Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 744 › Conversation 744-003

Nixon & Kissinger on Vietnam War and Arms control

Friday, June 30, 1972 · 9:55 AM–10:05 AM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation744-003 onTape 744 (tape position 02:02:32–02:12:24)StartFriday, June 30, 1972 at 9:55 AMEndFriday, June 30, 1972 at 10:05 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 744-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to review the President’s recent press conference, focusing heavily on Vietnam policy, peace negotiations, and the political implications of bombing campaigns. They discussed strategies for managing international arms control, specifically regarding submarine and ABM costs in coordination with Anatoliy Dobrynin. Furthermore, the two evaluated a broad array of foreign and domestic policy issues, including welfare reform, NATO, and the administration’s legislative agenda, while also touching upon recent internal administration personnel matters.

Audio

Audio for this conversation has not been released by the National Archives.

Transcript (AI-generated)

No transcript is available because the audio has not been released.

NARA Description

On June 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:55 am to 10:05 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 744-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 744-3

Date: June 30, 1972
Time: 9:55-10:05 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.

     The President's previous press conference

                                 (rev. Feb-02)

     -Vietnam question
           -Nguyen Van Thieu
           -Kissinger’s view
           -Press reaction
                -Kissinger's talk with Max Frankel
                     -Peace talks
           -Date of negotiations
     -Arms control
           -Possible US defense costs
                -Submarines, Anti-Ballistic Missile [ABMs]
                     -Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
                -Instructions for Kissinger
                -The President’s program
                -Melvin R. Laird
     -Vietnam
           -Bombing and peace talks
                -Peter Lisagor
           -Kissinger's talk with Frankel
                -Democrats and North Vietnamese
                     -George S. McGovern
           -Bombing
           -Jim Cannon
                -Nelson A. Rockefeller
                -Call to Kissinger
     -Range of questions
     -The President's preparation
           -Foreign policy
                -Latin America
                -Azores agreement
                -Bahrain agreement
                -War powers
                -Middle East
                -North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
           -Domestic policy
                -Welfare reform
                -Child care
                -Office of Economic Opportunity [OEO]
                     -legal services
                -British currency
                     -Smithsonian agreement

Kissinger's schedule

                                          (rev. Feb-02)

           -Children
                 -Pool in San Clemente

      John N. Mitchell
           -Martha (Beall) Mitchell

      William P. Rogers's trip
           -Graham A. Martin
           -Italy
           -Georges J. R. Pompidou

The President and Kissinger left at 10:05 am.

Also recorded on June 30, 1972

  • 744-002 8:50 AM — during a photographic session, President Richard M. Nixon and incumbent Republican senators and representatives as well as Congressional candidates, including Howard H. Baker, Jr., J. Caleb Boggs, Edward W. Brooke, Clifford P. Case, Mark O. Hatfield, Charles H. Percy, Jr., James B. Pearson, John G. Tower, John B. Anderson, Mark Andrews, William Archer, Jr., Leslie C. Arends, John M. Ashbrook, Edward G. Biester, Jr., William G. Bray, Clarence J. Brown, Jr. [?], James T. Broyhill, John H. Buchanan, Jr., J. Herbert Burke, John N. ("Happy") Camp, Elford A. Cederberg, Don H. Clausen, Delwin M. Clawson, James C. Cleveland, Harold R. Collier, Silvio O. Conte, Philip M. Crane, Glenn R. Davis, Edward J. Derwinski, William L. Dickinson, John J. Duncan, Pierre S. duPont, IV, William J. ("Jack") Edwards, John N. Erlenborn, Marvin L. Esch, Paul Findley, Bill Frenzel, H. R. Gross, James R. Grover, Charles S. Gubser, William H. Harsha, James Harvey, H. John Heinz, III, Craig Hosmer, Jack F. Kemp, Daniel Kuykendall, John Kyl, Sherman Lloyd, Manuel Lujan, Jr., James A. McCLure, Jack H. McDonald, Robert C. McEwen, William S. Mailliard, Richard W. Mallary, Robert B. Mathias, David T. Martin, Wiley Mayne, Clarence E. Miller, William E. Minshall, Charles A. Mosher, John T. Myers, Ancher Nelson, Alvin E. O'Konski, Jerry L. Pettis, Walter E. Powell, Albert H. Quie, Thomas F. Railsback, John J. Rhodes, Donald W. Riegle, Jr., Howard W. Robison, Earl B. Ruth, Charles W. Sandman, Jr., John P. Saylor, William J. Scherle, Herman T. Schneebeli, William L. Scott, Joe Skubitz, M. Gene Snyder, Robert H. Steele, Sam Steiger, William A. Steiger, Charles M. Teague, Vernon W. Thomson, Guy Vander Jagt, William C. Wampler, John Ware, Charles W. Whalen, Jr., G. William Whitehurst, Lawrence G. Williams, Robert C. ("Bob") Wilson, Wendall Wyatt, C. W. ("Bill") Young, John M. Zwach, James Abdnor, Alfred Adams, Stockton Adkins, William Armstrong, Charles A. Avarello, Wayne Bobbitt, L. A. ("Skip") Bafalis, Bill Baker, Charles T. Banken, Jr., Raymond E. Barrows, Robin L. Beard, Paul D. Bethel, Allan Bloom, Joseph H. Boyd, Jr., Richard T. Bozzone, Fuller H. Brooks, Bill Brophy, Vernon E. Brown, Frederick D. Bryant, Clair W. Burgener, Carl Butler, Caldwell Butler, Gil Carmichael, Robert Carter, J. C. Carter, Roland S. Catarinella, Charles E. Chase, William Chin-Lee, William Thad Cochran, John B. Conlan, Rodney M. Cook, John W. Cooper, Jr., David R. Countie, Paul W. Cronin, Robert W. Daniel, Jr., Atlee Dodge, Peter V. Domenici, William F. Dowd, James E. Doyle, Jonathan Dugan, Theodore R. Ellsworth, Lewis Emerich, Ernest C. Fackler, Billy Joe Finney, Philip T. Fleuchaus, Richard O. Funsch, John F. Gangemi, Benjamin A. Gilman, Cliff Gosney, James Griffin, Donald W. Gropp, Tennyson Guyer, Jon Haaven, Bruce R. Haller, Robert P. Hanrahan, Peter Hannaford, Phil Hansen, Carol D. Harner, Doug Harlan, James M. Hewgley, Jr., Robert Hirsch, John J. Hoellen, Robert Holcomb, Marjorie S. Holt, Eugene W. Hubler, William H. Hudnut, III, Laban P. Jackson, James D. Johnson, William A. Johnson, Phil Kaelin, Jr., William M. Ketchum, Leonard C. Koldin, Robert B. Lamkin, Jane Pickens Langley, Jesse Ledbetter, II, Thomas Lento, Louise Leonard, Alvin W. Levenhagen, J. Sidi Limehouse, Trent Lott, Rayfield Lundy, Charles D. McAtee, Ronald McDonald, Ronald V. McGrath, Joe McGraw, Nicholas R. Macchio, Jr., Edward R. Madigan, Joseph J. Maraziti, Alfred Marroletti, James G. Martin, Edward J. Mason, Kenneth C. Miller, Donald J. Mitchell, Robert D. Morrow, Joe Neal, Ed Nelson, George M. O'Brien, Standford E. Parris, Gus A. Pedicone, Joseph Pereira, William Pfender, B. Leonard Phillips, Edlo E. Powell, Robert L. Prange, George E. Presson, Bill Reams, Ralph S. Regula, Matthew J. Rinaldo, Ralph Rhoades, Joseph C. Richards, Courtney Roberts, Ronald A. Sarasin, Alfred D. Schiaffo, William Scholes, Dieter J. Schrader, Garth Seehawer, E. G. ("Bud") Shuster, Herbert Edgar Smith, Howard J. Snider, Robert Statchen, Alan Steelman, Wardell F. Steigerwalt, Gregg Tria, Ben Valentine, Carl A. Vergari, John Vickerman, Thomas E. Vilt, John F. Walsh, William F. Walsh, Wayne N. Whatley, Robert K. Wolthuis, Samuel H. Young, Sergio J. Zilli, John E. Nidecker, and Clark MacGregor as well as unknown person(s) [technicians], met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:50 am to 9:53 am.
  • 103-010 10:05 AM · 41 min — President Richard M. Nixon and members of the Cost of Living Council, including George P. Shultz, Herbert Stein, Virginia H. Knauer, Gen. George A. Lincoln, Caspar W. ("Capt") Weinberger, James D. Hodgson, Peter G. Peterson, Earl L. Butz, Marvin H. Kosters, Richard B. Cheney, Richard J. Alfultis, Joseph Mullaney, Donald Smith, J. Dawson Ahalt, Bert M. Concklin, J. Charles Partee, Donald A. Paarlberg, Richard C. Van Dusen, Laurence H. Silberman, and Ronald Brooks, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:05 am and 10:16 pm.
  • 026-027 11:04 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:04 am and 11:07 am.
  • 744-004 11:04 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:04 am to 11:05 am.
  • 744-005 11:05 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:05 am and 11:07 am.
  • 744-006 11:05 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:05 am and 11:07 am.
  • 744-026 11:05 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:05 am and 11:07 am.
  • 026-028 11:07 AM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew talked on the telephone from 11:07 am to 11:15 am.

All 43 conversations from June 30, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 744-003, June 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/744-003 (accessed September 18, 2026).