U. Alexis Johnson served as a high-ranking diplomat during the Nixon administration, holding the position of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from February 1969 until February 1973. In this role, he was the third-highest official in the State Department and was involved in the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Following this, in February 1973, Johnson was appointed Ambassador at Large and became the chief United States delegate to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) with the Soviet Union, a role he held until 1977.
On February 28, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, William P. Rogers, Melvin R. Laird, Richard M. Helms, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, John N. Irwin, II, Henry A. Kissinger, George H. W. Bush, U. Alexis Johnson, Frank J. Shakespeare, Joseph J. Sisco, Alfred L. Atherton, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., John H. Holdridge, Harold H. Saunders, Col. Richard T. Kennedy, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:00 am and 12:35 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 048-004 of the White House Tapes.
On March 19, 1971, during the Signing of the National Week of Concern for Prisoners of War/Missing in Action, President Richard M. Nixon and members of the military and the Executive Committe for the National League of American Families of Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, including Joan Vinson, Carol North, Kathy Plowman, Patsy Crayton, Iris Powers, Mary Jane McManus, Eldora Ford, Alfred F. Moe, Mrs. Alfred F. Moe, Lt. Russ Buckley, Marianne Nelson, Stanley R. Resor, Gen. Bruce Palmer, Maj. L. Jones, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, Lt. Col. Walter B. Ratliffe, John H. Chafee, Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Gen. Leonard F. Chapman, Jr., Dr. John L. McLucas, Gen. John C. Meyer, Mrs. Russell Davis, Lt. Russell Davis, Frank A. Sieverts, Adm. H. H. Epes, Jr., Col. Milton Kegley, William E. Brock, III, Edward P. Boland, William J. Keating, Romano L. Mazzoli, Robert H. Michel, John T. Myers, William F. ("Bob") Nichols, Thomas M. Pelly, Paul G. Rogers, Garner Shriver, William J. Young, Roger Zion, William L. Dickinson, Olive Hunt, Mrs. Richard Morin, U. Alexis Johnson, and Richard Capen, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 12:06 pm to 12:13 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 050-008 of the White House Tapes.
On March 25, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and members of the National Security Council, including Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, William P. Rogers, John B. Connally, Gen. George A. Lincoln, John N. Mitchell, George H. W. Bush, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, Gen. Robert E. Cushman, Philip J. Farley, U. Alexis Johnson, Samuel De Palma, Marshall Green, Henry A. Kissinger, John H. Holdridge, W. Marshall Wright, and Col. Richard T. Kennedy, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 10:12 am to 11:15 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 051-004 of the White House Tapes.
On April 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Peter G. Peterson, George P. Shultz, John B. Connally, Maurice H. Stans, David M. Kennedy, Henry A. Kissinger, Peter M. Flanigan, and U. Alexis Johnson met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 9:34 am and 10:45 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 053-002 of the White House Tapes.
On May 5, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Samuel M. Cohn, Mrs. Samuel M. Cohn, U. Alexis Johnson, Edward F. Knipling, Mrs. Edward F. Knipling, Fred Leonard, Mrs. Fred Leonard, Mrs. George H. Willis, George H. Willis, Robert E. Hampton, John B. Connally, Clifford M. Hardin, George P. Shultz, and Frederic V. Malek met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:11 pm to 12:23 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 491-030 of the White House Tapes.
On May 18, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Melvin R. Laird, and Republican Congressional leaders, including U. Alexis Johnson, Robert P. Griffin, Norris Cotton, Peter H. Dominick, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends, John B. Anderson, Barber B. Conable, Jr., Richard H. Poff, Robert C. ("Bob") Wilson, John J. Rhodes, Robert T. Stafford, H. Allen Smith, Robert J. Dole, Peter G. Peterson, George P. Shultz, John D. Ehrlichman, Clark MacGregor, William E. Timmons, Harry S. Dent, Ronald L. Ziegler, Bryce N. Harlow, and Kenneth E. BeLieu, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 8:02 am to 9:33 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 058-001 of the White House Tapes.
On June 14, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, State Department representatives, and other officials, including William P. Rogers, John N. Irwin, II, U. Alexis Johnson, Nathanial Samuels, William B. Macomber, Jr., Richard F. Pedersen, William I. Cargo, Marshall Green, Rodger P. Davies, Martin J. Hillebrand, Martin F. Herz, Charles A. Meyer, Harvey R. Wellman, Maurice J. Williams, David M. Ashbire, John N. Mitchell, Elliot R. Richardson, John B. Connally, Roger T. Kelley, Leonard Unger, Robert H. McBride, Arthur K. Watson, Kingdon Goud, Jr., William J. Handley, Ellsworth F. Bunker, George H. W. Bush, John D. Ehrlichman, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Ronald L. Ziegler, Donald H. Rumsfield, Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., John E. ("Jack") Ingersoll, and Richard M. Helms, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 am and 4:34 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 061-001 of the White House Tapes.
On September 24, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and Cabinet officers and staffers, including William P. Rogers met with John B. Connally, David Packard, John N. Mitchell, Rogers C. B. Morton, Clifford M. Hardin, Maurice H. Stans, Laurence H. Silberman, Elliot L. Richardson, George W. Romney, James M. Beggs, David M. Kennedy, George P. Shultz, Robert H. Finch, George H. W. Bush, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, Peter M. Flanigan, Peter G. Peterson, Herbert G. Klein, Arnold R. Weber, Raymond K. Price, Jr., Gerald L. Warren, Alexander P. Butterfield, Colonel Richard T. Kennedy, John N. Irwin, II, U. Alexis Johnson, Nathanial Samuels, Paul A. Volcker, Arthur F. Burns, Paul W. McCracken, Ezra Solomon, Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, and unknown person(s), met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 8:13 am and 11:03 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 077-002 of the White House Tapes.
On July 1, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and U. Alexis Johnson talked on the telephone from 11:00 am to 11:12 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 026-033 of the White House Tapes.
On July 1, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and U. Alexis Johnson met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:07 am and 11:12 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 746-011 of the White House Tapes.
On December 29, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and U. Alexis Johnson talked on the telephone at Camp David from 7:02 pm to 7:04 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 158-032 of the White House Tapes.
On December 29, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and U. Alexis Johnson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 7:02 pm to 7:04 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 237-040 of the White House Tapes.
On March 8, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and members of the National Security Council, including Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, William P. Rogers, Elliot L. Richardson, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, Dr. James R. Schlesinger, Philip J. Farley, U. Alexis Johnson, [David] Kenneth Rush, William P. Clements, Jr., Carl Duckett, Henry A. Kissinger, Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft, Helmut ("Hal") Sonnenfeldt, Philip A. Odeen, Ronald I. Spiers, and Paul H. Nitze, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:09 am and 12:05 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 117-002 of the White House Tapes.