Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 252 › Conversation 252-007

Nixon & Scali on Diplomacy and Ping-pong diplomacy

Wednesday, April 21, 1971 · 2:54 PM–3:01 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Scali, John A.Conversation252-007 on Tape 252 (tape position 00:14:32–00:21:01)StartWednesday, April 21, 1971 at 2:54 PMEndWednesday, April 21, 1971 at 3:01 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 252-007 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and John A. Scali discussed the sensitive logistical and protocol-related preparations for an upcoming visit by an athletic team, likely related to the diplomatic opening with the People's Republic of China. Nixon emphasized the need for discretion to avoid excessive press scrutiny and political backlash, mandating that the visit be handled strictly and exclusively through the White House rather than standard government channels. The President directed Scali to coordinate with Henry Kissinger and William Gossett to ensure the visit proceeded promptly and effectively while maintaining diplomatic decorum.

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Position in tape: 00:14:32 – 00:21:01

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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I just talked to Henry a minute, and he will be in touch with you.
Let me just do a nutshell.
Oh, excuse me, how did I call you?
Nice man.
Oh.
I really fell in love when the man came in and talked about how proud he was to work for 43 years to design a good, whatever it is, cost accountant.
I know something about Weldy.
I thought, my God, what a man.
Almost anybody else I know would have taken the 50 bucks, too.
He's got better education than most colleges do.
Here's his thing.
It's all a dream.
I was, of course, excited while we were there.
You're going to handle this, but it's going to be required to bring someone.
First of all, let's check with Henry to see where I'm going.
I'm going to let you see an athletic team.
It's not handled by anybody.
It's just an athletic team.
In this case, you cannot allow this athletic team to come in here.
The state would normally not receive the American Act or anything like that, unless, like, except when I saw, for example, the Remain in Davis Park, you might receive that because it's just for real.
And we cannot allow these people to come over here and have the presence of the government and make a shambles on the land.
So what we're really talking about here is the setup and procedure of it.
And we're very close to everything that we need.
Or it may be that we've got to find somebody who can.
But the whole point is that we're not the other way around.
The gossip, Bill Gossett,
He's a very able man.
He's married to the daughter of Chief Justice Hume.
The former president, he is a very, you know, world-famous soldier.
And so I suggested to him that you ought to get him down.
The main point being is that we've got, I think the fact that this guy's talking to Gossett, and Gossett can be cold, and Gossett can sort of be, sort of,
So this is the way we want to handle it.
So you talk to the way it should be in terms of receiving in the event, in the event they want it.
And it should be that way naturally.
I will see them.
And I am the only one that should see them because you shouldn't run them around to all other departments to see my money.
And I can do it basically on a strict basis.
We've got to be very careful we don't overdo it.
They're very sensitive on this.
We do what they do.
This is exactly the same thing.
So those are the things you've got to work with.
So you sit down and make all your suggestions and so forth.
You'll be in charge of having in mind what the law is making the state happy.
We want to keep them happy.
We're not trying to make anybody mad.
Cool.
Thank you.
I haven't thought about it.
I have a suggestion with you.
Yeah, maybe in other words, that is a question I have.
I don't know that we have, perhaps, I don't know that we have a name.
The only thing I would say is that even if I happen to be at the wedding, I don't know, it's not a bad deal, too.
It's an artist, in fact, from the West, from a foreign country, of course.
I don't know, the real question is, I don't know, I think there has to be, I don't know how to really handle it.
And because this is a special kind of visit, we want to be handled well.
We might find, for example, somebody that's very
very close to me, it may be we want you to, it may be you're too busy.
I mean, what I mean is you're too, let me put it this way, it may be that you are too, how do we say, too high level.
I'm not sure, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm willing, I feel that I'm willing to do anything that seems to be the right thing without going overboard and yet doing
We're doing everything we possibly can, because after all, this is our nation, and now we're going to get a little credit for it.
Of course, the interest in this thing, when they come, is one of the targets.
My view is this.
I'd have it pretty soon.
I'd never bother still thinking about it.
See what I mean?
Do you agree?
Because, no.
Well, also, if you delay it, you may not have it.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think the thing to do is that I would kick it off fairly soon, as soon as they can conveniently do it.
We'll arrange, of course, for somebody to create the money that they need.
All right, these fellows are called to the meeting.
I don't agree with the statement we're doing already.
So we'll do the same to them, although we don't do it for another agency.
See, this is, see, what we've got to remember is that this is not like an exchange, isn't it?
See, exchanges, we pay, you see.
like an exchange, an opera ballad, USIA, or whatever it is.
Now, this is not an exchange, of course.
This is a different, mere drill.
So that's why you've got to come in and see what the technical side of it is.
And then, of course, as I said, keep your lines in the space.
Fair enough.
All right.
Bye.

NARA Description

On April 21, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John A. Scali met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:54 pm to 3:01 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 252-007 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 252-7

Date: April 21, 1971
Time: 2:54 pm - 3:01 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with John A. Scali

[See Conversation No. 42-65]

Also recorded on April 21, 1971

  • 042-064 2:42 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:42 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 042-065 2:54 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John A. Scali talked on the telephone from 2:54 pm to 3:01 pm.
  • 252-008 3:01 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:01 pm and 3:08 pm.
  • 252-009 3:01 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:01 pm and 3:08 pm.
  • 252-010 3:01 PM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:01 pm and 3:08 pm.
  • 252-011 3:01 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:01 pm and 3:08 pm.
  • 252-012 3:01 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:01 pm and 3:08 pm.
  • 252-013 3:01 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:01 pm and 3:08 pm.

All 46 conversations from April 21, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 252-007, April 21, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/252-007 (accessed October 3, 2026).