National Archives Releases New Materials Related to the Nixon Presidency
Press Release · Thursday, May 20, 2004

Washington, DC

Press Release
May 20, 2004

National Archives Releases New Materials Related to the Nixon Presidency

WHAT:   The National Archives and Records Administration will release approximately 20,000 pages of transcripts of Dr. Henry Kissinger’s telephone conversations during his tenure as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (1969-74) and Secretary of State (1973-74) during the Nixon Administration. These telephone calls, which took place at various locations, were recorded between January 21, 1969-August 8, 1974.

The National Archives will also release approximately 7,000 pages of materials from the "White House Central Files: Subject Files", including Pardon Files from 1973; and 1,600 pages of "White House Central Files: Name Files", including a small amount of material relating to John Kerry and Roger Ailes.

WHEN:   9 A.M. Wednesday, May 26, 2004.

BACKGROUND:    The telcons contain Dr. Kissinger’s often candid comments on a variety of issues, including the Vietnam War, the People’s Republic of China initiative, the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), the 1972 Presidential election, the 1973 Middle East War, press and media relations, and social events. Many of the conversations are fragmentary or episodic in nature, but provide a uniquely personal and intimate perspective on the events in which Dr. Kissinger was involved.

There are conversations with celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, and Warren Beatty and with journalists such as Stewart and Joseph Alsop, Mike Wallace, Ben Bradlee, and Seymour Hersh. There are also telcons of Dr. Kissinger’s talks with members of Congress and politicians, such as future Presidents Gerald R. Ford and Ronald Reagan.

The Chronological file contains discussions on most of the foreign policy issues in which Dr. Kissinger was involved during the Nixon administration, including: Vietnam (e.g., the secret bombing of Cambodia; the President’s May 8, 1972 decision to bomb Hanoi and mine Haiphong Harbor; peace negotiations leading up to the 1973 settlement agreement); US-Soviet Union relations (e.g., SALT, the Berlin agreement, the 1972 Moscow summit, the US-Soviet grain deal, Soviet Jewish emigration); US-People’s Republic of China relations (e.g., President Nixon’s 1972 trip to China); the EC-121 incident involving North Korea; terrorism; the Jordan crisis; the Pentagon Papers; the India-Pakistan War; the Munich Olympics massacre; détente; the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the shuttle diplomacy that followed it; and the oil embargo and energy crisis.

PLEASE NOTE:   Finding aids will be available for the Kissinger materials on Monday, May 24 in Room G-8 of the National Archives Building, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

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For more information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-501-5526 or 301-837-1700.

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