Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 13 › Conversation 013-056

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Foreign aid and Public relations

Monday, November 1, 1971 · 2:47 PM–2:49 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation013-056 on Tape 13 (tape position 02:04:08–02:06:22)StartMonday, November 1, 1971 at 2:47 PMEndMonday, November 1, 1971 at 2:49 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 013-056 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler coordinate media strategy regarding the administration's foreign aid program, specifically emphasizing its role as a pillar of the Nixon Doctrine. They plan to have Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird and Secretary of State William Rogers present the defense and policy justifications for foreign assistance to counter recent Senate opposition. Additionally, the President arranges a photo opportunity with Laird and Henry Kissinger to signal a unified executive front and confirms the timing for an upcoming announcement regarding the First Lady’s schedule.

Audio

Download MP3 · 3.1 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yes, sir.
Byron.
After I finish with Laird today at about 4 o'clock, I think we'll work it out probably so that he can come over and give a little shot on the defense aspects of foreign aid.
Right.
Great.
That might be a good thing to do.
And then we'll try to, if we can get Rogers, we can get him to do the same thing tomorrow after I meet with him.
Now, for the picture thing, I'm going to meet in the AOB.
It occurred to me that I'll give you a ring when we finish.
All righty.
And you could have them step out, and they can take Laird and Kissinger and me walking down the steps.
All right, fine.
How would that be?
That's great.
Give you a different kind of a shot.
That's good.
Instead of just sitting in the Oval Office.
Fine.
Okay, sir.
How'd you get along with your boys?
Fine.
We hit the need for balanced, integrated, you know, foreign assistance program that indicated that...
You know, was he underpinning a foreign policy and should not be unilaterally and suddenly stripped away, that it would affect, as we move into an era of negotiations.
The thing that I think is very important here is that the idea that the whole key to the success of reducing Americans abroad is to have foreign aid.
Right.
And that's the whole key to the Nixon Doctrine.
We're bringing men home, but we're helping others help themselves.
Right.
so that he can hit.
That's a good theme for him.
Yes, sir.
I think it's an excellent one for him, Dan.
I said that we thought the Senate would now pause and take a deep breath and look at the ramifications of the action that restored a coordinated foreign aid program, which is, I think, what they're doing today.
That's sort of the theme that's beginning to come out of it.
Right.
Yes, sir.
You watch this turnaround this week.
Oh, absolutely.
It's already starting.
They can't stay on that wicket.
They know it.
They'll squeal over it.
They have to have something to jump up and down about.
Now they've gotten their little blood and
So they'll have to come back and act like men again.
Right.
But I think the more pressure we keep on them, the better.
That's where I think Laird's going.
Are you going to announce Mrs. Nixon's thing at 4 o'clock?
Yes, sir.
Good.
Fine.
All right.
Okay, sir.
Oh, if they ask, are there going to be any other countries, and they say, well, not at this time.
We have no plans.
Okay, fine.
Fine.
Okay, sir.

NARA Description

On November 1, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:47 pm to 2:49 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 013-056 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 013-056

Date: November 1, 1971
Time: 2:47 pm - 2:49 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See Conversation No. 302-31]

     President's schedule
           -Melvin R. Laird
           -William P. Rogers
           -Henry A. Kissinger, Laird

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

                 -Photographs
                      -Arrangement

     Ziegler's press briefing
          -Foreign aid program

     Foreign aid program
          -Laird's possible statement
                -Nixon Doctrine
          -Ziegler's press briefing
                -Senate
          -Senate's previous vote

     Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon's schedule
          -Ziegler's forthcoming announcement

     Foreign countries

Also recorded on November 1, 1971

  • 013-054 2:29 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 2:29 pm to 2:30 pm.
  • 013-055 2:30 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:47 pm.
  • 302-028 2:30 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:47 pm.
  • 302-029 2:30 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:47 pm.
  • 302-030 2:30 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:47 pm.
  • 302-031 2:47 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:47 pm to 2:49 pm.
  • 302-032 2:54 PM · 1 hr 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Melvin R. Laird, Stephen B. Bull, White House operator, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:54 pm to 4:04 pm.
  • 013-057 2:55 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:55 pm and 3:55 pm.

All 31 conversations from November 1, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 013-056, November 1, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/013-056 (accessed October 16, 2026).