Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 803 › Conversation 803-018
Nixon, Patolichev & Dobrynin on US-Soviet relations and Trade agreement
Wednesday, October 18, 1972 · 2:40 PM–3:16 PM ET · Oval Office · 36 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Soviet Minister of Foreign Trade Nikolai Patolichev, Ambassador Anatoliy Dobrynin, and senior U.S. officials to finalize and sign a major bilateral trade agreement. The discussion emphasized the importance of strengthening U.S.-Soviet economic ties, including the role of the Export-Import Bank and Most Favored Nation status, as a foundational element of long-term diplomatic relations. Following the departure of the Soviet delegation, the President consulted with his staff regarding the sensitive, ongoing negotiations to end the Vietnam War and secure a cease-fire.
- US-Soviet relations
- Trade agreement
- Export-Import Bank
- Vietnam War
- Economic cooperation
- Most Favored Nation status
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 6% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On October 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Nikolai S. Patolichev, Anatoliy F. Dobrynin, William P. Rogers, Peter G. Peterson, Peter M. Flanigan, Helmut ("Hal") Sonnenfeldt, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:40 pm to 3:16 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 803-018 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 803-18
Date: October 18, 1972
Time: 2:40 pm - 3:16 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Nikolai S. Patolichev, Anatoliy F. Dobrynin, William P. Rogers, Peter G.
Peterson, Peter M. Flanigan, and Helmut (“Hal”) Sonnenfeldt. The White House photographer
and members of the press were present at the beginning of the meeting.
Seating arrangements
Greetings from and to Leonid I. Brezhnev
[Photographic session]
US-Soviet Union trade agreement
-Signing of documents
-Moscow
-US-Soviet Union trade agreement
-Negotiations
-Brezhnev
-The President's meeting in Moscow, May 1972
-US-Soviet Union relations
-Economic field
-Political field
-Other negotiations
-Technical matters
-Productivity
-The President's conversation with Brezhnev
-Future relations
-Economic cooperation
-Gas deal
-Signing of directive by the President
-Congress
-Export-Import [Ex-Im] Bank
-Patolichev’s meeting with an unknown person
-Lawyers
-The President’s experience
-Partisanship
-Clark M. Clifford
-Message for Brezhnev
-The President’s efforts
-Future developments in the economic field
-Political outlook
-Brezhnev
-Leadership style
-Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty [SALT] agreement
-Missiles
-Gratitude to Patolichev and Peterson
-The President's schedule
-US Congress
-Congressional Adjournment
-Telephone call [from Thomas P. (“Tip”) O'Neill, Jr. and Gerald R.
Ford]
-Most Favored Nation [MFN] provision
-Congress
Presentation
-Presidential seal
Schedule
-Sonnenfeldt
-Soviet officials
Patolichev, Dobrynin, and Flanigan left At 3:08 pm.
Meeting with Soviet Union officials
-US-Soviet Union relations
-Economic relations
MFN status
-May 1972 meeting in Washington prior to Moscow Summit
-May 1972 Brezhnev meeting
-SALT II announcement
-Ex-Im Bank directive
-Lend-lease agreement
-Economic relations
-Public understanding
-Business community
-Wheat deal
-North Dakota, South Dakota
-MFN status
-Europe
-Japan
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Latin America
-Maritime agreement
-Lend-lease agreement
-The President's October 17, 1972 conversation with John B. Connally
The President's schedule
-Congressional adjournment
Peterson and Sonnenfeldt left at 3:14 pm.
Vietnam War
-Possible settlement
-Military situation in South Vietnam
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Saigon
-Instructions from the President to Melvin R. Laird
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Coalition government
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Cease-fire
-International
-Political future of Vietnam
-Meeting with Thieu
-Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr.
-Conversation with the President, Laird, Haig
-Ellsworth Bunker's role
-Relations with the President
Rogers left at 3:16 pm.Also recorded on October 18, 1972
- 803-015 2:33 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:33 pm to 2:34 pm.
- 803-016 2:34 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:34 pm and 2:37 pm.
- 031-119 2:37 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Thomas P. ("Tip") O'Neill, Jr., and Gerald R. Ford talked on the telephone from 2:37 pm to 2:39 pm.
- 803-017 2:37 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thomas P. ("Tip") O'Neill, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:37 pm to 2:39 pm.
- 031-121 2:39 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:39 pm and 5:43 pm.
- 803-019 3:16 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:16 pm and 3:20 pm.
- 803-020 3:16 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:16 pm and 3:20 pm.
- 803-021 3:20 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:20 pm to 3:21 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 803-018, October 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/803-018 (accessed October 10, 2026).