President Nixon met with Secretary of State William P. Rogers to discuss complex foreign policy strategies involving the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China, and the Middle East. Nixon emphasized the importance of leveraging the Soviet Union's underlying anxiety regarding China while maintaining a careful, high-level approach to diplomatic overtures with the PRC. Regarding the Middle East, the President instructed Rogers to take a firm stance in negotiations, expressing personal willingness to apply pressure on Israel to reach a settlement while critiquing the current Israeli leadership.
On May 21, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:29 am and 11:41 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 503-009 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 503-9
Date: May 21, 1971
Time: Unknown after 11:29 am until 11:41 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with William P. Rogers; the recording begins while the conversation is in
progress.
Foreign policy
-Germany
-Russians
-People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Chinese reaction
-Rogers’ luncheon speech
-Chinese scientists visiting the US
-Western European scientists
-Egyptian doctors in antiquity
-Egypt
-Pyramids
-Temples
-Egyptian civilization
-Egyptian people
-Anwar el-Sadat
-Egypt's relationship to the US
President's schedule
-Scientists
-International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium [INTELSAT]
Rogers schedule
-Haircut
**********************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Privacy (D) reviewed under PRMPA regulations mm/dd/2019. Segment
cleared for release.]
[Privacy]
[503-009-w002]
[Duration: 28s]
William P. Rogers’s schedule
-Haircut
-George P. Shultz’s son
-The President’s opinion
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s son
-An anecdote regarding H. R. (‘Bob”) Haldeman’s reaction to long hair
**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************
[Previous National Security (B) withdrawal reviewed under MDR guidelines case number
LPRN-T-MDR-2014-025. Segment declassified on 04/12/2019. Archivist: DR]
[National Security]
[503-009-w004]
[Duration: 58s]
Canada
-Pierre E. Trudeau
-The President’s opinion
-Canadians
-President's instructions for the Department of State [DOS]
-Pierre E. Trudeau
-The President’s opinion
-Unknown comment Pierre E. Trudeau made
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Internal problems
**********************************************************************
PRC
-Development of US-PRC relations
-United Nations [UN] issue
-US-Soviet Union relations
-US's dealings with PRC
-Soviets
-Visits by US officials
-Maurice H. Stans
-David M. Kennedy
-Handling
-Soviet Union
-Rogers’ speech [May 21, 1971?]
-President speech to Red Cross [May 20, 1971?]
-President's meeting with a Chinese teacher
-Brotherhood
-1981
-Open Travel to PRC, Soviet Union
-Brotherhood
Soviet Union
-Llewellyn E. (“Tommy”) Thompson's views on how to deal with the Russians
-Tass’ [?] attack on US imperialism
-PRC
-US foreign policy
-Handling
-President's message of January 8th to Aleksei N. Kosygin, Leonid I. Brezhnev
Alexander P. Butterfield entered at an unknown time after 11:29 am.
President's schedule
Butterfield left at an unknown time before 11:41 am.
Soviet Union
-Party Congress
-Laos
-PRC initiative
-Middle East
The Middle East
-Rogers' role in Middle East settlement
-President’s instructions to Rogers
-Jews
-Role for the President in reaching a settlement
-Jews
-Richard Bolling
-Pacificists
-Quakers
-US elections
-Democrats
-Bolling
******************************************************************************
[Previous National Security (B) withdrawal reviewed under MDR guidelines case number
LPRN-T-MDR-2014-025. Segment declassified on 04/12/2019. Archivist: DR]
[National Security]
[503-009-w005]
[Duration: 29s]
Israel
-Yitzhak Rabin
-Relations with US
-Future of his job
-The President’s opinion
-Yitzhak Rabin and Moshe Dayan
-Golda Meir
-William P. Rogers’s preference to replace her
Egypt
-Anwar el-Sadat's respect for Moshe Dayan
-The President’s preference for a military man
-Anwar el-Sadat
******************************************************************************
Science
Youth
-Zero growth rate
The President and Rogers left at approximately 11:41 am.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.