President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to discuss strategies for the 1972 election, focusing heavily on managing political opposition and framing the Vietnam War as a campaign asset. They reviewed potential diplomatic maneuvers, including a revised proposal for North Vietnam and approaches to Middle East tensions following the expulsion of Soviet advisors from Egypt. Nixon expressed deep frustration with the United Nations and the bureaucracy, directing Kissinger to adopt a colder, dismissive tone toward UN leadership and to initiate a post-election effort to purge unsupportive officials from the government.
On July 25, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:55 am to 10:35 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 752-006 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 752-6
Date: July 25, 1972
Time: 9:55 am - 10:35 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Henry A. Kissinger.
Vietnam
-South Vietnamese military operations
-Quang Tri
-Television coverage
-News summary
-World War II
-Casualties
-Germans
-Artillery fire
-Effect
-Prospects for success
-Frederick C. Weyand
-Control of territory
-Airborne division
-Western orientation
-Quang Tri
-Delta
-Messages from US
-Forthcoming vote in Senate
-Kissinger's conversations with Charles H. Percy and Charles McC. Mathias, Jr.
-Georgetown
The President's opponents
-White House response
-1972 election
-Domestic issues
-Welfare, revenue sharing, tax program
(rev. Feb-24)
-George S. McGovern's statements about prisoners of war [POWs]
-Bombing
-Thailand
-US forces
-France
1972 campaign
-McGovern's statements
-Possible response from the Administration
-Kissinger's forthcoming conversation with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-The President
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Melvin R. Laird, William P. Rogers
-Thomas F. Eagleton's statements about Vietnam
-Prolonging war
-People's Republic of China [PRC], Soviet Union
-Insinuation
-Possible response from the Administration
-Haldeman
-McGovern
-Rowland Evans's conversation with Kissinger
-Chou En-Lai's comments
-Kissinger’s view
-Views about aid to Greece
-Thailand
-Eagleton’s comments
-Forthcoming briefing by Kissinger
-Comments
-Timing
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Richard M. Helms
-Kissinger's possible comments to press
Vietnam
-End the war resolution
-Effect on foreign aid
-Continuing resolution
-The President's forthcoming press conference
-Negotiations
-Location
-Oval Office
-Negotiations
-Government of National Concord
(rev. Feb-24)
*****************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/07/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[752-006-w005]
[Duration: 2m 8s]
1972 campaign
-The President's schedule
-Republican National Convention
-George S. McGovern
-Henry A. Kissinger’s advice
-Popular opinion
-Democratic Party coalescing around nominee
-The President’s goal
-Final three weeks of campaign
-Ten point spread
-Possible outcome
-Lyndon B. Johnson against Barry M. Goldwater
-Media
*****************************************************************
Post-election plans
-President's opponents
-White House response
-Bureaucracy
-Congress
-Establishment
-Intellectuals, business community
-Bureaucracy
-The President’s efforts
-Kissinger’s view
-Successors to the President
-State Department
-Department of Defense
-Military
Vietnam
-End the war resolution
-Foreign aid bill
-North Vietnamese reaction
(rev. Feb-24)
-North Vietnamese military capability
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] analysis
-Guerilla war in 1973
Middle East
-Anwar el-Sadat
-Stability
-Policy toward Soviet Union
-Expulsion and retention of advisers
-Long-range offensive weapons and supplies
-US negotiations with Soviet Union
-The President's conversation with Andrei A. Gromyko
-Sadat’s speech of July 24, 1972
-Sadat
-Policy toward US
-Howard K. Smith
-Interview with the President in Los Angeles, July 1, 1970
-Soviet Union
-Israel
-Expulsion of Soviet advisers
-Possible motivation
-Israel
-Soviet Union
-Israel
-Possible action
-Sadat
-Policy
-Offensive weapons
-Negotiations
-Contact with Helms
-Surface to air missiles [SAMs]
-Israeli planes
-Kissinger’s talk with Helms
-Kissinger's forthcoming conversation with Yitzhak Rabin
-1972 campaign
**************************************************************************
[Previous National Security (B) withdrawal reviewed under MDR guidelines case number
LPRN-T-MDR-2014-035. Segment declassified on 05/29/2019. Archivist: MAS]
[National Security]
[752-006-w006]
[Duration: 3s]
(rev. Feb-24)
Middle East
-Henry A. Kissinger’s forthcoming conversation with Yitzhak Rabin
-1972 campaign
-Israel
-The President’s belief
**************************************************************************
Middle East
-Possible US message to Egypt
-1972 election
-US policy
-Jewish community
-Soviet Union
-Negotiations
-Possible proposal to Egypt
-Camp David
-Kissinger's conversation with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
-US assurance regarding unilateral action
-Letter from Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Possible response
-Tone
Vietnam
-Negotiations
-Possible US actions
-Timing
-September 1972
-1972 election
-North Vietnamese proposal
-Government change
-Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South
Vietnam [PRG]
-The President's January 25, 1972 proposal
-Elections
-Timing
-Possible US proposal
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-South Vietnamese constitution
-Change
-Thieu
(rev. Feb-24)
-Statement of principles
-Ceasefie
-Electoral commission
-Elections
-Timing
-Thieu
-New government
-PRG
-Veto power
-US imposition
-1967
-Henry Brandon's conversation with Kissinger
-McGovern
-Negotiations
-Thieu
-1972 election
-Possible US proposal
-New York Times
-Morale in North Vietnam
-Quakers' view
-Effect of mining
-North Vietnamese statements
-Negotiations
-Treatment of Joseph C. Kraft
Kurt Waldheim
-Rogers
-State Department
-Unknown Argentinian
-George H.W Bush's statement
-Kissinger's forthcoming call to Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Possible conversation with Nelson Rockefeller
United Nations [UN]
-Appropriations
-Paul G. Hoffman
-Rudolph A. Peterson
-US funding
-Possible cutoff
-Timing
-1972 election
-Otto E. Passman
-Waldheim's statements about Vietnam
-US bombing
(rev. Feb-24)
-Dikes
-North Vietnamese offensive
-Refugees
-Civilian casualties
-Rogers's statements
-Bush
-The President's schedule
-Waldheim
-Possible reception
-Previous visits
-Speeches
-US delegation
-Bush
-Bureaucracy
-Richard F. Pedersen
-The President's schedule
-Reception
-Haile Selassie
-Significance
-Invitations
-Responses
-Kissinger, Haig, Rogers
-State Department
-Rogers
-[National Security Council [NSC]] staff
*****************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/07/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[752-006-w007]
[Duration: 4m 59s]
1972 campaign
-George S. McGovern staffers
-Thomas W. Braden's column July 25, 1972
-Henry A. Kissinger's meeting with Democrats
-Henry A. Kissinger's schedule
-Taft Schreiber
-Maurice H. Stans and Max M. Fisher
-The President’s opinion
-Attacks by press
(rev. Feb-24)
-The President’s opinion and campaign experience
-Partisanship in foreign policy
-Henry A. Kissinger's schedule
-Activity on behalf of the President’s re-election
-Republican National Convention
-Miami
-Possible primetime television interview
-Timing
-Japan trip
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] trip
-September 1972
-William P. Rogers's role
-Melvin R. Laird's role
-Attacks on defense
-Richard G. Kleindienst’s role
-Clark Macgregor
-Ability as spokesman
-Compared to John N. Mitchell
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Henry A. Kissinger’s opinion
-Role
-Attack on the press
-Previous meeting with the President and John N. Mitchell
-The President’s opinion
-John B. Connally
-Role
-Former Democrat
-The President’s opinion
-Henry A. Kissinger’s opinion
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Role
-Henry A. Kissinger’s opinion
-New York and California conservatives
-Confidence
-Compared with John B. Connally
*****************************************************************
National economy
-John B. Connally
-As issue
-Compared to foreign policy
-Connally
(rev. Feb-24)
-Leadership
-August 15, 1971 statement
-George P. Shultz, Herbert Stein, Arthur F. Burns
Vietnam
-As issue
-POWs, amnesty
-McGovern’s policy
-Press reports
-Volunteers
-Casualties
-Press reports
1972 campaign
-The President's forthcoming acceptance speech
-Miami
-Vietnam
-Draft
-Opponents’ policy
-Enemy terms
-Imposition of Communist government in South Vietnam
Vietnam
-Negotiations
-Record
-Possible publicity
-Prospects
-McGovern
-Standing in polls
-September 1972
*****************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/07/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[752-006-w009]
[Duration: 2m 29s]
1972 campaign
-The President’s goal
-Margin of victory
-Henry W. Maier
(rev. Feb-24)
-Previous conversation with the President July 25, 1972
-Mary Ann Maier
-Speech at Democratic National Convention
-George S. McGovern
-Henry A. Kissinger’s opinion
-Divided Democrats
-Katharine L. Graham's views
-Finances
-Joseph W. Alsop's conversation with Henry A. Kissinger
-Investments
*****************************************************************
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 9:55 am.
The President's schedule
-Forthcoming meeting
-Report presentation
-Photograph session
-Map
-Press
The President, Kissinger, and Bull left at 10:35 am.This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.