Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 20 › Conversation 020-043

Nixon phone call with Rogers on Northern Ireland and US Foreign Policy

Thursday, February 3, 1972 · 9:52 AM–9:55 AM ET · White House Telephone ·4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Rogers, William P.Conversation020-043 onTape 20 (tape position 01:30:29–01:33:59)StartThursday, February 3, 1972 at 9:52 AMEndThursday, February 3, 1972 at 9:55 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 020-043 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers discuss the appropriate U.S. response to the escalating civil unrest in Ireland, emphasizing a statesmanlike, non-interventionist approach to avoid exacerbating tensions. Nixon advises Rogers to avoid making political capital out of the situation, noting the need to maintain diplomatic decorum with Great Britain. Additionally, Nixon cautions Rogers regarding a scheduled meeting with Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, warning him to be wary of the poet's intentions and to strictly limit photo opportunities.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Secretary Rogers.
Yeah.
Hello.
Hello, Mr. President.
I just had breakfast with Mike this morning.
It went very well.
He seemed to be...
He didn't say it, but I think he's very much disapproved of the Muskie line.
I mean, he never says anything.
But anyway, the other point, which he did not raise, but I'm just reading the news summary on the Irish thing, and I'd...
my feeling last night, which I think you share, is that it is so hot that
Well, it might make a few points with us domestically.
I mean, I know the pressures.
I think if we play a rather statesmanlike role of not trying to exacerbate this terribly great problem, because, you know, Bill, it's really unconscionable what these people have done.
I mean, burning down the damn embassy and the rest, and no lynch wanting to come over and all that.
And I understand that.
I think if your line could be one that just not trying to make political hay out of the issue and that we're just naturally met with the Irish foreign minister, we're interested in peaceful settlement of these things and so forth, but it's not a problem that we're going to exacerbate by trying to
influence it from here it's kind of like them getting into our problems with the negroes you know sure well what i thought i'd i would say is that we were of course at the request of these governments we talked to the to the foreign minister and to the ambassador they're both friends of ours we have very good relations with them and obviously we're deeply concerned about the tragic events as they are uh we have no intention of intervening
We certainly aren't going to condemn anyone or anybody.
On the other hand, we didn't indicate that if we could be helpful, we would consider it.
Certainly if they're private American citizens that could play a useful role, that's a possibility, but we have no intention of intervening.
Something along that line.
So that the ball really is on their side of the net if they want help.
That's right.
I don't think that would do any harm.
I was trying to think again what I told you, and I just simply told him that on this, and as a matter of fact, I used this in Rhodesia as an example.
I said, look, we are not going to embarrass you.
We're going to try to be as reasonable as we can.
So I don't want to be in a position where we are, frankly, breaking that.
I didn't know how it would come up, but I said, we're not going to embarrass you on this issue.
That was all we said to him.
Well, I'll be careful.
So just so if you can get it in that spirit, okay?
I'm this Russian poet that you're seeing.
I think I sent a memo over yesterday.
I hope you got it.
You've got to be careful.
He's slippery, son of a bitch.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, I tell you, they... We agreed to see him a few days ago, apparently, but I...
There are a lot of our intellectual friends.
Garment and all.
I hope we ought to see him.
He's trying to publish his book over here.
That's what he's telling his book.
I'm not saying anything to him.
Don't have your picture taken.
Except in Russian.
Okay.
All right, Mr. Fred, thank you.
Bye.

NARA Description

On February 3, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 9:52 am to 9:55 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 020-043 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 20-43

Date: February 3, 1972
Time: 9:52 am - 9:55 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with William P. Rogers.

[See Conversation No. 665-1B]

     Breakfast with Michael J. Mansfield
          -Edmund S. Muskie speech
                -Mansfield’s possible view

     Irish problem
           -News summary
           -Domestic perception
                 -Need for statesmanlike role
           -Embassy burning
           -US role
                 -John M. (“Jack”) Lynch
                       -Possible visit
                 -Rogers’s forthcoming press conference
                       -Rogers’s visit with Foreign Minister [Patrick J. Hillery?]
                       -US involvement
                             -Analogy to US problems
                                   -Blacks
                       -US talks with Foreign Minister and Ambassador William Warnack
                       -US involvement
                 -Private citizen role possibilities

                -George R.S. Baring [Earl of Cromer]
                -President's discussion with Edward R.G. Heath
                      -Rhodesian problem
                      -Irish problem
                            -US handling vis-a-vis Great Britain

     The President’s schedule
          -Russian poet [Yevgeny Yevtushenko]
               -Forthcoming visit with President
                      -Vietnam
                      -Leonard Garment
                      -Book
                      -Photograph opportunities

Also recorded on February 3, 1972

  • 020-042 9:18 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:52 am.
  • 665-001 9:18 AM · 1 hr 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), William P. Rogers, Stephen B. Bull, Kenneth B. Keating, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:18 am to 10:52 am.
  • 020-044 9:55 AM · 12 sec — the White House operator and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:55 am and 12:49 pm.
  • 665-002 10:53 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 10:53 am.
  • 665-003 10:53 AM · 39 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ellsworth F. Bunker, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:53 am to 11:33 am.
  • 665-004 11:33 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:33 am and 11:53 am.
  • 665-005 11:33 AM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:33 am and 11:53 am.
  • 665-006 11:53 AM · 1 hr 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, Henry A. Kissinger, White House operator, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:53 am to 1:30 pm.

All 21 conversations from February 3, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 020-043, February 3, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/020-043 (accessed September 18, 2026).