Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 539 › Conversation 539-007

Nixon & Ziegler on People's Republic of China and Public relations

Monday, July 19, 1971 · 11:58 AM–12:08 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation539-007 on Tape 539 (tape position 01:23:31–01:35:09)StartMonday, July 19, 1971 at 11:58 AMEndMonday, July 19, 1971 at 12:08 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 539-007 ↗

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald L. Ziegler met to coordinate public messaging regarding the administration's recent initiative to open diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Nixon directed Ziegler to remain non-committal on speculative questions concerning Vietnam, Taiwan, and the potential impact on other nations, while emphasizing that the President would continue to work with relevant leaders. They also discussed handling inquiries about Vice President Spiro Agnew's controversial remarks on African leadership and affirmed the President's stance on meeting with Soviet officials only when concrete results are achievable.

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This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 01:23:31 into the tape and ends around 01:35:09.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
1:23:47Yes, sir.
1:23:48I just want to double-check my wording with you before I put the briefs on the show.
1:23:55They refinished it, huh?
1:23:56Yeah.
1:23:56They, uh, how do you say it?
1:23:57It was a nightmare.
1:24:01How the hell they did it?
1:24:01I didn't notice it was refinished, you mentioned.
1:24:04Well, what I'm supposed to do is simply send it to the times of the meeting.
1:24:08I'll say the president and his discussions with the leadership and the cabinet underline the points he made in his announcements.
1:24:14And for your background, Henry Kiss, did you brief the leaders in much the same way you briefed the press in San Clemente, period?
1:24:20No more.
1:24:20And, uh, and Secretary Rogers?
1:24:23Oh, yes, yes, uh, Secretary Rogers.
1:24:24He was on the board of policy, on the board of reactions, on the board of nations.
1:24:29On the board of nations.
1:24:37And what was that?
1:24:38And I would say the President declined to speculate.
1:24:42I think that's a good idea.
1:24:42You want to all say that?
1:24:44I think that the President, the speculation about, I think that President Klein's speculation on, he said that this was a meeting between the United States and the United Nations for the purpose of discussing their problems with which they're concerned.
1:25:11Why any speculation about the effects on any other nations?
1:25:17On any other matter?
1:25:21On any other, yeah, on any other, well, speculation on any other matters.
1:25:29On any other matters.
1:25:30Is there any such speculation?
1:25:44Mr. President said the meeting would be between the United States and the United States.
1:25:47Mr.
1:25:48He also, I think he could also say, he said he would welcome on a private basis, however, the
1:26:13So basically, President,
1:26:42The discussion with the leadership underlined the points you made this week.
1:26:45The President said the meeting between the United States and China, Robbins and Meech are concerned, declined to speculate on effect on any other matter, and said speculation would be silent.
1:26:56Yes, yes, they didn't know there were questions about Taiwan, and they, yes, that's not really the point of the meeting.
1:27:10I can refer to the meetings that he'll be having with those countries immediately concerned with the announcement this week.
1:27:26In other words, the Secretary will be meeting with them.
1:27:30SECRETARY POMPEO Yeah, the Secretary will continue his talks.
1:27:37SECRETARY POMPEO Right.
1:27:44And what about Vietnam?
1:27:46I'll probably get that back on the back and say the President said it would just decline all any speculation, whatever, about Vietnam.
1:27:59So this was a matter in the United States and China, and it would go beyond that.
1:28:10Okay.
1:28:10Now, one other thing, Mr. President, that I'm going to be pressed on this morning is the Vice President.
1:28:19There's a story moving on the wire, which says that he was not, no, that's not moving, but there's a story moving that he was not informed.
1:28:28I'm going to reply to that.
1:28:30Absolutely true.
1:28:30Yeah, but I've been keeping that very flexible.
1:28:32I've said, I'm going to have a checklist of who has been invited, but I'll assure you the president, vice president's aware of all the, you know, the total foreign policy thing.
1:28:40But I'm going to say if he was involved in this or not.
1:28:47No, he was not involved.
1:28:50No.
1:28:50Should I say that?
1:28:51No.
1:28:51I better just keep it loose.
1:28:52Yes.
1:28:52Without saying, you know, he wasn't involved.
1:28:55The only people involved were Kissinger.
1:28:57Well, that's not going to be the issue.
1:29:03They'll comment me that way, but they'll comment me primarily on this Manila statement, where he took on the black leadership role.
1:29:13Now, the question is, do I no comment it, or do I say the president feels
1:29:20But making progress is the important thing, and we'll continue to, as the President has done in the past, continue to meet with appropriate leaders in order to do that.
1:29:32That, to some degree, separates, but in a very mild way.
1:29:36Right.
1:30:01It's rather stupid to say the corrective name for the reason in fact that went to hell in Africa.
1:30:06It's blacks defeating blacks, so they're a different kind of people.
1:30:10They don't have the legacy of slavery here.
1:30:12It's blacks defeating blacks with a legacy of slavery.
1:30:17The unfortunate thing of it is, is that it's right.
1:30:22The statecraft, the black leadership, has handled themselves irresponsibly.
1:30:28It's right, but a statement like that in Madrid, Spain, comparing them to African leaders, moves, tends to move that.
1:30:33Like I said, the president, the president is not confident, but has a lot of confidence in the state in regard to the power of African leaders.
1:30:45The president, the president, the president, of course, is one of the black leaders, one of the poor countries, and the black leader said that he has respect for both.
1:30:56to put it that way, with respect to both here and in the foreign policy area to work with those in Africa and in the investment field that we're trying to make progress and solve our problems.
1:31:13Particularly guys like Abernathy, he's a disaster, a horrible bastard.
1:31:24Okay.
1:31:25On the Soviet thing, the guidance I have here from Hank and Kissinger is that the President, I'll just say, there's no platform meeting at this time other than the President's general view on immediate with Soviet leaders has been frequently stated.
1:31:41He has always been willing and principled on such meeting.
1:31:44If concrete results should be found somewhere, where it's at, where it's at.
1:31:50Yeah, where subsidy results or contracting results are good.
1:31:57Okay, sir.
1:31:59No, I was going to say, the President's position as far as to what is to be, remains, there is no change in the President's position.
1:32:12And so what is, well, there's no change in his position.
1:32:18whenever there's something concrete to consult, both parties agree that there is, to be glad to consider a meeting.
1:32:27It's a matter of tone, and I'll locate it, I understand.
1:32:29Also, this Taiwan thing is a matter of tone, too, because I don't want to leave going out, and I assume this is your desire that says that the president today told the leaders that he would move to reassure Taiwan.
1:32:40Oh, sir.
1:32:41Oh, I'm sorry.
1:32:43Yeah.
1:32:43Right.
1:32:44Okay.
1:32:50I didn't get back to you on this because I thought it would be all right, but it worked.
1:33:07It worked fine because we forced them into a situation where I think it's very much to our advantage.
1:33:14And by holding that thread over it, I think it helped us some.
1:33:18But they used the other pictures inside.
1:33:19I don't know.
1:33:20Well, I did not check with you, but I lifted.
1:33:23They called me, and I lifted this for you.
1:33:26Because of the other thing, which is, well, the bastards have never used a cover since we've been here.
1:33:33I think
1:33:37They both use them.
1:33:38They use them to abuse.
1:33:42And that they kind of, they are really amused at this thing.
1:33:45These bastards are having a hell of a time.
1:33:51But tomorrow, now, our democratic friends, they're going to have a hell of a time.
1:33:57You see what Vovoste said?
1:33:58He said, you've got to settle with your mom.
1:34:01But he said we shouldn't go to China because the whole world should go to the Soviet Union, which
1:34:05here around all that's been strapped.
1:34:07Fulbright was squirming this morning.
1:34:10I thought Mansfield, they did all right, but not all of them is a good game.
1:34:20Yes, sir.
1:34:20We had a, it's a good tone that came out of me, good feeling amongst all of them.
1:34:26We have a, it's a different ball game now, isn't it?
1:34:31Yes, sir, totally different.
1:34:33And I feel a little bit cut in this morning because there was discussion about keeping, you know, about the comments.
1:34:42So every leader who left there feels he knows a little something that he can't, you know, talk about.

On July 19, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:58 am to 12:08 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 539-007 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 539-7

Date: July 19, 1971
Time: 11:58 am - 12:08 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler

     The People’s Republic of China [PRC] initiative
          -Briefing of Congressional leaders and Cabinet
                -President’s role
                -Henry A. Kissinger’s role
          -Reaction by other countries
                -William P. Rogers
          -Briefings
                -Speculation
                -Expression of views
                -Taiwan issue
                -Vietnam War
          -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
                -Knowledge
                      -Wire service report
                -Kissinger

     Agnew
         -Statements made in Madrid, Spain
               -Comments about African Blacks
                   -Slavery
                        -US Black leaders
                   -Domestic, foreign impact
                        -Ralph Abernathy

     US-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] relations
         -General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Kissinger
         -Summit possibility
              -The President’s stance

     Taiwan issue
         -Perceptions
     Cover photographs
         -Use by magazines
               -The President

     Foreign relations
          -The PRC, Vietnam
                -Democratic response
                      -J. William Fulbright
                      -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield

     Congressional leaders meeting

Ziegler left at 12:08 pm
  • 539-004 11:12 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:12 am and 11:18 am.
  • 539-005 11:12 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:12 am and 11:18 am.
  • 539-006 11:18 AM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, Alexander P. Butterfield, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:18 am to 11:37 am.
  • 539-008 12:08 PM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm.
  • 539-009 12:08 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm.
  • 539-010 12:08 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm.
  • 539-011 12:08 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 12:48 pm.
  • 539-012 12:08 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 1:08 pm.

Conversation 539-007, July 19, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/539-007 (accessed October 11, 2026).