Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 574 › Conversation 574-004
Nixon, Rhyne & Haig on Foreign policy and People's Republic of China
Friday, September 17, 1971 · 10:04 AM–10:26 AM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon met with attorney Charles Rhyne and Alexander Haig to discuss the international reaction to Nixon’s recent foreign policy initiatives, specifically his opening of relations with the People's Republic of China. Rhyne provided a briefing on his recent trip to Yugoslavia, where he engaged with President Josip Broz Tito and various international legal figures regarding the role of world law in global diplomacy. Following this, the participants explored the potential for a presidential address or public statement emphasizing the rule of law as a cornerstone of U.S. moral leadership and a framework for managing international conflicts.
- Foreign policy
- People's Republic of China
- Yugoslavia
- Josip Broz Tito
- International law
- Rule of law
- Moral leadership
Audio
Download MP3 (part 1) · 168.0 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 167.9 MB
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 01:12:29 into the tape and ends around 01:33:32.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On September 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles S. Rhyne, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:04 am to 10:26 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 574-004 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 574-4
Date: September 17, 1971
Time: 10:04 am - 10:26 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Charles S. Rhyne and Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
Josip Broz Tito
-Meeting with Rhyne
-location
-Tito's forthcoming trip to the US
-Dinner
-Timing
-Meeting
-Agneda
-The People's Republic of China [PRC]
-The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Tito’s forthcoming visit
-Conference
-Constitutional change in Yugoslavia
-Discussion between Rhyne and the ambassador from the PRC
-Telecast of reception for Yugoslavian prime minister
-Ambassador from the PRC
-Yugoslavia
-Reception
-The US-PRC opening
-Tito’s support
-Yugoslavia's position
-USSR, PRC
-The President's PRC initiative
International Law Conference
-Rhyne's visit
-Invitation
-Alexander Fyodorovich Gorkin
-Leonid Smirnov
-Airport reception
-Gorkin
-Meeting with the President in Tunisia
-Position in USSR
-Rhyne’s earlier trips to the USSR
-Dates
-Dinner
-Smirnov, Gorkin
-Query on number of Americans coming to Belgrade
-Compared to Russians
-The President's trip to the PRC
-Tito's reaction to meeting
-Russians
Tito’s forthcoming trip to the US
-Timing
-Washington
International Law Conference
-International lawyers
-Bolshoi Theater
-attendance
-Court
-Warren E. Burger
-Handling
-Meeting with Tito
-Illness
-Meeting with people
-Tito
-Constitutional changes
-Lawyers
-Age
-Health
-Meeting with people
-Open convertible
-Speech
-Number of hours
-Pictures
-Discussions
-Country
-Vatican representative
-Message for the Pope
-Conference's participants
-Types of people
-Chief justices, ministers of justice
-Rhyne's trip to Yugoslavia
-Press stories
-Report of Rhyne's trip
-Frank S. Shakespeare
-Tito
-Forthcoming trip to US by Tito
-Tito
-Attire
-White suit
-The President's letter
-Treatment
-Attire
-Yugoslavia
-Weather
-Blazo Jovanovic
-Chief Justice
-Relationship with Tito
-Tito
-Yugoslavia
-Two Chief Justices
-Meeting
-Participants
US foreign relations
-Developments regarding the PRC
-US public stance
-Leadership position in the world
-Supremacy
-Forthcoming speech to United Nations [UN]
-Domestic issues
-Handling
-Effect on US leadership role
-President Nixon's presidency
-World attitude
-Support
-Moral leadership
-Base to build upon
-Support for the President
-Lawyers
-Small countries
-Nepal
Report on world law
-Completion date
-Interest in world law
-Maritime law
-Two hundred mile limit
-Concept of future law maker of the world
-Henry Luce
Policy statement forum
-United Nations [UN]
-PRC initiative
-Israelis
-Arabs
-White House
-Timing
-Telecast
-Sunday radio broadcast
-Distribution
-United States Information Agency [USIA]
-Translation
Washington, DC Bar
-Anniversary
International law forum in the US
-Lawyers
-Administration strategy
-Individual working with Rhyne
-Wording of statement
-Commitment
-US role
-Interests
-International court
-Conflicts
-Role of international court
-Anti-ballistic missile [ABM]
International Law Conference in Yugoslavia
-Japan
-Italy
-US
-Leon Jaworski
-Yugoslavia
-Audience
-Number of people
-Lawyers
-Court
-Supreme Court justices
-Burger
-Role
-View of the President’s possible talk
Prison reform
-Williamsburg conference?
-The President’s attendance with Tom C. Clark and Burer
International law
-Writing
-William H. Taft
-John F. Dulles
-Research
-Report
-Number of words
-Dulles
-Speech to New York Bar Association
-Maurice H. Stans
Presidential gifts
-Clients
-Secretary
-Book marker
Introduction to incoming group
Instruction to Haig
Rhyne and Haig left at 10:26 am.Also recorded on September 17, 1971
- 574-001 8:44 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:44 am and 9:08 am.
- 574-002 8:44 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:44 am and 9:08 am.
- 009-057 9:08 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:08 am and 9:17 am.
- 574-003 9:08 AM · 57 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins, White House operator, unknown person(s), Robert T. Stafford, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:08 am to 10:03 am.
- 009-058 9:17 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Robert T. Stafford talked on the telephone from 9:17 am to 9:18 am.
- 009-059 9:18 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 10:03 am.
- 009-060 9:18 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 11:43 am.
- 574-005 10:26 AM · 1 hr 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Maurice H. Stans, George P. Shultz, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., White House photographer, Stephen B. Bull, Corneliu Bogdan, Henry A. Kissinger, Manolo Sanchez, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:26 am to 11:29 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 574-004, September 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/574-004 (accessed September 26, 2026).