Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 1 › Conversation 001-076
Nixon, Peterson & Kissinger on PRC-US relations and Presidential initiative
Tuesday, April 13, 1971 · 10:16 AM–10:21 AM ET · White House Telephone · 6 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Peter G. Peterson discussed the communication strategy for the administration's ongoing diplomatic initiative with the People's Republic of China. Nixon emphasized the importance of framing the outreach as a direct presidential initiative while cautioning Peterson to avoid creating the impression that the policy was designed to provoke the Soviet Union or exploit tensions. The President instructed Peterson to handle internal State Department opposition as 'deep background' information and to maintain an air of confidence when addressing critical media outlets regarding the Vietnam War.
- PRC-US relations
- Presidential initiative
- Media strategy
- Foreign policy
- State Department
- Soviet Union
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Yeah.
Listen, Mr. President.
Yeah.
Hello.
Yes, Mr. President.
I read the memorandum.
It's fine, except that rather than 13 months ago, it was 20 months ago that we started this initiative with regard to the Chinese.
Was it?
That's what indicated to me March of 1970.
March of 1970, there could have been an announcement, but it was 20 months ago that we started the private...
I see.
The discussion started... That's right.
See, I talked to the Indian ambassador, Mrs. Gandhi, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
You know, it's...
on my world trip at that time.
All right.
But you could say 20 months ago, then we made an announcement 13 months ago.
All right.
All of that is correct.
The main thing is, however, if I could just be sure we got the tone.
The Chinese thing is going just the way we want it.
We do not want to have
i don't want you to appear or i don't want us to appear to be exploiting it you see what i mean sure and and so you can simply say now look here you can when you tell them this you tell them this is for your background only be very tough with them this is not for use and say however you should know that this is the way it began this is the way we feel but don't don't uh
I don't want them to have a story next week saying this is all a plot, a plan by which the president started this many months ago, did this and that and the other thing, and now it all comes to fruition.
Because then that may overplay to the Chinese, will be a little bit too anxious to them, and might knock that one out.
And second, it will
it may hurt what we're trying to do with the Soviet right now.
You see, what really is going to count with the Soviet, Pete, is the fact.
I mean, that ping-pong team is worrying them right up the wall.
Let the fact break.
I'm just giving you this as a little kind of that...
kind of backroom stuff that an editorial board loves to hear.
See what I mean?
Right.
Now, this is for your information.
Now, you can say, I would urge you to watch this in the future and that sort of thing.
Right.
Your whole general trust is right on target.
All right.
And you don't mind if they talk about the initiative, I take it?
No, no, no.
Oh, you can say that the president took this initiative.
I think that is public knowledge.
I took the initiative.
Right.
And that it was my decision and that it was not...
uh not what it was it was one in which there was i think you can honestly say that there was some uh there was opposition in the foreign service some of the criminologists because of their concern about the russians now is that for background too that's all that that can be something they can use all right fine just a minute let me just see let me check to see you the difficulty with that
I would tell them that on a complete, deep background, which means they can't use it for this reason.
It'll look like we're just trying to pick a fight with State.
Right now, we're trying to keep State.
And I think you can simply tell them that
Why don't you put it in a more fuzzed-up way?
Say there was argument.
Tell them that everybody's on salvo right now.
But at that time, when I initiated this, there was argument because some of the criminologists in the Foreign Service were deeply concerned about the fact, is this going to have some problems in our Soviet relations?
And then you go on to say, look, this has nothing to do with it.
The President has always said this has nothing to do with trying to make the Soviet mad or the Chinese mad.
Our purpose is to get along with both.
We want to be...
The line that I took in Yugoslavia and Romania, that you can be our friend without being anybody else's enemy.
All right.
That's the line.
Now, the part that you want strictly on background is the precise dates of all this.
Do I have you right on that?
Precise dates?
Don't worry me.
The 13 months ago and 20 months ago.
No, those are... All right.
Twenty months ago, the overtures were begun, and some of that is already public knowledge.
For example, the meeting that the Ambassador Stessel had with the Chinese ambassador.
Now, which of those four points, then, do you want strictly on background?
What I want strictly on background is mainly the idea of the fight.
I mean, of the State Department.
The State Department.
Okay.
I want that strictly on background, except that I want to lay to rest the idea.
What I'm really trying to get at is you, that as I told you yesterday,
Some have tried to create the impression, some in the press, that this is an initiative from the people and state that I have reluctantly gone along.
It's just the opposite.
So I'm just trying to give you the background so that you'll say, now look, boys, we don't try to pick a fight with anybody.
There's always disagreement about things, but this is something that has been a presidential initiative from the beginning.
I think that's what you can say.
Mr. President, on point A in my memorandum, the peaceful competition thing, am I right that
That is okay for them to talk about.
Absolutely.
And also the bread and butter and guns and butter deal, that's correct.
Right.
And the other, the idea, incidentally, of, I mark two for future, and this is not for them, getting the speech team to work on this is an excellent idea.
This is something we're ready to do.
When you get back, do some thinking on it, and we'll get some real good stuff.
But your outline is excellent.
I think you've got the thing right on target.
All right, fine.
Good luck.
Thank you.
And then stay out of the... And as I say, as you know, life has been very critical of us on the military side.
I just be...
The main thing there is to exude complete confidence.
Say, look, we know you disagree with this and that, but...
this president is ending this war period and you can argue about the means but in the end that's a moot question now let's go on to the other other subjects right but don't let them drive you and don't don't say a word about that except confidence that we're doing the right thing wonderful all right
NARA Description
On April 13, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Peter G. Peterson, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 10:16 am to 10:21 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 001-076 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 1-76
Date: April 13, 1971
Time: 10:16 am - 10:21 am
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Peter G. Peterson.
[See Conversation No. 478-2D]
US-People's Republic of China [PRC] initiative
-Timing
-Discussions
-Indian Ambassador
-Indira Gandhi
-Tone of Peterson's memorandum
-Wording
-News reports
-Background
-Wording
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Ping Pong team
-Soviet reaction
-Peterson's briefing
-Information
-US initiative
The President conferred with Henry A. Kissinger at an unknown time between 10:16 am and
10:21 am.
[See Conversation No. 478-2]
PRC initiative
-Peterson's background briefing for media
-Wording
-Opposition
-Department of State
-Reasons
-Purpose
-Dates
The President conferred with Kissinger at an unknown time between 10:16 am and 10:21 am.
[See Conversation No. 478-2]
-Timing
-Walter J. Stoessel, Jr.
-Meeting with PRC ambassador in Warsaw
-Background
-Department of State
-Press reports
-Wording
-Peterson's memorandum
-Outline
-Life magazine
-Opposition
-Peterson's briefingAlso recorded on April 13, 1971
- 001-073 9:30 AM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:30 am and 9:36 am.
- 478-002 9:30 AM · 1 hr 41 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Gen. George A. Lincoln, Henry A. Kissinger, Peter G. Peterson, Ronald L. Ziegler, Emily (Sears) Lodge, Paul W. McCracken, Stephen B. Bull, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:30 am to 11:13 am.
- 001-074 9:36 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Gen. George A. Lincoln talked on the telephone from 9:36 am to 9:40 am.
- 001-075 9:59 AM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:59 am and 10:16 am.
- 001-077 11:13 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 11:13 am to 11:14 am.
- 478-003 11:13 AM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:13 am.
- 478-004 11:13 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:13 am.
- 001-078 11:14 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 11:14 am to 11:17 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 001-076, April 13, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-076 (accessed October 12, 2026).