Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 731
Nixon White House Tape 731 (June 12, 1972)
3 conversations · Oval Office
Featuring Nixon, Kissinger, Bull, Butterfield, United States Secret Service agents
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to coordinate U.S. foreign policy strategy, specifically focusing on the ratification of the SALT treaty and managing diplomatic fallout from military actions in Vietnam. They discussed ongoing concerns regarding North Vietnamese bombing campaigns and the potential diplomatic impact of U.S. flight incursions on relations with the People's Republic of China. Additionally, the pair reviewed the President's upcoming public schedule, including potential press conferences to address these sensitive international issues and the administration’s re-election narrative.
President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield to discuss the internal ranking and status of various high-level administration officials. The conversation focused on assessing individuals such as Caspar Weinberger, George Shultz, and Donald Rumsfeld, as well as the organizational structure of the Office of Management and Budget. They also briefly touched upon matters related to the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT).
Secret Service agents met with President Nixon in the Oval Office to conduct an unrecorded briefing regarding protective operations or security protocols. Due to the lack of an available transcript and the unintelligible nature of the audio, the specific details of their discussion remain unknown. The meeting concluded without any publicly documented policy changes or official directives.