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Conversation 003-134

TapeTape 3StartWednesday, May 26, 1971 at 3:12 PMEndWednesday, May 26, 1971 at 3:15 PMTape start time03:19:34Tape end time03:22:03ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Price, Raymond K., Jr.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AI Summary

President Nixon consults with Raymond K. Price, Jr. to coordinate revisions for an upcoming West Point speech, requesting that Price bring speechwriter John K. Andrews to the Executive Office Building for a meeting. Nixon expresses concern that current drafts focus too heavily on Vietnam, directing his staff to pivot the speech toward post-Vietnam foreign policy and economic strategy. He emphasizes incorporating themes related to U.S. diplomatic initiatives with the Soviet Union and China to highlight the broader transition from war to peace.

West Point speechVietnam WarForeign policyPost-Vietnam economic policyPRC-USSR relationsSpeechwriting
AudioNARA Description

On May 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 3:12 pm to 3:15 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-134 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 3-134

Date: May 26, 1971
Time: 3:12 pm - 3:15 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Raymond K. Price, Jr.

[See Conversation No. 253-16]

     President's West Point speech
          -John K. Andrews
          -President's work
          -Meeting with Price and Andrews
          -Draft
                 -Vietnam references
          -Foreign policy
                 -Peter G. Peterson
                 -Post-Vietnam economic policy
                 -Foreign Affairs article
                 -People's Republic of China [PRC], Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
                       [USSR]
                 -War and peace
          -Meeting with Price and Andrews
                 -Location
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Yes, sir.
Did Andrews work on the West Point thing?
Yes, he did.
Yeah.
Is he there today?
Yes, he is.
I did some work on it last night.
I had sort of a new idea as to a cut of the thing.
And I was wondering, let's see, what time do you have now, 3.15?
3.15.
If you could come over in about 20 minutes, could you, to the...
and then I'll just give you come with him so that he can sort of get the feel as to how I think about it and Here's let me tell you that my concern right that my concern is and Versus not with regard to what is written, which I think is a damn good job.
My concern is that What is written in terms of lead and everything else is almost totally
vietnam and uh nixon defends policy in vietnam etc etc etc you know now uh i'm not gonna run away from it and i will of course uh make a mention but i think that uh i think there needs to be a rather different view than uh that presented at this time i think the emphasis has got to be in fact my whole idea and i i mean pete peterson whom i want if you had to talk with him lately
I want you to sit down and talk with him.
His whole theory, you know, about the foreign economic policy.
What do we do after Vietnam?
What's this nation going to be?
What's it going to develop?
He's thinking far beyond economics, as a matter of fact.
Now, in the military field and the diplomatic field and the other fields, the question is, I mean, after Vietnam, you know, as a matter of fact, of course, it goes clear back to our foreign affairs article, Asia after Vietnam, you know.
Now, I would like to cast most everything we do at this time in those terms.
Good.
In those terms of, as you see, it fits the Soviet initiative, it fits the Chinese initiative.
Some of these won't come off, but some may.
It fits the transition from war to peace.
It fits their economic problems and a lot of other things.
Mm-hmm.
See?
Good.
I like that very much.
Yeah.
All right.
About 20 minutes.
All right, sir.
That's in the Oval Office, right?
EOB.
EOB.
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