Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 10 › Conversation 010-040

Nixon phone call with Rogers on Latin America and Foreign Policy

Tuesday, October 5, 1971 · 8:56 AM–9:02 AM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Rogers, William P.Conversation010-040 on Tape 10 (tape position 01:22:46–01:24:53)StartTuesday, October 5, 1971 at 8:56 AMEndTuesday, October 5, 1971 at 9:02 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 010-040 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers discussed the strategic importance of improving relations with Latin American nations to balance the administration’s focus on upcoming diplomatic initiatives in China, the Soviet Union, and elsewhere. Nixon emphasized a personal desire to engage with Latin American leaders, noting that the region had been neglected compared to other international priorities. Rogers was tasked with investigating potential opportunities for a presidential visit, specifically suggesting a trip to Paraguay to meet with Alfredo Stroessner.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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It'll be far more effective than Rockefeller doing it.

I'll tell you what I might do, Mr. President.

I might ask them... Oh, ask their advice.

Ask their advice.

Right.

Now, the other thing that you might do is this, that you might...

I had this as another note I want to talk to you about.

The Latin American...

thing concerns me well the African thing doesn't because there's just too much to do over there you've been there but Latin America nobody's been there you know and I have a I really do have a special feeling for those people not only because they're close but also because they're damn good people I mean and whether they're dictators or whatever they are they want to be with us now you know we talked once about the possibility of going to some place for a

heads of state meeting or something like that i don't know whether that's in the cards with the i mean with them not some of them not speaking to each other but it might be a possibility but if you know you remember eisenhower went to the panama heads of state meeting that's right and uh we really ought to do particularly with the two that are coming up now this thing and that i mean particularly the china and the russia thing and you know japan and the wings after china

Latin America would... And we're doing Canada, of course.

And I've done Mexico.

But Latin America really ought to have something done.

Check around and see what they have coming up.

On the presidential...

I don't... As far as...

I mean, you might... You know, just a little attention to those people is terrific, see?

That's right.

Well, you look into it.

And what I was thinking was maybe... Not a grand tour.

We haven't done that anyplace.

But you might go to...

To a rather safe city someplace.

There must be one down there.

Well, maybe in Paraguay.

Estrester's pretty tough.

Okay.

All right, Mr. President.

All right.

Thanks very much for calling.

NARA Description

On October 5, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 8:56 am to 9:02 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 010-040 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 10-40

Date: October 5, 1971
Time: 8:56 am - 9:02 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with William P. Rogers; the recording began while the conversation was in
progress.

[See Conversation No. 584-1]

     Nelson A. Rockefeller

     Africa
          -Spiro T. Agnew

     Latin America
           -President's support
           -Possibility of attendance at Heads of State meeting
                 -David D. Eisenhower
                       -Panama
                 -People’s Republic of China [PRC], Soviet Union, Japan, Canada, Mexico trips
           -Paraguay
                 -Alfredo Stroessner

Also recorded on October 5, 1971

584-001 8:56 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:56 am to 9:02 am.
010-041 9:02 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:02 am and 3:59 pm.
584-002 9:02 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:02 am and 9:12 am.
584-003 9:12 AM · 3 hr 55 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, unknown person(s), Stephen B. Bull, John B. Connally, George P. Shultz, Paul W. McCracken, Herbert Stein, Henry A. Kissinger, Ronald L. Ziegler, and William L. Safire met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:12 am to 1:11 pm.
584-004 1:11 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at 1:11 pm.
584-005 1:11 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:11 pm to 1:25 pm.
584-006 1:25 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:25 pm and 1:32 pm.
584-007 1:25 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:25 pm and 1:32 pm.

All 36 conversations from October 5, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 010-040, October 5, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/010-040 (accessed September 28, 2026).