Mary;  Sanchez, ManoloConversation720-015 onTape 720 (tape position 02:20:23–02:27:31)StartFriday, May 5, 1972 at 12:34 PMEndFriday, May 5, 1972 at 12:41 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 720-015 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Rose Mary Woods and Manolo Sanchez to coordinate his upcoming weekend schedule at Camp David and discuss Tricia Nixon Cox’s recent television appearance. The President focused on the logistical preparations for his highly sensitive, impending announcement regarding a naval blockade of Haiphong, Vietnam. He emphasized the necessity of the blockade despite the risk of canceling the upcoming Soviet Summit and maintained strict secrecy regarding the plan.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 168.2 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 145.3 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 02:20:23 into the tape and ends around 02:27:31.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

2:20:46Parcel.
2:20:47Parcel.
2:20:48That doesn't happen.
2:20:57We're flying.
2:22:59You know, she's not thinking across a lot of the screen.
2:23:04Probably.
2:23:04Probably.
2:23:05Well, she changed it quite late.
2:23:06Did you move it across the screen?
2:23:09Yeah, I moved it across the screen.
2:23:17That's right.
2:23:18And you really should see it.
2:23:19It doesn't take long.
2:23:19I think it, I think you would, you know, it isn't that long a take.
2:23:23I will want to see it.
2:23:23I'll try to see it when I get through it.
2:23:36I think you want to probably go up.
2:23:38You might as well.
2:23:39I don't want to decide to go, but I decide to go.
2:24:03Oh, I know that.
2:24:06I know that.
2:24:11Is Julie back?
2:24:13I want her to do whatever she wants.
2:24:28She's so good that she may feel that she ought to go because I need to work.
2:24:31I can't.
2:24:31I really won't be able to see her much.
2:24:32I mean, this is going to be a rough weekend.
2:24:33Well, rough, not rough in the sense that I'm just going to be working very hard on something.
2:24:46Chair, I'll talk to her when she gets back.
2:24:50Let me tell you what it's
2:24:57I'm going to announce Monday a blockade of my phone.
2:24:58So this is a big deal.
2:24:59And I'm going to close it.
2:24:59And I'm going to drop you back in town.
2:25:00God, you know what I'm saying.
2:25:37Anyway, we'll work it out.
2:25:41That's what we're going to be working on over the weekend.
2:25:48But it's only known about three people.
2:25:49Yeah, I think you really have to do something.
2:25:54But I apologize.
2:25:54Yeah, I'm right.
2:25:55I don't know.
2:25:56We'll see.
2:25:57But of course, we're going to do what is necessary.
2:26:10You couldn't have much of a summer there?
2:26:37Well, I'll put in a talk to her either after 3 or here.
2:26:40Talk to her.
2:26:40Because the girl's one of those parents called me and said she had done everything and that it was just a lot of work.
2:26:53Good.
2:26:56And it wasn't.
2:26:56She was great.
2:26:57Barbara Walters was terrible.
2:27:00You just aren't smart enough to be a lawyer.
2:27:28She made me look like an amateur.
2:27:29And so I sent a copy to her.
2:27:52Well, there's no reason for that to be like that.
2:27:55If they're going to have these programs, they should be because people who are deaf, deaf-sensitive cells don't make them ask all terribly tough questions.

NARA Description

On May 5, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:34 pm to 12:41 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 720-015 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 720-15

Date: May 5, 1972
Time: 12:34 pm - 12:41 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

     Tricia Nixon Cox
           -Television appearance
                -Follow-up call
                      -Tricia Nixon Cox's schedule

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 12:34 pm.

                                        (rev. Jan-02)
     President's schedule
          -Executive Office Building [EOB]

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:41 pm.

     President's viewing of interview videotape

     President's schedule
          -Camp David
                 -Time
                 -Woods's schedule
                      -Speech draft

     Julie Nixon Eisenhower
           -Schedule
                -Trip to Camp David
                -Time with the President

     President's schedule
          -Blockade of Haiphong
                 -Forthcoming announcement
                      -Timing
                      -William P. Rogers and Melvin R. Laird
                            -The President’s view
                      -Number of people

     Vietnam
          -Blockade
               -Necessity
               -Soviet Summit
                    -Cancellation

**********************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 17s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

**********************************************************************

                                         (rev. Jan-02)

     Tricia Nixon Cox’s television appearance
           -Call from Woods
           -Call from Carol (Crothers) Finch
           -Barbara Walters
                 -Possible letter
                      -Anonymity
           -Appearance

     Camp David trip
         -Woods's preparation
         -Time of departure

Woods left at 12:41 pm.

Also recorded on May 5, 1972

  • 720-011 12:18 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:18 pm and 12:19 pm.
  • 720-012 12:19 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Rockefeller, III, Grace Olivarez, Dr. Christian N. Ramsey, Jr., Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Raymond J. Waldeman, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:19 pm to 12:32 pm.
  • 720-013 12:32 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:32 pm and 12:34 pm.
  • 720-014 12:32 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:32 pm and 12:34 pm.
  • 720-016 12:41 PM · 32 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:41 pm and 12:43 pm.
  • 720-017 12:41 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:41 pm and 12:43 pm.
  • 720-018 12:43 PM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:43 pm.
  • 720-019 12:44 PM · 1 hr 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), and Marjorie P. Acker met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:44 pm and 1:59 pm.

All 54 conversations from May 5, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 720-015, May 5, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/720-015 (accessed September 18, 2026).