Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 16 › Conversation 016-050

Nixon phone call with McCormack on India-Pakistan War and Humanitarian aid

Wednesday, December 8, 1971 · 2:15 PM–2:22 PM ET · White House Telephone · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); McCormack, John W.Conversation016-050 on Tape 16 (tape position 01:41:23–01:48:36)StartWednesday, December 8, 1971 at 2:15 PMEndWednesday, December 8, 1971 at 2:22 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 016-050 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417191349 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and former Speaker of the House John W. McCormack spoke to exchange condolences and discuss geopolitical concerns. McCormack expressed his deep appreciation for First Lady Pat Nixon’s attendance at his wife's funeral, while the President briefed him on the ongoing India-Pakistan War, emphasizing the administration's commitment to humanitarian aid while avoiding direct military involvement. Additionally, McCormack suggested he could serve as a backchannel for potential diplomatic outreach to Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza, leveraging a personal connection through a mutual acquaintance.

Audio

Download MP3 · 9.9 MB

NARA Description

On December 8, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John W. McCormack talked on the telephone from 2:15 pm to 2:22 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 016-050 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 16-50

Date: December 8, 1971
Time: 2:15 pm - 2:22 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with John W. McCormack.

[See Conversation No. 307-12]

     Harriet McCormack’s funeral
          -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                -John McCormack’s gratitude
          -President’s schedule
                -India-Pakistan War
          -John McCormack

           -Gratitude
     -President’s call to John McCormack
     -John McCormack
           -Gratitude
                 -Mrs. Nixon

India-Pakistan
      -US position
           -India
           -Pakistan
           -US involvement
      -Peoples Republic of China [PRC]
      -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
      -US aid
           -Humanitarian
           -India
      -PRC influence
           -Pakistan
      -USSR influence
      -PRC
           -Pakistan
      -Effect of weather
           -Himalayan Mountains
           -PRC
                  -India
      -UN General Assembly vote
           -Mutual withdrawal
           -India
                  -Withdrawal

Antasio Somoza DeBayle
     -Son
           -West Point
                 -Somoza
     -West Point
     -Friendship with McCormack
     -James Fitzgerald
     -Possible message from the President
     -Central American leaders
           -Attitude toward US

Harriet McCormack

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).

Hello.
Hello.
Hello, Mr. President.
Yes, hello.
How are you?
Oh, I wanted to call to tell you how deeply touched I am, how grateful I am to you for the, not consideration, but far more beyond the line of duty than Mrs. Nixon attending the funeral services.
Well, I tell you, she was just delighted to be able to go
And I regret I couldn't come.
I had a sort of a little problem that day, you know, with India and Pakistan and all that.
But she was just, she wanted to be there to show what the country felt about Mrs. McCormick.
Oh, well, of course, this couldn't be...
Anything more personal than her being there, other than yourself, see?
Well, I think that's what we wanted to convey.
Oh, and touching.
I want you to know how deeply we appreciate it, how much it was appreciated by everyone, was the comments.
Of course, the press gave a tremendous play.
It was so touching.
Harrod could speak from the great beyond.
she'd simply, I know she'd say to me, say thanks to the president for me.
Well, we know that, and as I said to you when we called the other day, that the example that you have set and that she set during her life was a fine one for the country, and we just wanted to represent the country as well as ourselves personally.
Will you convey to...
I sure will.
I sure will.
And she will... Also, tell her that I'm taking... that if Harriet could speak and greet me on, I'm saying thanks also for her.
I certainly will, John.
I'll do that.
I'll do that.
And it was awfully thoughtful of you to call.
I'll tell her.
Oh, thoughtful.
Fine.
And you just stand up now.
You know, we want to...
keep you in the battle trenches.
The situation is pretty tense, isn't it?
Well, actually, on the India-Pakistan one, there really isn't anything we can do to stop it.
India is determined to
to rabble it up, and Pakistan has not handled itself too well.
And, of course, we don't want to get involved.
I mean, we have one more already.
Because in back of them are the two big... Russia and China.
Right.
That's really their area of influence.
I said to a friend of mine yesterday,
I said, I don't know a thing about it, but I'll let the president take serve notice that we'll help the suffering human beings all we can.
That's right.
We'll extend our good offices to the extent we can.
Right.
But I said, I bet he's probably said to both Soviet Union and Russia,
little more difficulty with communication.
I mean, the Soviet Union, Red China, he said to them both, this is your baby.
Right.
Well, that's exactly what I said.
The way we would, I put it, you could sort of say we'll give millions for humanitarian things, but we're not going to give us
given any aid for the war.
We're not even India.
But China and the Soviet Union could stop it if they want to.
Absolutely.
Particularly Russia could.
See, China has influence on Pakistan.
Pakistan would stop it because they're going to lose.
Sure.
But at the present time, the Indians see a chance to finish off their old enemy.
And the Russians are kind of gleeful because they know that Pakistan has been leaning to China.
And it's a dirty game.
It's truly a dirty game.
Well, they may not in the long run know, but right now they can't do anything for a reason that the Indians...
This thing came ahead at a time, weather-wise, when those great mountain passes coming down over the Himalaya Mountains are all covered with snow.
So the Chinese couldn't move on to India if they wanted to.
That's part of the problem.
But I would say this.
If I were an Indian looking to the future, I would be worried about my northern neighbor because the Chinese will not forget.
They will not forget, and I think they can rack up India any time they want to.
Oh, yes.
Yeah.
Well, we just hope it doesn't happen, but we're doing our best to cool it, and the United Nations vote was good.
At least it asked both sides to withdraw and put some of the blame on India where it belongs for not withdrawing.
Any time you feel John McCormick can help, and I don't want to use the word help, so we can use it.
And you know, just a thought, you know the Somoza?
Yes, yes.
He and I are good friends.
Yes, yes.
I got to know him through Jim Fitzgerald.
You knew Jim years ago, he died.
Yeah, yeah.
I sent his son to West Point.
Yes, yes.
And his son and Somoza were roommates.
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
Now, sometimes there might be as close personal message
And nobody could be closer to one another than two fellows who lived together as roommates in the academy.
Of course, of course.
And he's the president of Nicaragua.
And I was thinking about it last night, and I said, well, sometimes, not any official position or anything, but sometimes I said the president might want to send a special message through somebody who is a crew exceedingly close.
I'm going to tell it to the president sometime that I met Somoza through Fitzgerald, but Fitzgerald, whom I appointed to nominate at the West Point, was the room, he and Somoza, when he was there, were roommates.
I see, yes, yes, yes.
Well, I tell you, I sure will have it in mind, because...
That place down there, you know, that's always a little bit of a hot box, too.
I mean, that's Central America.
They're more pro-American than most Americans.
Yes.
Bet your life.
You bet your life.
He sure is.
He sure is.
I saw him going through the line, extending his sympathy.
Immediately, I said to myself, sometime I'll tell the president about this.
Not for any appointment.
I understand.
Sometimes it might be just some one-shot special affair.
Mission or something.
Let me say I appreciate it very much, and certainly we'll have it in mind.
I'm sure something's going to come up.
Something that is, I hope it does.
My deep thanks for Harriet, who can speak to you, her deep thanks.
Well, we know we have it both, and we appreciate it, and we'll just look forward to seeing you one of these days, John, down here.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Bye.
Bye.

Also recorded on December 8, 1971

  • 307-012 2:15 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John W. McCormack met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:15 pm to 2:22 pm.
  • 016-051 2:22 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:22 pm and 3:30 pm.
  • 016-052 2:22 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:22 pm and 3:30 pm.
  • 307-013 2:22 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:22 pm and 3:30 pm.
  • 307-014 2:22 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:22 pm and 3:30 pm.
  • 307-015 2:22 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:22 pm and 3:30 pm.
  • 307-016 2:22 PM · 37 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:22 pm and 3:30 pm.
  • 307-017 2:22 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:22 pm and 3:30 pm.

All 72 conversations from December 8, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 016-050, December 8, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417191349). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/016-050 (accessed November 2, 2026).