{"conversationCode":"254-020","tapeNumber":254,"conversationNumber":20,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-254-020","startDateTime":"1971-05-31T22:30:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-05-31T22:38:00.000Z","startDate":"31-May-1971","startTime":"6:30 PM","endDate":"31-May-1971","endTime":"6:38 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Rogers, William P.;","description":"On May 31, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:30 pm to 6:38 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 254-020 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":1,"chronRelease":"First Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"5-Oct-1999","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 254-20\n\nDate: May 31, 1971\nTime: 6:30 pm - 6:38 pm\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President talked with William P. Rogers\n\n[See Conversation No. 3-203]","filename":["254-020.mp3"],"tapeStart":"01:36:09","tapeEnd":"01:38:40","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Rogers, William P."],"prevCode":"254-019","nextCode":"254-021","transcript":[{"start":0.26,"end":1.38,"text":"Hello?"},{"start":1.46,"end":3.38,"text":"Good evening, Arnie."},{"start":3.46,"end":3.68,"text":"What?"},{"start":3.7,"end":5.22,"text":"You finished?"},{"start":5.3,"end":7.36,"text":"You finished all the work?"},{"start":7.38,"end":7.52,"text":"Right."},{"start":7.54,"end":7.7,"text":"Right."},{"start":7.72,"end":8.92,"text":"Sure."},{"start":9,"end":13.3,"text":"I just got back from San Diego."},{"start":13.32,"end":14.21,"text":"We're going to the cities."},{"start":14.22,"end":22.21,"text":"I, uh, plan to play a very cool, I'm not saying a little off, uh, particularly, you know, scene."},{"start":22.25,"end":22.57,"text":"Come on."},{"start":22.73,"end":27.61,"text":"Or is there anything, is there anything positive I can throw at you?"},{"start":29.74,"end":37.81,"text":"I try to say, naturally, if they ask anything, I try to say, well, it wasn't a deal."},{"start":37.85,"end":39.11,"text":"You're right."},{"start":39.13,"end":44.71,"text":"Keep that bargaining position."},{"start":44.89,"end":45.25,"text":"All that."},{"start":45.29,"end":51.37,"text":"There are very big pressures, I'm sure, on the left in this country."},{"start":51.55,"end":57.66,"text":"On the whole problem of the tech trade and the metal on that."},{"start":59.13,"end":67.08,"text":"I know it's not even, by all means, that's the goal we've been working for for a year."},{"start":67.1,"end":71.36,"text":"We are now in the process of starting to shape up the development."},{"start":71.4,"end":76.07,"text":"It was good for Americans, I mean, particularly, which we need."},{"start":76.19,"end":80.03,"text":"We need to make sure we have control over the economy."},{"start":81.01,"end":86.33,"text":"I'm sure the media is now all over the place, totally, or what is on everything."},{"start":86.36,"end":88.38,"text":"If there's anything that's left out,"},{"start":89.25,"end":92.67,"text":"Try to fight a battle and be responsible."},{"start":92.73,"end":96.23,"text":"How do they put Memorial Day over there?"},{"start":96.35,"end":96.83,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":96.99,"end":97.87,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":98.07,"end":104.01,"text":"I don't know if somebody's putting me down."},{"start":104.13,"end":113.87,"text":"I think I was wet, but I went to West Point for that reason."},{"start":113.99,"end":115.77,"text":"Had a really good rain for me."},{"start":116.45,"end":134.04,"text":"I mean, well, status and everything's going to hell and everybody has got to be, you know, you know, they know the rest and they want to feel like, my God, it's still a pretty good country."},{"start":134.06,"end":136.88,"text":"I mean, the Delaware."},{"start":139.5,"end":140.36,"text":"Exactly, yeah, right."},{"start":140.68,"end":141.64,"text":"I'll give you that."},{"start":144.45,"end":145.02,"text":"Okay."},{"start":145.46,"end":145.78,"text":"Bye."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers discuss maintaining a firm bargaining position regarding international trade and economic policy. They reflect on recent public appearances, specifically addressing national morale and the President's attendance at a Memorial Day event at West Point. The conversation concludes with an emphasis on balancing domestic political pressures with a responsible approach to economic management.","topics":["International Trade","Economic Policy","Public Relations","National Morale","Foreign Policy","Memorial Day"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T11:58:50.986Z"},"topicSlugs":["international-trade","economic-policy","public-relations","national-morale","foreign-policy","memorial-day"],"audioDurationSec":148,"audioFiles":[{"file":"254-020.mp3","bytes":5910779,"durationSec":147.62,"bitrate":320321,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:36.695Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/254-020.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/254-020","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/254/conversation-254-020","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}