Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 771
Nixon White House Tape 771 (September 6, 1972)
8 conversations · Oval Office · about 3 hr 28 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Kissinger, Ehrlichman, Ziegler, Haldeman
President Nixon utilized this session in the Oval Office to dictate a memorandum for the official record. The recording primarily consists of personal reflections or administrative documentation rather than a collaborative discussion. Following a brief period of withdrawn content, the President concluded the entry, serving to preserve his perspective on contemporary executive matters.
President Nixon met with Henry Kissinger, William Rogers, Alexander Haig, and other advisors to coordinate the administration’s response to the terrorist murder of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics. The discussion focused on balancing a display of international concern and U.S. empathy with the need to avoid politicizing the games or creating a precedent for national mourning that could be exploited. Nixon decided against a formal national day of mourning but agreed to monitor the situation closely, coordinate with Israeli officials, and seek potential international action against states that harbor terrorist organizations through the UN Security Council.
President Nixon met briefly with an unidentified woman in the Oval Office to discuss the scheduling of National Security Advisor Henry A. Kissinger. This brief encounter lasted less than five minutes and concluded with the woman departing the office. No further details regarding specific logistical arrangements or policy implications are available from the recording.
President Nixon utilized this short Oval Office session to listen to a dictabelt recording. The meeting functioned as a period of private administrative review. Due to the withdrawal of the recorded material, no substantive policy discussions or specific action items were captured for the historical record.
President Nixon met with Henry Kissinger, H.R. Haldeman, and other staff to coordinate the administration's response to the murders of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics, prioritizing public diplomacy and private US support for Israel. The participants also strategized on the 1972 presidential campaign, focusing on delegating attacks against George McGovern to surrogates while emphasizing positive administration accomplishments. Finally, the group discussed ongoing foreign policy objectives, including Kissinger’s upcoming trip to Moscow and potential Vietnam peace negotiation tactics to ensure favorable optics for the election.
Secret Service personnel met in the Oval Office to conduct a technical assessment of internal security equipment. The participants specifically reviewed the functional status of lighting systems, designated as E-6. This brief, administrative encounter focused on verifying the operational integrity of White House surveillance or safety infrastructure.
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discussed a range of foreign policy and administrative issues, focusing on the U.S. approach to the recent murder of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics and the resulting diplomatic tensions. They coordinated strategy for Kissinger’s upcoming trip to Moscow, aiming to secure agreements on trade and security issues while ensuring the President receives credit for diplomatic breakthroughs. Additionally, the pair engaged in preliminary post-election planning, emphasizing the President's desire to overhaul personnel in the State Department and other key agencies to ensure greater loyalty and alignment with his administration's goals.
President Nixon met with H.R. Haldeman, John Connally, and other staff members to discuss political messaging and administrative strategy ahead of the 1972 election. The group coordinated the President's upcoming speech to the International Monetary Fund and formulated a specific rebuttal to George McGovern's tax proposals by emphasizing the administration's own record of tax relief. Additionally, the President discussed potentially recruiting Eugene McCarthy for a federal role and reviewed the political benefits of ongoing Soviet and Japanese grain and trade deals.