Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 385 › Conversation 385-010
Nixon & Ziegler on Press relations and Information security
Monday, December 11, 1972 · 4:59 PM–5:01 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 5 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald L. Ziegler held a brief meeting to discuss the handling of sensitive, undisclosed information referred to as the "Michelle thing." Nixon explicitly instructed Ziegler to maintain confidentiality and ensure the matter remained unpublicized until the outcome was certain. Additionally, Nixon emphasized the need for strict security regarding the documentation of these proceedings, insisting that the records be preserved and kept out of the reach of the press.
- White House communications
- Press relations
- Information security
- Confidentiality
- Record keeping
Audio
NARA Description
On December 11, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:59 pm to 5:01 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 385-010 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 385-10
Date: December 11, 1972
Time: 4:59 pm - 5:01 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.
[See Conversation No. 34-42]
-14-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUMTranscript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 16% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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— 1 min 16 s with no transcribed speech —
— 1 min 10 s with no transcribed speech —
Also recorded on December 11, 1972
- 034-041 4:55 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:55 pm and 4:59 pm.
- 385-009 4:55 PM · 9 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 4:55 pm and 4:59 pm.
- 034-042 4:59 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 4:59 pm to 5:01 pm.
- 034-043 5:01 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:01 pm and 5:09 pm.
- 385-011 5:01 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:01 pm and 5:09 pm.
- 385-012 5:01 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:01 pm and 5:14 pm.
- 034-044 5:09 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 5:09 pm to 5:10 pm.
- 385-013 5:10 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:10 pm and 5:14 pm.
Related conversations
- Nixon, Ziegler & Kissinger on Nguyen Van Thieu February 21, 1973 · 26 min
- Nixon phone call with Haig on Pentagon Papers and Richard Helms August 16, 1972 · 7 min
- Nixon & Kissinger on Foreign Policy and Information Security October 11, 1971 · 3 min
- Nixon & Haig on Information security and Intelligence management June 6, 1973 · 8 min
- Nixon, Eisenhower & Young on Classification Review Committee August 3, 1972 · 28 min
- Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on Dictation tapes January 11, 1973 · 1 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 385-010, December 11, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/385-010 (accessed November 13, 2026).