Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 900 › Conversation 900-010

Nixon & Agnew on Soviet-U.S. relations and Soviet Jewry

Wednesday, April 18, 1973 · 12:20 PM–12:21 PM ET · Oval Office · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Agnew, Spiro T. (Vice President)Conversation900-010 on Tape 900StartWednesday, April 18, 1973 at 12:20 PMEndWednesday, April 18, 1973 at 12:21 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 900-010 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Vice President Agnew discussed the growing domestic political pressure to link U.S. foreign policy toward the Soviet Union with the emigration of Soviet Jews. Agnew expressed frustration over the confrontational attitudes of specific individuals, while the President asserted that the public would not permit a minority to undermine broader national security objectives. The conversation emphasized the administration's determination to resist congressional efforts to use trade and war policy as leverage for Soviet emigration demands.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I know you've got to.
I know you've got to catch the client with that dart.
particularly, well, our guys are all right, but my God, the attitude of Jackson and Gribacoff and Chavis was unbelievable, particularly after I laid it out there.
I mean, and it's a better one.
They're taking it in their hands, and that's what you ought to tell these Jewish people here, by God, that they want to make America's whole war policy a disarmament, a hostage.
to Jewish immigration from the Soviet Union.
Why, that's a terrible burden for them to take.
Sure, sure, sure.
Good.
I think the American people, I mean, there are some Jews who pick and raise hell, but the American people are not going to let them destroy our foreign policy.
All right.
All right.
We're ready.
We're ready.

NARA Description

On April 18, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:20 pm to 12:21 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 900-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 900-10

Date: April 18, 1973
Time: 12:20 pm - 12:21 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with Spiro T. Agnew.

[See Conversation No. 38-97]

The President met with an unknown man at an unknown time after 12:20 pm during the
conversation.

     President’s schedule

The unknown man left at an unknown time.

Also recorded on April 18, 1973

  • 900-029 12:11 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:11 pm to 12:12 pm.
  • 900-009 12:12 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John A. Volpe, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:12 pm to 12:20 pm.
  • 038-096 12:20 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 12:20 pm.
  • 038-097 12:20 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew talked on the telephone from 12:20 pm to 12:21 pm.
  • 900-011 12:22 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:22 pm to 12:25 pm.
  • 900-012 12:25 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:25 pm to 12:33 pm.
  • 038-098 12:33 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:33 pm and 12:48 pm.
  • 900-013 12:33 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Rainer Barzel, Erich Feldweg, White House photographer, and members of the press met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:33 pm and 12:48 pm.

All 48 conversations from April 18, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 900-010, April 18, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/900-010 (accessed October 5, 2026).