Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 13 › Conversation 013-070

Nixon phone call with Rousselot on People's Republic of China

Tuesday, November 2, 1971 · 1:06 PM–1:08 PM ET · White House Telephone ·1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Rousselot, John H.Conversation013-070 onTape 13 (tape position 02:35:29–02:36:53)StartTuesday, November 2, 1971 at 1:06 PMEndTuesday, November 2, 1971 at 1:08 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 013-070 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon telephoned Congressman John H. Rousselot to extend birthday greetings and express appreciation for his legislative support. The two discussed Rousselot’s reservations regarding the administration’s shifting policy toward the People's Republic of China. Nixon acknowledged the Congressman’s concerns and suggested a future meeting to provide further context on the diplomatic strategy.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
I have Congressman Russel O. for you.
Yeah.
You are.
Hello.
Hello.
Johnny.
Mr. President.
I'm just checking with Timmons here, and he tells me that you were born, oh, about 35 years ago.
So I don't know.
Let's see.
44, right?
44, right.
My golly, you can't be that old.
I remember when you were a young Republican.
Yes, well, you were the one that got me all activated.
Right, well, anyway, I just want you to know we really appreciated your support, too.
You're on our, what we call our A-list.
And I know that sometimes it's hard to support the administration, but we're glad we got one from my old home district.
Well, I appreciate very much your call.
You're very thoughtful to call.
Well, we appreciate it.
Sometime when you get a chance, I would like to sit down and talk about the...
Red Chinese thing.
That bothered me a great deal.
I know it has, and you've been very responsible about it.
But when we get further along, I think we can do it, and I might get a few fellows in.
I think, too, you will see that there's far more there than meets the eye.
Well, that's what I'd like to talk about, and I'm sure there was, and that's why I told Clark when the time was right to...
And if you feel it's appropriate, be glad to talk about it.
Fine, Johnny.
Well, you're very thoughtful to call.
That's awfully nice of you.
Thank you.
All righty, and we'll be talking.

NARA Description

On November 2, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John H. Rousselot talked on the telephone from 1:06 pm to 1:08 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 013-070 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 13-70

Date: November 2, 1971
Time: 1:06 pm - 1:08 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with John H. Rousselot.

[See Conversation No. 611-21C]

     President's conversation with William E. Timmons
          -Rousselot's birthday
                 -Age

     Rousselot's support for President's programs
         -People's Republic of China [PRC]
                -President's schedule
                      -Rousselot's conversation with Clark MacGregor

Also recorded on November 2, 1971

  • 013-068 12:56 PM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Clarence E. Miller talked on the telephone from 12:56 pm to 12:57 pm.
  • 013-069 12:57 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:57 pm and 1:06 pm.
  • 013-071 1:09 PM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Barber B. Conable, Jr. talked on the telephone from 1:09 pm to 1:10 pm.
  • 611-022 1:13 PM · 10 sec — Alexander P. Butterfield and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:13 pm and 3:00 pm.
  • 611-023 1:13 PM · 34 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:13 pm and 3:00 pm.
  • 013-072 1:15 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:15 pm and 1:30 pm.
  • 300-001 1:15 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:15 pm and 1:30 pm.
  • 300-002 1:15 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:15 pm and 1:30 pm.

All 58 conversations from November 2, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 013-070, November 2, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/013-070 (accessed September 18, 2026).