Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 460 › Conversation 460-022

Nixon & Haldeman on Middle East and William P. Rogers

Friday, February 26, 1971 · 3:54 PM–4:01 PM ET · Oval Office ·6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation460-022 onTape 460 (tape position 02:26:16–02:32:36)StartFriday, February 26, 1971 at 3:54 PMEndFriday, February 26, 1971 at 4:01 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 460-022 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to coordinate strategy for an upcoming meeting with Secretary of State William P. Rogers regarding Middle East policy. Nixon requested concise talking points to probe the views of Henry Kissinger, Joseph Sisco, and Israeli Ambassador Yitzhak Rabin on sensitive issues like the 1967 borders and arms shipments. Additionally, the pair briefly discussed arrangements for acquiring portraits of John Quincy and Louisa Catherine Adams for First Lady Pat Nixon.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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So they want me to ask.
Just give me a, I don't want a long talking paper because it's a very brief meeting and she's just coming into it.
She's not in a very good.
We just can't get these people nailed down.
Henry comes in and says, Sister, we're not using this one.
They've not given us all the facts.
I don't tell you.
Is there a beat?
But I think he really has what I'm concerned about and I want it now.
What, what is he, what question does he want me to ask?
What questions?
Two or three, that's a brief conversation that I'll ask.
I'll try to get it out and if there's something that he feels is wrong.
Because he's, you know, he's such a good man, right?
I just know he was a Jew for a long time.
There's a one-second thing that just cannot...
It's probably ridiculous, but what would happen if you put Roger Sisko Kissinger...
Egg in a row.
Egg in a row.
With you.
With me.
So I don't know, I'm going to do what I mean by question.
Okay.
Oh, we got the ads.
That's a big thing for Pat.
He did a good job.
He did a good job.
He worked something.
Yeah, it was nice.
It's a very nice top career he just made.
That's a very good skin.
Well, he did a superb job.
You know where I got all that?
No, there's a, I was reading Stenberg, and there's two pages that will read that.
That's what I'm going to tell Andrews and Price.
The whole theory of this is, they said, they should read, let me tell you, read history, read biography, read Stenberg, read all the old things.
All right, it's pretty good.
I'd rather...
I think he's got the light.
Come on.
Come on.

NARA Description

On February 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:54 pm to 4:01 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 460-022 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 460-22

Date: February 26, 1971
Time: 3:54 pm - 4:01 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

     Middle East
         -The President’s previous meeting with Henry A. Kissinger and General Alexander
               M. Haig, Jr.
               -Questions for President to ask William P. Rogers
                    -Forthcoming meeting with Rogers
               -Kissinger’s view
                    -Joseph J. Sisco
                    -Rogers

                     -Yitzhak Rabin

******************************************************************************

[Previous National Security (B) withdrawal reviewed under MDR guidelines case number
LPRN-T-MDR-2014-020. Segment declassified on 10/17/2018. Archivist: MM]
[460-022-w001]
[Duration: 2m 35s]

     Middle East
         -Israel
               -1967 borders
               -The President’s position
               -US support
               -US policy
                    -Cease-fire
               -Henry A. Kissinger
               -Arms
                    -Options
                    -The President’s position
               -Jews
               -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
               -Henry A. Kissinger
                    -William P. Rogers
                    -Joseph J. Sisco
               -Egyptian proposal
                    -Israeli action

******************************************************************************

     Middle East
         -Kissinger’s attitude
               -Questions for Rogers
               -Possible meeting between Haig, Kissinger, and Sisco

     Portraits of John Quincy and Louisa C. (Johnson) Adams
           -Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon
           -Biography of Carl Sandburg
                 -John K. Andrews, Jr.

Haldeman left at 4:01 pm

Also recorded on February 26, 1971

  • 460-018 2:20 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 2:44 pm.
  • 460-019 2:44 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:44 pm to 2:55 pm.
  • 460-020 2:55 PM · 1 min — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:55 pm and 3:52 pm.
  • 460-021 3:52 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:52 pm and 3:54 pm.
  • 460-023 4:01 PM · 1 hr 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry Brandon, unknown person(s), Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins, Manolo Sanchez, Stephen B. Bull, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:01 pm to 5:08 pm.
  • 460-024 5:08 PM · 34 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:08 pm and 5:15 pm.
  • 460-025 5:15 PM · 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:15 pm to 5:45 pm.
  • 460-026 5:45 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:45 pm and 5:47 pm.

All 30 conversations from February 26, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 460-022, February 26, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/460-022 (accessed September 18, 2026).