Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 16 › Conversation 016-006
Nixon phone call with Rogers on India-Pakistan War
Sunday, December 5, 1971 · 7:56 PM–8:03 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers discussed the ongoing India-Pakistan War, focusing on the deadlock at the UN Security Council and the deteriorating military situation in East Pakistan. The President reaffirmed the U.S. demand for a mutual withdrawal of forces as a condition for any resolution. They also coordinated the logistics for an upcoming high-level meeting at the Executive Office Building and scheduled follow-up communications with Ambassador George H.W. Bush.
- India-Pakistan War
- United Nations Security Council
- US Foreign Policy
- Military Strategy
- George H.W. Bush
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data
· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
Hello.
Secretary Rogers, the president.
Hello.
How did it go today?
Well, pretty well, as a matter of fact.
Well, they didn't get started until about two hours ago, and they've been trying to figure out some resolution to be acceptable, and they haven't been able to do that.
So nothing is going to happen tonight at all.
We put forward our withdrawal speech by our
I guess that's the... Well, we lost last night.
It was vetoed, but we made it clear that we would veto anything that did not have a mutual withdrawal provision.
And that's been publicized.
That's the bonus intention.
That's right.
What about the situation out there?
How is it fighting for it?
Well, the last reports we had were about the same as before.
I haven't, of course, now since the night out there.
You know, it's
But the situation in East Pakistan is bad.
That's right.
I think they can hold out for a while, but it's going to be very hard.
Are the Indians continuing to bomb the Rockies?
Yes, but it's not the civilian population.
There's not been much damage to the bombings.
Most of it is against the airfields or places where we have patrolling.
Are the Pakistanis bombing in the West?
Yes.
They're bombing India, too.
Are the Pakistanis doing reasonably well in the West?
No, I think they're doing rather well in the West, yes.
They're not doing so well in the U.S.
They don't have anybody there.
They don't have anybody there.
They're just pulverizing there.
Well, I don't think it's that bad, but it's not good.
In the West, they're doing pretty well.
It's very difficult to tell because we don't have any independent sources of information.
And they're conflicting reports.
Both lie.
Both lie.
Oh, God, yes.
Low-slang victory and all that sort of thing.
Right.
Well, now, in the morning, oh, excuse me, go ahead.
George Bush is doing a fine job.
We're over here in the office now.
Are you?
He's a hell of a good choice.
Good.
Let me suggest that in the morning, I will call you sometime in the morning at your office.
And at that time, say that I think we should meet at 1.30.
The meeting will be set up at 1.30, and we'll meet in the EOB room to make it a more private kind of a meeting.
We'll have them only shoot the first five minutes of it, and then we'll talk for an hour.
We have an hour and a half, as a matter of fact.
Then I thought at that time, too, that...
I might give Bush a call.
I think that'd be nice.
From, so you alert him.
I will call him, oh, sometime between 9 and 10 o'clock.
I'll call him sometime in New York.
For him to just get a quick report on the phone.
Well, what time do you call me to him?
Well, I'll call, you see, I'll be true.
I'll call you about 9.30.
9.30, and I'll call Bush between 9.30 and 9.30, around in that period, 9.30, 9.45.
I'll have it available.
And then you will get together and go through this thing.
1.30, but the meeting at 1.30 will be a substitute meeting, and we'll have the television shoot at the beginning, but then we'll meet for an hour and a half.
I think the point that you suggested I make is a very good point.
I want you to make that
I want you to make that in the public side of that meeting, you see.
I plan to have 15 minutes, let them cover the first 15 minutes, and I'll just go around.
I'll say, what do you think about this thing?
And see where we stand.
And then we'll, I don't know what else.
But I think you can say something in about a minute and a half, two minutes.
We'll get on the program.
That's what I want.
All right.
you
NARA Description
On December 5, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 7:56 pm to 8:03 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 016-006 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 16-6
Date: December 5, 1971
Time: 7:56 pm - 8:03 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with William P. Rogers.
India- Pakistan war
-United Nations [UN] Security Council resolution
-Lack of progress
-US position
-Mutual withdrawal
-Military situation
-Reports
-East Pakistan
-Indian bombing of Karachi and Rawalpindi
-Pakistan bombing
-Evaluation of Pakistani successes in West and East
-George H.W. Bush
President’s schedule
-President’s forthcoming telephone call
-Executive Office Building [EOB] meeting, December 6, 1971
-[Forename unknown] Mooney [?]
-Duration of planned meeting
-President’s forthcoming telephone calls
-Bush
-Timing
-Rogers
-Timing
-Bush
-National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC] coverage of meeting
-”A Day in the Life of the President”
-Rogers’ public comments
-Meeting itinerary
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 06/17/2019. 1m
16s segment cleared for release. 18s remain closed as 016-006-w002.]
[Personal Returnable]
[016-006-w002]
[Duration: 18s]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
[Personal Returnable]
[016-006-w002]
[Duration: 1m 16s]
Washington football game
-Offense
-Interceptions
-New York Giants
-Los Angeles Rams
-Cleveland Browns
-Chances to win
-Playoff chances
-Detroit Lions
-Playoffs
-Billy Kilmer
-Abilities
-Christian A. (“Sonny”) Jurgenson, III
*****************************************************************Also recorded on December 6, 1971
- 016-002 7:31 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone from 7:31 pm to 7:39 pm.
- 016-003 7:39 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:39 pm and 7:50 pm.
- 016-004 7:50 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Strom Thurmond talked on the telephone from 7:50 pm to 7:52 pm.
- 016-005 7:52 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:52 pm and 7:56 pm.
- 016-007 8:03 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:03 pm and 8:12 pm.
- 016-008 8:03 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:03 pm and 8:12 pm.
- 016-009 8:03 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:03 pm and 8:12 pm.
- 016-010 8:12 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 8:12 pm to 8:28 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 016-006, December 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/016-006 (accessed October 11, 2026).