Between February 1971 and July 1973, President Richard Nixon secretly recorded roughly 3,700 hours of conversations and meetings, including numerous discussions with National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. Transcribed by the Miller Center’s Presidential Recordings Program, the following recordings highlight a selection of major events during Nixon’s presidency.

Vietnam
April 7, 1971
President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger discuss the speech the President just delivered announcing that he would withdraw 100,000 U.S. soldiers from Vietnam by the end of the year.

China
April 13, 1971
President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger discuss their pursuit of several secret diplomatic gambits, including the opening to the People’s Republic of China.

Taiwan
April 15, 1971 
President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger reflect on the audacity of the opening to China and its broader impact on their strategic plans.

China
April 27, 1971
In light of an opening to the People’s Republic of China, President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger consider who might represent the United States during its initial encounter in Beijing.

Arms Control
May 21, 1971
President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger express concern that their critics in the press might sabotage the framework for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks with the Soviet Union.

Pentagon Papers
June 13, 1971
In their first conversation about the publication of a secret Defense Department study of the Vietnam War—the “Pentagon Papers”—President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger reflect on the “unconscionable” actions of those who leaked it to the New York Times.

Pentagon Papers
June 17, 1971
In the wake of the Pentagon Papers disclosures, President Nixon and senior advisers discuss ways to counter the perceived enemies who leaked the Defense Department study to the New York Times. Among the options: a break-in at the Brookings Institution to steal documents Nixon regarded as politically damaging.

Vietnam
June 22, 1971
In advance of National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger’s secret meeting with North Vietnamese negotiators in Paris, Kissinger and President Nixon discuss a recent vote by the Senate to end the war and the senator’s alleged preference for a North Vietnamese victory.

India-Pakistan
December 7, 1971
President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger discuss actions taken by the United Nations to support a ceasefire in the war between India and Pakistan, a vote that both considered a victory  for U.S. diplomacy.

Grand Strategy
January 1, 1972
In their first conversation of 1972, President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger discuss a range of issues as well as their broader plans for the year, including landmark summit meetings in the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union, and the existence of secret negotiations with North Vietnam.

Vietnam
January 11, 1972
In this conversation, President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger juggle the timing of a summit in China, a speech revealing secret Vietnam settlement negotiations, an anticipated offensive by North Vietnam, and the issuing of the annual State of the World report.

Secret talks with Le Duc Tho
January 24, 1972 
On the eve of an address announcing that National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger had been engaged in secret settlement negotiations with the North Vietnamese, President Nixon and Kissinger discuss packaging the election provisions of their latest proposal as the inspiration of South Vietnamese president Nguyễn Văn Thiệu.

Bombing North Vietnam
January 25, 1972 
Shortly after addressing the nation on settlement negotiations with the North Vietnamese, President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. “Bill” Rogers discuss whether to bomb the North where Vietcong forces were preparing for a massive ground offensive.

Northern Ireland
February 2, 1972
During the “Time of Troubles” in Northern Ireland, President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger consider their response to violence, particularly the burning of the British embassy in Dublin.

China
February 28, 1972
Following the China summit in February 1972, President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger discuss the challenge of convincing conservative Republicans, including Ronald W. Reagan, of its virtues.

Cambodia
May 4, 1972
In conversation with Treasury Secretary John B. Connally, President Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger discuss the secret bombing of Cambodia.