Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 32 › Conversation 032-134

Nixon phone call with Price on Foreign policy and Speechwriting

Thursday, November 2, 1972 · 9:38 AM–9:45 AM ET · White House Telephone · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Price, Raymond K., Jr.Conversation032-134 on Tape 32StartThursday, November 2, 1972 at 9:38 AMEndThursday, November 2, 1972 at 9:45 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 032-134 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and speechwriter Raymond K. Price, Jr. discuss the editing and refinement of an upcoming foreign policy address. The President focuses on shortening the text to hit specific word count targets for a broadcast documentary while avoiding unnecessary duplication with a separate, forthcoming speech. They also touch upon foreign policy philosophy and specific concerns raised by Henry Kissinger regarding the Vietnam section of the draft.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Mr. Price.
Yeah.
Yes, sir.
Ray, since we're going, as you know, on the foreign policy, when I radio, I want it to go for Sunday, so I'll do it for Saturday morning.
So you see what I mean?
Because I want to do the final thing has to be the goals thing, which will be Sunday morning for AM release Monday, you see.
Now, in the foreign policy, and I'm thinking here of an area where...
obviously have some duplication, but possibly since we've quite a bit on Vietnam, we might want to cut.
It seems the material, I think the material on the foreign policy stuff is very good in here.
I wonder if we couldn't perhaps cut it substantially, having in mind the fact that it's probably got to go in the other one.
I'm referring to the stuff on page, the material on page 12 and 13.
You see what I mean?
to that point, in other words, up to the point that ours, we shall continue to meet ours, and then go into how it all comes about.
Now, the first paragraph, in other words, with regard to the naive, et cetera, et cetera, possibly ought to stay.
You might then move out.
The next is very good, and so forth.
But I think you might take, as we look at the real world, down to, I asked your supporters, we need to work toward that goal, that could probably be telescope, having in mind that it should be in the other species, see?
On the other hand, you might telescope it all, but what's your view about that?
I'm just thinking of whether this is material.
Now, the stuff about the defense part and so forth is,
stuff that people on the average guy with his eating his pretzels understand.
Of course, he's not going to understand a lot of this, but I'm just thinking of stuff we may want to take two whacks at it.
But I'm just thinking that... What is your view about it?
Well, I can work at telescoping.
The
Basically, the fact that it's going to be in the foreign policy speech I don't think means that if you want to make the point that it shouldn't be in here because most people who see this will not hear the foreign policy speech.
This will have a much wider audience.
And the basic point that we live in a dangerous world and so forth is a very strong point against McGovern, of course.
Yeah, well, that's right.
That's right.
And also the point in the preceding paragraph is very strong, because basically he's talked about goodwill is all that matters.
Let's come to the next paragraph.
We cannot make all nations the same.
It would be wrong to try.
We cannot make all the worlds people love one another.
I really think that what you might do is perhaps move that out.
I mean, that's...
It's quite true.
We can forge a network of relationships that restrain aggression and take the profit out of war.
I ask for your support as we continue to work toward that great goal.
I think that might telescope a bit.
I'm trying to get this to about 25 to 600 words so that we can get the edit in properly.
Okay, you do have other stuff that you're going to be adding?
No, no, no, nothing to the speech.
But I'm, I just, for what they're going to follow in terms of the documentary, I have something I think is pretty good and I don't want to...
slice too much.
Okay.
I was talking with Carruthers on that just a little while ago.
Yeah.
In terms of length.
And I had the word count on the speech as it stood.
2,800 now.
2,875.
But your normal reading speed, that would be about 21 and a half minutes.
You think so?
Yeah, I think it's a little longer.
You don't think it's any longer than that?
Well, the normal 135, if you're reading parts before, he said 2,140 would be ideal.
well then well i i'm working a couple of things out of it i mean i have very modest changes so although i had actually i added some well here okay i think maybe we'll leave that part of the foreign policy and let's see we but i think we could take we can forge a network of relationships and interdependencies
strain aggression, take the profit out of war.
And I ask for your support as we continue to work through that.
You see what I mean?
Yes.
I don't think the other, I think it's good, I want it in the foreign policy speech, but I'm not sure that, or if you feel strongly about it, I can leave it in.
I can make all the people, you know what I mean?
There's a strange reaction of people, you know, I was talking to Kroll yesterday and he said, when he spoke at Auschwitz, he made the point that as a Christian, I can only hate one
and he hates Satan.
And he pointed out that there are two commandments, love God and love thy neighbor, and they're totally interdependent.
If you love God, you love your neighbor, and if you don't love God, you don't love your neighbor.
That is, you and I know that this is absolutely true.
The Jews and the Arabs are going to hate each other forever, and the Paks and the Indians are going to hate each other, and the Germans and the French probably are.
It's something that...
But I think it could well go in the other.
I mean...
What I'm getting at is that I think that we can lessen the danger, we can contain it, we can forge a network of relationships and independence that restrain aggression and take the profit out of war.
We continue to work toward that goal.
You think if you like this, I mean, if it feels strongly about it, if it adds something, leave it in.
It's very good.
I think all the people love one.
It's very realistic.
That's one thing about it.
Establishing conditions which even if you don't love one, they'll live at least with one another.
Which, incidentally, is a point I have made quite often.
I think I'll leave it in.
I may cut a little on the economic stuff anyway, so I haven't got to that yet.
Okay.
Henry called me.
He has a couple of problems with your last night's changes on the Vietnam section, a couple of small things.
Well, as soon as I finish this, I'll have you come over and look at them, okay?
Okay.

NARA Description

On November 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:38 am to 9:45 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 032-134 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 032-134

Date: November 2, 1972
Time: 9:38 am - 9:45 am
Location: White House Telephone

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

The President talked with Raymond K. Price, Jr.

[See Conversation no. 376-18]

        The President's speech on foreign policy
            -Taping session
                -Scheduling

        The President's schedule
            -Speech on goals
                -Taping
                -Release

        The President’s speech on foreign policy
            -Vietnam
            -Quality of material
                 -Cuts in quantity
                      -Pages
                 -Text
            -Deletions
            -Defense
                 -Public reaction
            -Reductions in text
            -Audience
                 -Rebuttal to George S. McGovern
            -International peace
            -Support for the President
            -Length
            -A documentary
            -Length
                 -Word count
                      -Price's talk with William D. Carruthers
                 -Time
            -Appeal for support
            -The President's conversation with John Cardinal Krol
                 -Krol’s speech at Auschwitz

        International relations

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

             -Jews and Arabs
             -Pakistanis and Indians
             -Germans and French
             -Comments
                 -Deletions
             -Economic points
             -The President's changes
                 -Henry A. Kissinger's recommendations
                      -Vietnam
                      -Forthcoming meeting with Price

Also recorded on November 2, 1972

  • 376-015 8:40 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:40 am to 8:44 am.
  • 376-016 9:20 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:20 am to 9:21 am.
  • 032-133 9:21 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:21 am and 9:38 am.
  • 376-017 9:21 AM · 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 9:21 am and 9:38 am.
  • 376-018 9:38 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:38 am to 9:45 am.
  • 032-135 10:21 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:21 am.
  • 376-019 10:21 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 10:21 am.
  • 376-020 10:25 AM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:25 am to 10:45 am.

All 86 conversations from November 2, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 032-134, November 2, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/032-134 (accessed October 10, 2026).