Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 274 › Conversation 274-015

Nixon & Rogers on Japan and Foreign Policy

Monday, August 16, 1971 · 3:37 PM–3:40 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Rogers, William P.Conversation274-015 on Tape 274 (tape position 00:22:48–00:24:55)StartMonday, August 16, 1971 at 3:37 PMEndMonday, August 16, 1971 at 3:40 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 274-015 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers coordinated strategy regarding upcoming economic and diplomatic negotiations with Japan. Nixon emphasized a public relations theme centered on mutual success and fair competition rather than conflict. The President also informed Rogers that Japan had specifically requested his participation in the talks over other potential U.S. representatives like John Connally or George H.W. Bush.

Audio

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Position in tape: 00:22:48 – 00:24:55

part A, 22:44

274a.mp3

274b.mp3

274c.mp3

NARA Description

On August 16, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:37 pm to 3:40 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 274-015 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 274-15

Date: August 16, 1971
Time: 3:37 pm - 3:40 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with William P. Rogers.

     Japan
          -Negotiations
              -Arthur F. Burns
              -State Department
              -Cabinet
              -Suggested theme
                     -Competition
                         -Mutual success
              -John B. Connally
              -George H.W. Bush

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[Duration: 41s ]

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

I was thinking that a very good theme for you in your personal conversations is speaking in a conference environment.

I'm not going to say it in front of people like that.

that I constantly hammered both of them to the rest of the person, which is not to do with you all.

I think that's, you know what I mean?

Even regardless if they figured it publicly, I'm saying for their purpose, but I'm not saying it internally.

So, I mean, it's a good thought.

What do you think?

You could say that you were twice, three times, you know, because he just couldn't feel more comfortable.

He just said, let's just get up some observations, let us compete.

We want to be well with their success, but we want to be successful, too.

Great.

We're going to do that.

We'll let Japanese people do it.

As a matter of fact, I decided three days ago that they want you first.

We offered them.

We said we could do you or Connelly or Bush, or they wanted you and I. Yeah.

Also recorded on August 16, 1971

274-016 3:40 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:40 pm and 3:47 pm.
274-017 3:40 PM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:40 pm and 3:47 pm.
274-018 3:40 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:40 pm and 3:47 pm.
274-019 3:47 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:47 pm to 3:48 pm.
274-020 3:48 PM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:48 pm to 3:49 pm.
274-021 3:49 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 3:49 pm.
274-022 3:50 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Idanell ("Nellie") (Brill) Connally met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:50 pm to 3:51 pm.
274-023 3:52 PM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:52 pm to 3:53 pm.

All 66 conversations from August 16, 1971 →

Nixon, Mann & Bull on 1972 Campaign and South Carolina September 11, 1972 · 2 min
Nixon, Andreotti & Kissinger on International Trade and Japan April 18, 1973 · 1 hr 9 min
Nixon with unidentified visitors in his EOB office on Soviet Union and Gromyko October 17, 1971 · 3 min
Nixon, Haldeman & Kissinger on PRC initiative and Soviet Union relations July 28, 1971 · 56 min
Nixon, Kissinger & Buckley on People's Republic of China and Vietnam War February 14, 1972 · 41 min
Nixon, Peterson & Anderson on Geopolitics and International Trade July 22, 1971 · 19 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 274-015, August 16, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/274-015 (accessed November 1, 2026).