← 380-027380-029 →

Conversation 380-028

TapeTape 380StartThursday, December 28, 1972 at 2:26 PMEndThursday, December 28, 1972 at 2:30 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Williams, Maurice J.Recording deviceOld Executive Office Building
AI Summary

President Nixon recruited Maurice J. Williams to lead a high-level humanitarian mission in response to a crisis, tasking him with coordinating efforts across both government and volunteer agencies. Nixon emphasized that Williams should maintain a high media profile to highlight U.S. aid efforts, specifically for both domestic and Pan-American audiences. The President directed Williams to provide brief, regular updates while managing the complex inter-agency response to the disaster.

Humanitarian aidMaurice J. WilliamsDisaster reliefPublic relationsForeign policyInter-agency coordination
AudioNARA Description

On December 28, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Maurice J. Williams met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:26 pm to 2:30 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 380-028 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 380-28

Date: December 28, 1972
Time: 2:26 pm - 2:30 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Maurice J. Williams.

[See Conversation No. 35-28]
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Hello, yes.
I guess I got you in West Virginia.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Well, I very much am sorry to have to call you back.
There's a heavy responsibility at this moment.
But after we talked about it last night, today, I determined about you're our best man, and the government's going to take a tough assignment.
So we'd like
It won't be as tough a thing with us, thank God.
They aren't fighting each other.
They're living, but they're not fighting.
But we, as you know, we've had a very close personal relationship with Hector Rockridge over many, many years.
And they got to feel in a serious way.
Under the circumstances, I want you to know that you will go with the bullet already to handle all the agencies, not only the government agencies, but also the volunteer agencies involved.
That's the nature of the assignment.
I'd like to hear it.
We get a report about, say, once a week or so without spending time making reports.
And another thing, if you would, particularly because this involves Black America very specifically, I think you should make yourself available to the media as much as you can and explain what we are.
We've already done a great deal.
And we're not going to break them apart.
We've got to remind them so that our friends all through Latin America realize that we're helping out here.
So you know how to handle the thing, but as I said, the only part of it
It varies somewhat.
In other instances, this time, we were interested not only in actions, but we were interested in functions as possible, not only for American consumption, but for Pan-American consumption.
It's a pretty big story about what we are doing.
In other words, what we are doing is very important, and I'd like to do this responsibility on that, too.
Take a step.
Yeah.
I don't know what it's going to be, but we can hope so.
Bye.
← 380-027380-029 →