Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 20 › Conversation 020-062

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Press relations and Media policy

Tuesday, February 8, 1972 · 2:44 PM–2:48 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation020-062 on Tape 20 (tape position 02:05:27–02:09:28)StartTuesday, February 8, 1972 at 2:44 PMEndTuesday, February 8, 1972 at 2:48 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 020-062 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417192805 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Ronald Ziegler discussed the media fallout and criticism surrounding the selection process for reporters invited to cover upcoming administration events. Ziegler defended the administration's criteria for media selection against claims of regional bias, specifically addressing concerns from Texas figures like John Connally. They also reviewed public relations strategy, including how Ziegler successfully rebutted accusations that the selection process prioritized television coverage for spectacle.

Audio

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NARA Description

On February 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:44 pm to 2:48 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 020-062 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 20-62

Date: February 8, 1972
Time: 2:44 pm - 2:48 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See Conversation No. 320-18]

     Press briefing
           -Correspondent list
                 -President's involvement
                 -Charge of regional bias
                 -Criteria
                 -Provision of reports
                 -Discontent with list
                       -Texas
                             -John B. Connally’s view
                             -Criteria
                                   -Dallas Morning News
                       -Connally’s view
                 -Judgement in selections
                       -Ziegler role
                       -Connally view
                             -Talk to Jack B. Krueger
                       -Soviet Union trip
                 -Reason for selection
                       -Television preference
                       -Administration response
                             -Technical support for writing press
                 -Ziegler's view
           -Hugh Scott item
                 -Questions at conference
           -Ziegler meeting with Patrick J. Buchanan

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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Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Go.
Mr. Ziegler.
Yes, sir.
Your press thing, briefing go by as you expected?
Well, they made the run today on the list.
On the list?
Right.
Oh, crap.
But we had a little, all right.
What run do they make?
Have we picked our friends?
I hope not that.
No, no.
Jesus Christ, that's the most horrible bunch of people I ever saw.
And I made the point again that you weren't involved.
And I said, it's obvious that the president was involved by the people and the organizations who have fallen on the list.
So I made that point.
But a couple of people who aren't on the list talked about the
blocking out regional areas of the country.
And I said, well, that's absurd.
We purposely did not select the list based upon regions or states, because indeed, if we did
select a list on that basis, then we would be open for substantial criticism.
We looked at the news, the journalism community as a whole in the nation, and selected those who regularly covered the White House and repeated the criteria, and said that as a result of this, all segments of the news media will be able to provide instant news reports to all segments of the country.
Well, really, I think most of the fair guys realize it's a damn good job.
Oh, yeah, sure.
Yes, sir.
And I've gotten calls.
It's not just those that went.
I mean, that's damn fair.
That's right, they do.
But still, those who don't go, for example, we're getting a little heat from down in the southwest.
Texas.
Right.
I talked to Secretary Connolly about it, and he's not worried about it.
And he's handling it, too.
Well, the point was that you just didn't have anybody that fit the criteria.
That's right.
The Dallas News came close, but they just didn't quite fit it.
What do you have from Texas?
Anybody at all?
No, no one.
That's too damn bad.
Yep.
Well, we, of course, talked about the Dallas Nose there, but... See, there are a few selections that are on the list, and I made the point that we had to make some judgments.
There are a few selections on the list that don't specifically meet the criteria...
where some would who are not on the list.
Do you see what I mean?
But I made the point we had to follow the criteria in a general way, but I had to make some judgments too.
But I was able to hit the... You called Connolly on this, did you?
I talked to him at the leadership.
He said it was okay.
He's talking to Kruger down there and so forth.
I said, now, level with me.
Are you concerned about this?
And he said, no, I'm really not.
And also, we'll help him on the Russian mess.
Right.
Okay.
The other point, one guy asked me, he said, isn't it true, Ron, that the reason you've made these selections and there are television people on here is because it's a TV spectacular?
And I really hit that, and it's moving on the wires.
I said, that statement is absurd, and that's what they led with.
I said, and it suggests to me, whenever I'm asked that question, that whoever asks the question is not aware of the...
of other communication functions within the whole mix in this country.
And I said, if you want to break down the technical support that each member of the writing press gets, I said it would add up to about 10 people per member of the writing press because of the ground station personnel and the telex operators and all of the rest.
So that seemed to diffuse that.
But I expected to see.
It wasn't extensive, and it just allowed us.
Is Scott's thing getting any kind of a play in the wire?
It is, yes.
Good.
So I think we're in fairly good shape on that.
Did they come at you again on that?
No, they didn't.
Well, they already had their story for today on that.
Right.
Pat and I are sitting down here right now going over some things.
Who?
Pat Buchanan's in my office now, so we're going over something.

Also recorded on February 8, 1972

  • 320-018 2:44 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:44 pm to 2:48 pm.
  • 020-063 2:49 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Hugh Scott talked on the telephone from 2:49 pm to 2:51 pm.
  • 320-019 2:49 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Hugh Scott met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:49 pm to 2:51 pm.
  • 020-064 2:51 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 020-065 2:51 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 320-020 2:51 PM · 12 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 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 320-021 2:51 PM · 1 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 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 320-022 2:51 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.

All 47 conversations from February 8, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 020-062, February 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417192805). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/020-062 (accessed November 5, 2026).