Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-166

Nixon phone call with Rogers on Middle East diplomacy and Anwar el-Sadat

Friday, May 28, 1971 · 9:08 AM–9:12 AM ET · White House Telephone

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Rogers, William P.Conversation003-166 on Tape 3 (tape position 03:54:55–03:58:20)StartFriday, May 28, 1971 at 9:08 AMEndFriday, May 28, 1971 at 9:12 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-166 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers discuss shifting diplomatic strategies regarding the Middle East and the fallout from a sensitive media leak concerning the People's Republic of China. The conversation addresses the influence of Soviet leadership on Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat and examines statements made by King Faisal regarding Israel. Nixon and Rogers coordinate their response to the Washington Post report, evaluating the roles of Henry Kissinger and administration press secretaries in managing the potential security breach.

Audio

Audio for this conversation has not been released by the National Archives.

Transcript (AI-generated)

No transcript is available because the audio has not been released.

NARA Description

On May 28, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 9:08 am to 9:12 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-166 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-166

Date: May 28, 1971
Time: 9:08 am - 9:12 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with William P. Rogers.

[See Conversation No. 505-017]

     Middle East
         -Egypt
               -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] role
                    -Anwar el-Sadat
                    -Nikolai Podgorny

******************************************************************************

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

[National Security (B) withdrawal reviewed under MDR guidelines case number LPRN-T-MDR-
2014-012. Segment exempt 3.3(b)(1)on 10/17/2017. Archivist: DR]
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration: 6s]

     MESSAGE FROM PODGORNY

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

******************************************************************************

                  -United States [US] Role
                        -President's press conference
                  -Sadat's position
             -King Malik Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Saud's statements
                  -Israel
             -Cyrus L. Sulzberger's Story in New York Times
                  -Israel

     People's Republic of China [PRC]
          -A May 27, 1971 Washington Post story
                -Possible Leak
                     -Effect
                -Austrian action
                -Administration Handling
                     -Robert J. McCloskey, Ronald L. Ziegler
                     -Henry A. Kissinger
                     -Ziegler, McCloskey

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

Also recorded on May 28, 1971

  • 003-165 8:47 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:47 am and 9:08 am.
  • 505-015 8:47 AM · 44 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:47 am and 9:08 am.
  • 505-016 8:47 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:47 am and 9:08 am.
  • 505-017 9:08 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:08 am to 9:12 am.
  • 505-018 9:12 AM · 1 hr 41 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, unknown person(s), J. Edgar Hoover, Ronald L. Ziegler, John D. Ehrlichman, Henry A. Kissinger, Wilbur D. Mills, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:12 am and 11:04 am.
  • 003-167 9:16 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:16 am and 9:34 am.
  • 003-168 9:16 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:16 am and 9:34 am.
  • 003-169 9:34 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover talked on the telephone from 9:34 am to 9:43 am.

All 63 conversations from May 28, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-166, May 28, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-166 (accessed October 11, 2026).