These conversations were recorded in the Cabinet Room between February 16, 1971 and July 18, 1973.

• The Cabinet Room Conversations were released to the public in two segments.
• The approximately 436 conversations total about 223 hours.

Available Cabinet Room Conversations

First Cabinet Room Release:  October 16, 1997

Provides details about the release history and the tapes of conversations that took place between February 16, 1971 and July 18, 1973.

Second Cabinet Room Release:  February 28, 2002

Provides details about the release history and the tapes of declassified conversations that took place between February 1971 and July 1973.

Participants

The conversations involve a wide variety of participants including:

• Cabinet members
• White House staff members (including the Domestic Council)
• the National Security Council
• Republican and Bipartisan Congressional leaders
• Presidential Committees and Commissions (including the Cost of Living Council, the Pay Board and the Price Commission)
• those attending Presidential bill signings
• governors and mayors
• special interest and constituent groups
• and those on White House tours

Topics

Topics include a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues, planning for Presidential trips and head of state visits, U.S. and world economics, and military operations.

Domestic Policy Conversations

• Discussions of domestic policy include the economy, drugs, travel, and the budget
• Topics related to the economy include the Economic Stabilization Act, wage and price controls, revenue sharing, inflation, the Pay Board, and the Federal and Defense budgets.
• Additional policy and planning discussions include the Administration's anti-narcotics efforts, busing, railroads, and the energy crisis.

Foreign Policy Conversations

There are a wide variety of foreign policy conversations that take place in the Cabinet Room.

• These include in-depth discussions relating to Vietnam, including troop deployments, planning, and peace negotiations.
• Foreign relations topics include planning for the President's trips to China and the Soviet Union, United Nations votes, the International Monetary Fund, free trade, trade bills, import/export controls, and the world economy.
• Negotiations with foreign countries include the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT), foreign aid, and peace treaties.
• Countries and regions of interest include Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, Canada, Turkey, Japan, Korea, Spain, France, New Zealand, the Middle East, South America, and Africa.

Top of Page