Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 12 › Conversation 012-130

Nixon phone call with Rogers on European Security Conference

Tuesday, October 26, 1971 · 8:49 AM–8:55 AM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Rogers, William P.Conversation012-130 on Tape 12 (tape position 05:30:14–05:35:37)StartTuesday, October 26, 1971 at 8:49 AMEndTuesday, October 26, 1971 at 8:55 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 012-130 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers discussed strategies for handling the proposed European Security Conference, with Nixon emphasizing the need to maintain a cautious, cool public posture to avoid Soviet leverage. They also coordinated talking points regarding the UN's admission of the People's Republic of China and the resulting expulsion of Taiwan, agreeing that Rogers should publicly frame the outcome as a negative precedent for the United Nations while maintaining a diplomatic tone. Additionally, the President updated Rogers on his upcoming scheduling priorities, noting that he needed to focus on economic and budget discussions with John Connally before meeting with Henry Kissinger.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Secretary Rogers, sir.
Hello, Bill.
Yeah, good morning, Mr. President.
And all I said, this is a great day for demonstrators, Mr. President.
Great day for demonstrators.
He hates them.
I had a thought.
In reading the morning paper, I noticed that Pompidou and Brezhnev were making a lot of noise about the European Security Conference.
And I think it'd be well and...
but I think it would be well if you keep the thing very, very cool, I mean, on the thing.
As you, of course, have said, we don't want the damn thing.
Well, we may have to have it at some point, but let's damn Europeans the way they played.
I think it's very, very much in our interest to do that.
And also, we have laid the foundation with the Russians because...
You know, we played it very cool with Brezhnev and, I mean, with, what the hell?
Gromyko.
Gromyko.
And when I said, well, we'd have to wait and we'd look into it and so forth.
So in talking, if we have any friends left in Europe, would you...
I mean, of course, the Italians, the Italians are for it.
The British, I spoke to Hume, and I think he must have told you the same thing.
He's not too keen on the darn thing.
No.
But let's just... As long as they all run with the tide, though.
Yeah, I know, I know.
But let's not get that damn tide going so that it comes before our Soviet thing or... Or that we don't have any... Or even if we indicate too much...
I think if we could just indicate every time, when you're the one to do it, I'm going to lay off of it by miles, but you just sort of indicate, well, this is a gingerly thing and we've got to consider it and what have we got to talk about.
You know, I mean, so that we don't, because the press would love to push us into this goddamn thing.
That's right.
And it would be a mess right now.
There's no possibility of one until after elections.
We shouldn't even think about a conference itself.
On the other hand, it seems to me we've got to look... We might want to announce it.
I know, I know.
You might have a preliminary meeting, you know, at three or four hours.
I don't care how you do it, but...
In other words, it might be a good thing to announce before the election.
But I think if we can indicate, well, we are open to any conference.
I mean, the line that we... We have no problem.
But I just...
The way the French are trying to play, this just burns my tail.
I know.
Goddamn them.
They want to play this game.
We'll go.
Let me ask another question, Fred.
Yeah.
I was wondering whether there might be some advantage of my not having a full press conference but just going down to see the press at 12 o'clock to say the obvious.
Oh, absolutely.
I wouldn't have a press conference.
What I mean is that...
What I meant is that by a full press conference, I don't think there's anything to say.
You just have it limited to this subject.
Yes, what I thought I might say is that...
We welcome the PRC's admission.
That's been our position.
That's our policy.
We think it's a constructive step forward.
We're disappointed about Taiwan.
We think it's a matter of principle that our resolution should have carried.
We fought hard for it.
We had a lot of good co-sponsors that fought hard for it.
And that it went.
I think I would...
Constance, this we believe is not a very good precedent for the United Nations.
I think that it goes far beyond Taiwan.
That's right.
We don't want to be sore losers.
I think we ought to also, I mean, certainly publicly, and certainly I think we ought to say that we hope this doesn't weaken the U.N.,
Yeah, you've got to say that, but let me say that I'm going to let the Appropriations Committee cut the shit out of me.
But you just say exactly that.
But don't worry about that.
We'll take care of that in other ways.
No, no, you've got to give the usual lip service to the UN.
Are you going to see Henry today?
I don't know what he's getting in at 4 o'clock or so.
4 or 5 o'clock I may see him, but I think mainly I'm going to see him tomorrow.
I thought I would tomorrow because I've got Connolly on before his.
We've got an awful lot of budget things and phase two things, and I've got to get those out of the way because I didn't realize he leaves Thursday.
Connolly does, so I'm going to spend most of the day with him.
Well, if you do that, I'd appreciate it.
including me, when you see him, because otherwise it'll look as if we were working on purpose.
Sure, sure.
I'll do that.
I'll do that.
Thank you very much.
I don't worry about that conference now, that European Security Conference.
The main thing is just keep it.
I was thinking because of the French, I'd keep our public posture a little cool on it, too, because I don't want the Russians to think they've got us by the tail on this thing.
Because it's something they want.
They've got to give us something to get that, believe me.
The Germans, of course, will be with us 100%.
Good.
Well, it's a murder.
Well, even that silly Brandt must realize that.
Oh, yes, he does.
Okay.
Well, I'm not sure.
Okay.
Okay.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On October 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 8:49 am to 8:55 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 012-130 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 012-130

Date: October 26, 1971
Time: 8:49 am- 8:55 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with William P. Rogers.

[See Conversation No. 601-36/602-1A]

     Manolo Sanchez
         -Demonstrators

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

     European Security Conference
          -Press reports
          -Georges Pompidou
          -Leonid I. Brezhnev
          -Instructions to Rogers
                -Forthcoming meeting with the President
                -US position
                -Europeans
                -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
                       -Brezhnev
                       -Andrei A. Gromyko
                -Italy
                -Great Britain
                       -Sir Alexander F. Douglas-Home
                -Rogers public statements
          -Possible preliminary meeting
                -Timing
                -Attendees
                       -Manlio Brosio
                -Possible statement

     Possible Rogers’ press conference
          -United Nations [UN]
               -People's Republic of China [PRC] admission
               -Taiwan
               -Precedent
                     -Possible effect of UN
               -Congressional Appropriations Committee

     The President's schedule
          -Henry A. Kissinger
          -John B. Connally
               -Economy
                      -Budget
                      -Wage and Price controls

     European Security Conference
          -France
          -US position

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

             -USSR
             -West Germany
                 -Willy Brandt

Also recorded on October 26, 1971

  • 012-129 8:35 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:35 am and 8:49 am.
  • 013-001 8:35 AM · 8 sec — the recording device engaged at an unknown time between 8:35 am and 10:15 am, but the conversation appears to be blank.
  • 013-002 8:35 AM · 9 sec — the recording device engaged at an unknown time between 8:35 am and 10:15 am, but the conversation appears to be blank.
  • 601-035 8:35 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:35 am and 8:49 am.
  • 601-036 8:35 AM · 30 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, William P. Rogers, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:35 am and 10:00 am.
  • 602-001 9:01 AM · 1 hr 40 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Alexander P. Butterfield, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, Peter M. Flanigan, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:01 am and 11:09 am.
  • 013-003 10:15 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 10:15 am to 10:16 am.
  • 013-004 10:16 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:16 am and 10:17 am.

All 44 conversations from October 26, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 012-130, October 26, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/012-130 (accessed October 12, 2026).