The Nixon Tapes: 1971-1972

Richard Nixon and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger in the Oval Office.

The famous handshake with Chairman Mao during Nixon’s visit to China in February, 1972.

The Nixons and Zhou Enlai share a laugh in the Great Hall of the People.

On May 22, 1972, Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit Moscow. Here, he and Kissinger take a stroll in Red Square.

Kissinger and Le Duc Tho in Paris after agreeing to peace in Vietnam, January 1973. Since their talks were almost always secret, this was a rare photo opportunity.

Richard Nixon cruised to an overwhelming 49-state victory in the 1972 election. Only in 1973 did the Watergate scandal explode, bringing an end to the taping system, and, in August of the following year, an end to the presidency.