Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 48 › Conversation 048-003

Nixon, Kissinger & Stifflemire on Foreign Policy Message

Thursday, February 25, 1971 · 10:56 AM–11:50 AM ET · Cabinet Room

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Stifflemire, Mary D.; Alexander, Bernice V.; Johnson, Judith L.; Hyland, William G.; Wright, W. Marshall; Rodman, Peter W.; Bergsten, C. Fred; Saunders, Harold H.; Nachmanoff, Arnold; Holdridge, John H.; Glancy, John; Kennedy, Richard T. (Col.); Lord, Winston; Matthews, Dianne C.; Lopez, Sheila R.; Pineau, Julienne L.; Smith, K. Wayne (Dr.); Sonnenfeldt, Helmut ("Hal"); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation048-003 on Tape 48StartThursday, February 25, 1971 at 10:56 AMEndThursday, February 25, 1971 at 11:50 AMRecording deviceCabinet RoomSourceNixon Library record for 048-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Henry Kissinger and a large group of National Security Council staff members in the Cabinet Room to formally sign the annual Foreign Policy Message. The President used the occasion to express his profound appreciation for the high quality and volume of work produced by the staff, emphasizing his personal confidence in the materials they provided. The event served as a ceremony to recognize the collective efforts of those involved in drafting the document, accompanied by the distribution of souvenir pens.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 112.2 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 63.3 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
1:04:13Thank you very much.
1:06:00This is an official signing now.
1:06:07I'm going to get a picture of you as you step up here.
1:06:16This is an official sign.
1:06:17Do you ever love a smile?
1:06:19Okay.
1:06:19Ready?
1:06:19All right.
1:06:27Give me another pen now.
1:06:28Thank you.
1:06:45Now, that's one of the parts.
1:06:47Here's what you can see about what you can do with it.
1:06:50How about, you know, why don't you just give it, say, to your, your, one of those people you don't read about, I just think it's, I think you're talking about one of those people out, favorite people outside the real world.
1:07:13I have to keep contending, Mr. President.
1:07:16Now, we have an end for all of this.
1:07:21I just want to say, we know an enormous amount of work on this, not just because of the volume, but the quality of this.
1:07:32The quality is first class.
1:07:37And, of course, all of this country is really
1:07:51But also I wanted to say that, you know, the vision of this, of the national security staff, every day, every day, the material that comes to my desk, my confidence in this because of it.
1:08:20It's basically what you sent them.
1:08:22What's wrong with our form?
1:08:23Also, it's your fault.
1:08:24He's going to get played, hey?
1:08:25So, here we are.
1:08:27And, you know, they were starting in five minutes, so I'll come up.
1:08:33It was fun tonight.
1:08:36Thank you very much.
1:08:37I'll be sure to give you a ticket.
1:08:44I'll stay out of it.
1:08:49Thank you very much.
1:08:51Thank you very much.
1:08:59Thank you very much.
1:09:12Thank you very much.
1:09:15I appreciate what you do.
1:09:17When I'm going to Köln tomorrow...
1:09:32In fact, I don't think you're right, but I should tell you what's new about the report, and what it seeks to accomplish, instead of standing there with an outraged look on your face about you being the same.
1:09:48How would you do me a favor?
1:09:50How would you do me a favor?

NARA Description

On February 25, 1971, during the signing of the Foreign Policy Message, President Richard M. Nixon and Mary D. Stifflemire, Bernice V. Alexander, Judith L. Johnson, William G. Hyland, W. Marshall Wright, Peter W. Rodman, C. Fred Bergsten, Harold H. Saunders, Nancy L. Meinking, Arnold Nachmanoff, Col. Robert M. Behr, John H. Holdridge, John Glancy, Col. Richard T. Kennedy, Winston Lord, Sheila R. Lopez, Dianne C. Matthews, Julienne L. Pineau, Dr. K. Wayne Smith, Helmut ("Hal") Sonnenfeldt, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:56 am and 11:50 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 048-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 48-3

Date: February 25, 1971
Time: Unknown between 10:56 am and 11:50 am
Location: Cabinet Room

The President met with Mary D. Stifflemire, Bernice V. Alexander, Judith L. Johnson, William
G. Hyland, W. Marshall Wright, Peter W. Rodman, C. Fred Bergsten, Harold H. Saunders,
Nancy L. Meinking, Arnold Nachmanoff, Colonel Robert M. Behr, John H. Holdridge, John
Glancy, Colonel Richard T. Kennedy, Winston Lord, Sheila R. Lopez, Dianne C. Matthews,
Julienne L. Pineau, Dr. K. Wayne Smith, Helmut (“Hal”) Sonnenfeldt, and Henry A. Kissinger

     Air Force One
          -Photographs

The President left at an unknown time before 11:45 am

     Changes in something
         -Review by the President

The President entered at 11:45 am

     Signing of message
          -Pens
          -Secretaries
                -Gifts

     The President’s appreciation for staff’s efforts

     Appreciation of the President’s efforts

Recording was cut off at an unknown time before 11:50 am

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All 12 conversations from February 25, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 048-003, February 25, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/048-003 (accessed October 22, 2026).