Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 44 › Conversation 044-114

Nixon phone call with Keogh on Propaganda and Prisoners of War

Monday, April 9, 1973 · 6:13 PM–6:15 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Keogh, JamesConversation044-114 on Tape 44StartMonday, April 9, 1973 at 6:13 PMEndMonday, April 9, 1973 at 6:15 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 044-114 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructs James Keogh of the USIA to meet with recently returned prisoner of war General John B. Flynn to discuss propaganda strategies and ideological warfare. The President highlights Flynn's observations regarding the effectiveness of Chinese and Soviet propaganda magazines provided to POWs, as well as the communist focus on education, land reform, and health in Latin America. Keogh agrees to convene his top staff for a briefing with the General to evaluate potential improvements to U.S. information operations.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Mr. President?
Jim, I'm just talking here to Colonel Flynn.
He's now General Flynn, you know, the top man of our return prisoner to war.
Yes.
You probably follow him.
He has some very interesting observations with regard to the kind of magazines that they gave them when they were there.
One was called China and the other was called Soviet, and he said they were really excellent.
and was wondering what we had as a counterpart and so forth.
So I was suggesting that he have a talk with you.
I think you'll find it interesting to talk with him in any event and to meet him.
And second, he also has some observations with regard to our propaganda program, particularly in Latin America, and basically what his views are that the communists, as he sees it,
The communist line is that there are just three things that they zero in on, education, land reform, and health.
And he explains how important that is, for example, in the North of Israel.
The reason he's interested in Latin America is that he, of course, has studied it, and he also sees it as a place of potential...
communist propaganda, of course, a potential opportunity for us.
So I think if you could...
I'm going to have...
Let me suggest that you call him.
Let me tell you, just a second.
Are you going to be here in town?
Sure am.
Fine.
He will give you a call, Jim, at USIA.
And I think you'll enjoy, well, you'll find it extremely interesting.
And pick his brain about what they did and how they handled it, for example.
the radio in every town, you know, that's blaring all the time, that damnable loudspeaker and so forth.
But I don't know that USIA can do anything because you've got to be so incorruptible or objective.
Well, I think I'd certainly like to talk to him and maybe get him to talk with some of the other people here, too.
Yes.
He would be glad to come over and talk to you.
And maybe you might want to get in some of your fellows and let him give you a feel of
you know, from what, as he said, he's sort of been, it's like being at the bottom of a cellar for seven and a half years.
But you do a lot of thinking when you're in a cellar.
Yes, indeed.
Yeah.
Very good.
All right, Jim.
Fine.
You bring in your top guys and let them see it.
We'll do it.
And, oh, let me suggest this so that he won't have to get... You probably know these magazines.
One is called Soviet.
The other is called China.
Do you have this?
I know Soviet.
He says, well, there's one China.
He said that they're all done exactly the same way.
If you don't have...
And if you don't have each of them, get a hold of the Pentagon and get a copy of each so that he can show you what it is, okay?
I'll need to get that China one.
And I'll have him check to see whether he can get it.
Okay, Jeff.
Very good.
Bye.
All right.

NARA Description

On April 9, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and James Keogh talked on the telephone from 6:13 pm to 6:15 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 044-114 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 044-114

Date: April 9, 1973
Time: 6:13 pm-6:15 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with James Keogh.

[See also Conversation No. 891-7B]

       President’s conversation with Gen. John B. Flynn
             -Magazine’s given to prisoners of war [POWs]
                   -China, Soviet

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

                   -Quality
             -Flynn’s meeting with Keogh
             -US propaganda abroad
                   -Latin America
                   -Communist propaganda focus
                         -Education
                         -Land reform
                         -Health
                   -Importance
                         -North Vietnam
                   -Opportunities in Latin America
             -Flynn’s call to Keogh
             -United States Information Agency [USIA]
                   -Objectivity
                   -Meeting with Flynn
             -Communist propaganda magazines
                   -Soviet
                   -China
                   -Copies from Pentagon

Also recorded on April 9, 1973

  • 044-113 5:03 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:03 pm and 6:13 pm.
  • 891-007 5:03 PM · 1 hr 44 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John B. Flynn, Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft, White House photographer, Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, and James Keogh met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:03 pm to 6:21 pm.
  • 891-008 6:21 PM · 32 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:21 pm and 6:29 pm.
  • 891-009 6:21 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:21 pm and 6:29 pm.
  • 891-010 6:21 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:21 pm and 6:29 pm.
  • 891-012 6:21 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:21 pm and 6:29 pm.
  • 891-013 6:21 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:21 pm and 6:29 pm.
  • 425-045 6:34 PM · 1 hr 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:34 pm to 7:47 pm.

All 42 conversations from April 9, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 044-114, April 9, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/044-114 (accessed October 5, 2026).