Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 1 › Conversation 001-138

Nixon phone call with Buchanan on China policy and Media relations

Saturday, April 17, 1971 · 4:41 PM–4:42 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Buchanan, Patrick J.Conversation001-138 on Tape 1 (tape position 04:18:57–04:20:31)StartSaturday, April 17, 1971 at 4:41 PMEndSaturday, April 17, 1971 at 4:42 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 001-138 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and aide Patrick J. Buchanan discuss the political fallout of the administration's new initiative toward the People's Republic of China. They observe that the move has successfully disrupted the liberal press, drawing attention away from the Vietnam War and causing confusion among political 'doves.' Nixon emphasizes his cautious approach regarding formal UN recognition and his ongoing commitment to maintaining relations with Taiwan.

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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The other thing I was going to mention is how really amusing it is that these doves are so thrown off balance for this China thing.
They're really in a tither.
Oh, sure.
A little old blip like that, and then they're all saying, they really don't know what to do.
That's one they can't build on a handle, isn't it?
That's right, that's right.
Well, they were ecstatic over the initiative, and of course, they just, I mean, very euphoric about the whole thing, and at the same time, they're going to have to sort of give you credit for doing it.
Presents them with a bit of a problem.
Yeah, because nobody else did it.
That's right, that's right.
And also, it was good that Bedman asked the question, because it allowed me to point out that I had said it two years ago, said it in an editorial conference, referred to it in an article in Foreign Affairs, that it was not something it just, and at the same time, of course, it's,
I, as you know, dodged the issue of recognition or the UN, which is very important.
Say, we're not going to go too fast here, boys.
We've got other friends there, too.
We don't want to let down Taiwan too hard.
We won't.
I think what really is interesting on the China thing is the way that it forces the liberal press people to get off of Vietnam for a while, doesn't it?
Mm-hmm.
It does.
We wiped it right off the front pages, you know.
It should go well.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah, we'll see what they do next week with it.
Okay.
Okay.
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On April 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 4:41 pm to 4:42 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 001-138 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 1-138

Date: April 17, 1971
Time: 4:41 pm - 4:42 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Patrick J. Buchanan.

     President's interview with newspaper editors
           -People's Republic of China [PRC] initiative
                 -Reaction by "doves"
                 -Emmett Dedmon, Chicago Sun Times
                 -Article in Foreign Affairs
                 -Recognition in United Nations [UN]
                       -Taiwan
                 -Liberal press
                 -Vietnam

Also recorded on April 17, 1971

  • 001-130 4:10 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:19 pm.
  • 001-131 4:10 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:19 pm.
  • 001-132 4:19 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 4:19 pm to 4:21 pm.
  • 001-133 4:21 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 4:21 pm to 4:22 pm.
  • 001-134 4:22 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 4:22 pm to 4:24 pm.
  • 001-135 4:24 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:24 pm and 4:35 pm.
  • 001-136 4:35 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 4:35 pm to 4:40 pm.
  • 001-137 4:41 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:41 pm.

All 49 conversations from April 17, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 001-138, April 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-138 (accessed October 12, 2026).