“Yesterday (ECB chief) Jean-Claude Trichet called me and made what I would characterize as a personal appeal to reopen the swaps that we had before,” Bernanke told his colleagues at the unscheduled meeting.

The transcripts, which are released after five years, show how closely Bernanke worked with Trichet, who shared "highly confidential" information about the ECB's part in a $1 trillion "shock and awe" rescue plan launched by EU leaders to combat an escalating financial crisis in Europe.

They also show the degree to which Bernanke was worried about a possible political backlash at home, if the Fed's actions were seen as simply a bailout for foreign nations rather than a critical part of an international effort to stave off another financial crisis.

"We can’t ignore the politics of this by any means," Bernanke told his colleagues at the meeting, adding that he had already spoken with Administration officials who assured him they would back any Fed action "100 percent" and would work to defend the Fed against any political attacks.

"Certainly, if we decide to go ahead with this, I will be talking to some Republicans, because I assume the Administration will talk to Democrats, and we’ll just try to make sure, within the bounds of keeping this quiet—and, obviously, that’s a potential issue—that we get a broad understanding of what we’re doing," Bernanke said.

Late on May 9, the Fed announced the return of swap lines without limit with the European Central bank, the Bank of England and the Swiss National Bank as European authorities announced a huge aid package to prevent contagion from the Greek debt crisis.

(Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Andrew Hay)