Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 584 › Conversation 584-001

Nixon & Rogers on Latin American relations and Diplomatic strategy

Tuesday, October 5, 1971 · 8:56 AM–9:02 AM ET · Oval Office · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Rogers, William P.Conversation584-001 on Tape 584 (tape position 00:00:35–00:04:23)StartTuesday, October 5, 1971 at 8:56 AMEndTuesday, October 5, 1971 at 9:02 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 584-001 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers discuss the need to improve diplomatic engagement with Latin American nations to demonstrate that the region remains a priority for the administration. Nixon expresses a personal affinity for Latin American countries and suggests that Rogers conduct a diplomatic visit to a stable city in the region to bolster relations. The discussion emphasizes balancing this regional focus against the President's ongoing high-level diplomatic efforts with China, Russia, and Japan.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Oh, well, I guess you don't want to announce that, probably.
That's the nicest thing I've ever heard.
I think it would be a good thing to be doing that, you know.
It'll be far more effective than rock-paper-scissors.
Got it?
Oh, very nice.
Right.
Now, the other thing that you might do is this.
You might, uh, this is another good one for me.
Well, they have, because it's just too much to over there.
You get an argument.
But Latin America, nobody's in there, you know?
And I really do have a special feeling for those people, not only because they're close, but also because they're damn good people.
I mean, whether they're dictated or whatever they are, they're one who is.
Now, you know, we talked once about the possibility of going to some place for a,
He has a state meeting or something like that.
I don't know if that's in the cards.
I'm not speaking to each other, but it might be.
But, you know, do you remember Eisenhower when the Panama has a state meeting?
And we really ought to do, particularly with the two that are coming up now, this thing, I mean, particularly China and Russia, and, you know, Japan and the winds.
Latin America would, and we're doing Canada, of course, and I've done Mexico, but Latin America really ought to have something done.
Telling the president, I don't, as far as I mean, you might, you know, just a little attention to those people was terrific, see.
Why don't you all get to it?
And what I was thinking was maybe, not a grant, or we get it done in any place, but you might go to a rather safe city in some place.
There must be one down there.
Well, maybe in Paraguay.
I'm stressed, it's pretty tough.
Okay.

NARA Description

On October 5, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:56 am to 9:02 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 584-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 584-1

Date: October 5, 1971
Time: 8:56 am - 9:02 am
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with William P. Rogers.

[See Conversation No. 10-40]

Also recorded on October 5, 1971

  • 010-040 8:56 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 8:56 am to 9:02 am.
  • 010-041 9:02 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:02 am and 3:59 pm.
  • 584-002 9:02 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:02 am and 9:12 am.
  • 584-003 9:12 AM · 3 hr 55 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, unknown person(s), Stephen B. Bull, John B. Connally, George P. Shultz, Paul W. McCracken, Herbert Stein, Henry A. Kissinger, Ronald L. Ziegler, and William L. Safire met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:12 am to 1:11 pm.
  • 584-004 1:11 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at 1:11 pm.
  • 584-005 1:11 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:11 pm to 1:25 pm.
  • 584-006 1:25 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:25 pm and 1:32 pm.
  • 584-007 1:25 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:25 pm and 1:32 pm.

All 36 conversations from October 5, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 584-001, October 5, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/584-001 (accessed September 28, 2026).