Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 17 › Conversation 017-015

Nixon phone call with Reagan on Eisaku Sato and US-Japan relations

Friday, December 24, 1971 · 2:16 PM–2:21 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Reagan, Ronald W.Conversation017-015 on Tape 17 (tape position 00:23:15–00:26:38)StartFriday, December 24, 1971 at 2:16 PMEndFriday, December 24, 1971 at 2:21 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 017-015 ↗

AI Summary

President Richard Nixon called Governor Ronald Reagan to exchange Christmas greetings and invite him to join a diplomatic golf outing with Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato at Walter Annenberg’s estate. Nixon planned for the January 7, 1972, event to serve as a symbolic gesture to strengthen U.S.-Japan relations following formal policy discussions. Reagan expressed interest in attending, though he noted he would verify his schedule, and Nixon confirmed that political rivals Senators John Tunney and Alan Cranston were explicitly excluded from the invitation.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Governor Regan, Mr. President.
Hello.
Mr. President.
Hello.
Hello.
I hope you're taking the day off.
Mr. President, I'm doing exactly that, although I'm sitting here in a downpour of rain.
Are you in home?
In Los Angeles, yes.
And it's raining, by God.
Well, it's cold here in Clare, but I'll tell you what I call.
First, to wish you and Nancy a very Merry Christmas.
Well, the same to me.
And second, if you are free...
We're going to have, when Sato is here, Ron, I'm going to, as the end of our visit, I'm going to do something that the Japanese, they say, will appreciate more than anything else.
I'm going to fly him over to Walter Annenberg's place to play golf.
And I wondered if you could join us.
What day is that?
Oh, the 7th, I think.
7th?
January the 7th.
January 7th.
I'm not being down here.
I don't have, I don't think they... Sure.
Well, there's no, uh, there's no, uh, no hurry.
And we, and if you can make it, fine.
If you can't, why, we'll, uh, we're going to have, uh, Rogers will play.
I will play Sato Fukuda.
We'll have about eight, two foursons.
And, uh, and then we're going to have dinner.
It's just all going to be stag just to have dinner with Walter at the, at his house and early dinner and then go home.
And I haven't played golf twice this year, so you can beat us all.
As you know, that course is not very crowded either.
I've only had about two games myself.
I know, I know.
Well, I thought it would be a nice touch since, you see, it's got sort of historic, his visit here.
And we'll have our talks on the afternoon of the 6th and the morning of the 7th.
And then we'll fly over there around 11 o'clock.
And...
We'll play golf and finish around 4.30 and have an early dinner and then home again.
Well, it sounds wonderful.
But since you've met all these fellows, I thought you might enjoy it.
I certainly would.
I enjoyed meeting him and talking with him very much.
Yeah, I know, on your trip.
He seems like a...
Very western.
Yeah.
Incidentally, I hope you will understand I'm not inviting Tunney or Cranston to play.
That's nice.
Okay.
All right.
Well, listen, shall I just wire them?
I'll check this out immediately with them.
I'm positive that there is.
My only fear is it makes me just hesitate for a second as if
They've got me shipped out of the state or something at that particular time.
I understand.
Well, look, it's fine if you can make it.
We'll have the force open or whatever it is.
And if you can't, it's perfectly all right.
Don't break a date.
Let's say that I'll be there unless you hear from me otherwise.
Good.
That's good.
I'll put you down.
All right.
All right.
Well...
All right.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.

NARA Description

On December 24, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald W. Reagan talked on the telephone from 2:16 pm to 2:21 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 017-015 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 17-15

Date: December 24, 1971
Time: 2:16 pm - 2:21 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald W. Reagan.

     Reagan's schedule

     Weather

     Christmas greetings

     Eisaku Sato's visit
          -Play golf at Walter H. Annenberg's
                -Timing
                -President
                -Sato
                -Date
                -Reagan
                -William P. Rogers
                -Takeo Fukuda
          -Dinner at Annenberg's
          -Sato
                -Talks with President
          -Reagan’s meeting with Sato
                -Sato
          -John V. Tunney and Alan Cranston
          -Reagan's schedule

**************************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 12/21/2017.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[017-015-w002]
[Duration: 19s]

     Redskins’ game
          -Weather
          -Timing
         -San Francisco 49ers

**************************************************************************

Also recorded on December 24, 1971

  • 017-012 2:01 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:01 pm and 2:06 pm.
  • 309-011 2:01 PM · 7 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 2:01 pm and 2:06 pm.
  • 017-013 2:06 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Nelson A. Rockefeller talked on the telephone from 2:06 pm to 2:12 pm.
  • 309-012 2:06 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Nelson A. Rockefeller met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:06 pm to 2:12 pm.
  • 017-014 2:12 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:12 pm and 2:16 pm.
  • 309-013 2:12 PM · 8 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 2:12 pm and 2:16 pm.
  • 309-014 2:12 PM · 23 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 2:12 pm and 2:16 pm.
  • 309-015 2:16 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald W. Reagan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:16 pm to 2:21 pm.

All 54 conversations from December 24, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 017-015, December 24, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-015 (accessed October 7, 2026).