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Conversation 035-028

TapeTape 35StartThursday, December 28, 1972 at 2:26 PMEndThursday, December 28, 1972 at 2:30 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Williams, Maurice J.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AI Summary

President Nixon calls Maurice J. Williams while he is on vacation to appoint him to lead the U.S. relief mission to Nicaragua following a devastating earthquake. Nixon grants Williams full authority to coordinate all government and volunteer agencies and emphasizes the necessity of managing public relations to highlight the U.S. aid effort throughout Latin America. Williams is instructed to leverage his discretion in staffing and reporting, with Nixon noting that Ambassador Turner B. Shelton would provide local support.

Nicaraguan earthquakeDisaster reliefMaurice J. WilliamsPublic relationsLatin American diplomacyForeign aid
AudioNARA Description

On December 28, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Maurice J. Williams talked on the telephone from 2:26 pm to 2:30 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 035-028 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 35-28

Date: December 28, 1972
Time: 2:26 pm - 2:30 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Maurice J. Williams.

[See Conversation No. 380-28]

       Greetings
             -Williams’ location
                   -West Virginia
                         -Compared to Camp David

       Nicaraguan earthquake
            -Williams’ forthcoming trip to Nicaragua
                  -Compared to Bangladesh
                         -Fighting
                               -Looting
                  -Nicaragua relations
                         -Compared to US-Philippines relations
                  -Williams’ authority
                         -Coordination of government and volunteer agencies
                  -Reports
                  -Latin America
                         -Symbolism
                         -Media relations
                               -Williams’ role
                               -Role
                                     -Peruvian Earthquake
                                     -William P. Rogers
                                     -Public relations [PR]
                  -Staff
                  -Turner B. Shelton
                         -Relationship with the President
                         -Chancellery
                               -Destruction
                         -Use of residence for relief efforts
                         -Lesly (Starr) Shelton
                                                 -31-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                        (rev. Oct.-07)

                                                             Conversation No. 35-28 (cont’d)

       Parting remarks
             -Disasters
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Then I had Mr. Williams.
Hello?
Mr. President?
I guess I got you in West Virginia?
Yes, sir.
On vacation, I'll bet.
Well, it's kind of my Camp David, sir.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, I very much am sorry to have to call you back to heavy responsibility at this moment, but after we talked about it last night and today, I...
about you're our best man in the government to undertake a tough assignment, so we'd like for you to go to Nicaragua if you would.
Yes, Mr. President, I'd be pleased to do that.
It is a tough job.
It is a tough one.
Well, it won't be as tough as Bangladesh, thank God.
At least they aren't fighting each other.
They're looting, but they're not fighting.
We, as you know, we've had a very close personal relationship with Nicaragua for sort of over many, many years, and...
And they rather feel in a curious way toward us like the Philippines feel toward us, you know.
The people do.
And you've had a little experience there, too.
Under the circumstances, I want you to know, though, that you will go with the full authority to handle everything.
All agencies will report to you.
I want you to, not only the government agencies, but also the volunteer agencies.
They will all...
That's the nature of the assignment.
We'd like for you to report about, say, once a week as time goes on without spending time making reports.
If you can spend it better doing something there.
The other thing, if you would, particularly because this involves Latin America, where symbolism means a great deal, I think you should make yourself available
media as much as you can to explain what we are doing.
We've already done a great deal, as you can imagine, and we're going to do a great deal more.
But we constantly got to remind them so that our friends all through Latin America can realize that we're helping out.
As you recall, we made an enormous effort in Peru, and we want to make a similar effort here, having in mind that this is, of course, of a different magnitude.
So you know how to handle the thing, but as I said, the only point that I think would vary somewhat from the others is that this time we're interested not only in production, but we're interested in much as possible, not only for American consumption, but for Pan-American consumption.
A pretty big story about what we are doing.
In other words, the PR of it is very important, and I'd like for you to assume the responsibility on that, too.
Take any staff you need, pick anybody you want.
You've got the whole government available to you, and we'll back you up all the way.
You'll find in Turner Shelton a very capable ambassador.
I've known him for many years.
His residence at the embassy was destroyed, the Chancery, but his residence is now the command center for all the relief efforts.
He's been working night and day.
totally cooperative, and his wife also is quite a person.
So I wish you the best.
Sorry to have to take you away from what I hope is a pleasant day.
But after all that, we'll hope there'll come a time where there'll be no disaster.
I don't know when it's going to be, but we can hope so.
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