Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 900 › Conversation 900-025

Nixon & Bull on Soviet Jews and Henry Kissinger

Wednesday, April 18, 1973 · 2:58 PM–3:05 PM ET · Oval Office · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation900-025 on Tape 900StartWednesday, April 18, 1973 at 2:58 PMEndWednesday, April 18, 1973 at 3:05 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 900-025 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Stephen B. Bull reviewed the presidential schedule, focusing specifically on a proposed meeting with Jewish leaders regarding the status of Soviet Jews. Nixon expressed significant reservations about participating in the meeting personally, fearing it might be unproductive or poorly received. He instructed Bull to consult Henry Kissinger for advice on whether the meeting should proceed without his attendance.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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All right, so just in answer to your follow-up question, the only meeting we have as far as, I mean, with the land guard, the guard steward should be at the center.

Now, wait a minute.

I want you to call Kissinger to see whether that's still on.

Yeah, I, uh, it seems that, uh, Schultz?

Well, I don't see it.

Well, who's Byrd?

Byrd, it's got that, yeah.

I knew I was supposed to make a call at 2.15.

If you do a text check at 10, we can see it.

But 10.30 is all right.

I can get back to that time.

Do they think it's worth doing?

Tell Henry that the president put him on the spot.

I don't know whether the meeting is worth having.

All right, sir.

But I would say to you the hassle we had with the leader this morning on this thing.

Does he want the president in the meeting or is it better for him to handle the meeting?

I'd prefer that he handle the meeting, I think, under these circumstances.

without the President, I think.

The President can't go in there and strike down.

Just put it that way.

Tell him if you want to get a message back from him.

I think the meeting should go forward, but I don't think the President should be there.

I don't think the President should go there unless we're sure they're going to accept it.

Fair enough.

No, well, they invited to see me, yes, but they haven't invited to see you.

They haven't invited to see you.

Oh, sure.

Well, then maybe we can't get out of there.

Maybe they... Where did your car go, sir?

No, don't check it with Garmin.

Check it with Kisinger.

Garmin won't be worth a damn on it.

Tell Kisinger to give me some advice on it, say about... Come in at 3.30.

Come in at 3.30.

NARA Description

On April 18, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:58 pm and 3:05 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 900-025 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 900-25

Date: April 18, 1973
Time: Unknown between 2:58 pm and 3:05 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

     President’s schedule
           -Meeting regarding Soviet Jews
                 -Leonard Garment
                 -Henry A. Kissinger

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 2:58 pm.

     President’s schedule
           -George P. Shultz, Arthur F. Burns
           -John D. Ehrlichman

The unknown man left an unknown time before 3:05 pm.

     President’s schedule
           -Meeting with Jewish leaders
                 -Garment
                      -Kissinger
                 -Timing
                                               -36-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 900-25 (cont’d)

                 -Kissinger’s view
                 -Possible failure
                 -Camp David
                 -Invitation
                       -Garment, Kissinger
           -Kissinger
                 -Advice

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:05 pm.

Also recorded on April 18, 1973

038-101 2:50 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone from 2:50 pm to 2:56 pm.
038-102 2:56 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:56 pm and 2:57 pm.
900-024 2:56 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:56 pm and 2:58 pm.
038-103 2:57 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 2:57 pm to 2:58 pm.
900-026 3:05 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:05 pm to 3:23 pm.
900-027 3:23 PM · 12 sec — unknown person(s) and President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:23 pm to 3:44 pm.
900-028 3:23 PM · 1 hr 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, George P. Shultz, Arthur F. Burns, John D. Ehrlichman, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), Roy L. Ash, and Herbert Stein met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:23 pm and 5:20 pm.
901-001 3:23 PM · 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, Arthur F. Burns, John D. Ehrlichman, Roy L. Ash, Herbert Stein, unknown person(s), and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:23 pm and 5:20 pm.

All 48 conversations from April 18, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 900-025, 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/900-025 (accessed October 5, 2026).