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Conversation 820-007

TapeTape 820StartTuesday, December 12, 1972 at 10:39 AMEndTuesday, December 12, 1972 at 10:49 AMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Ziegler, Ronald L.Recording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler met to coordinate public messaging regarding the administration's second-term reorganization and ongoing press relations. The discussion covered the upcoming announcement of personnel changes in the Department of Agriculture, strategies for shaping public perception of staff cuts, and the management of Christmas-related events at the White House. Additionally, they reviewed recent media coverage, specifically critiquing inaccuracies in news magazine reports concerning administrative departures and the performance of George P. Shultz in communicating economic policy.

White House reorganizationPress relationsPersonnel changesPublic relations strategyAdministration managementGeorge P. Shultz
AudioNARA Description

On December 12, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:39 am to 10:49 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 820-007 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 820-7

Date: December 12, 1972
Time: 10:39 am - 10:49 am
Location: Oval Office
                                              -9-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                        (rev. May-08)

                                                               Conversation No. 820-7 (cont’d)

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

       The President’s schedule

       Press relations
             -[George P. Shultz’s statement on economic stabilization and federal spending]
                    -Budget spending ceiling
                         -Networks
                         -Wire services
                         -Newspapers
             -US-Cuba relations
                    -Negotiations on hijacking agreement
                         -News summary
                         -Ziegler’s press conference, December 11, 1972

       The President’s schedule
            -Christmas planning
                  -Constance M. (Cornell) (“Connie”) Stuart
                         -Health
                  -Ziegler’s meeting with Helen Smith
                  -Press relations
                         -Washington Post directive
                               -Receptions
                                     -Pools
                                           -Timing
                               -Invitation
                                     -Cabinet dinner
                                           -Entertainment
                                     -Church service
                               -Wires
                               -Receptions
                                     -Number of guests

       Press relations
             -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon’s, Tricia Nixon Cox’s and Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s
               schedules
                    -First term activities
                           -Trip, speeches, appearances, dedications
                           -Rose Parade
                                     -10-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                 (rev. May-08)

                                                      Conversation No. 820-7 (cont’d)

                 -Trips

Second term reorganization
     -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
            -Conversation with the President
            -Possible conversation with Ziegler
            -Research
            -Stuart
            -Ziegler’s staff
            -Record
     -Agriculture Department
            -Changes
                  -J. Philip Campbell
                         -Retention
     -Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan
            -[Ambassadorship to India]
     -Chairmanship of Republican National Committee
            -George H. W. Bush
            -Robert J. Dole
     -Change
            -Press relations
                  -Peter J. Brennan
            -Public opinion
                  -Secretary of Transportation
            -State Department, Justice Department

Press relations
      -Shultz’s statement
             -Performance
                   -Appearance, mannerisms
                   -Summary outline
                   -Networks

Second term reorganization
     -Changes
     -White House staff
           -Counselors, assistants
           -Cuts
     -Peter G. Peterson
                                                -11-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                        (rev. May-08)

                                                               Conversation No. 820-7 (cont’d)

                  -News magazines
             -Henry A. Kissinger’s role
                  -Richard M. Helms, Peterson
             -Stewart J. O. Alsop’s Newsweek article
                  -Accuracy
                  -Peterson, Helms departures
                         -Timing
                               -John B. Connally’s meeting with the President in Florida

Ronald L. Ziegler left at 10:49 am.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

and the wire services led with the first paragraph and also the major newspapers had in the first or the second paragraph.
So that's what they did on the field.
Also, when I knew somebody this morning, you'll notice that there's a reference to that situation.
You did plant that question yesterday, and I hit that quite hard on the things you requested.
On the Christmas planting, Connie Stewart is out sick, but I wanted to get her to come in, her assistant today, to go to those plants.
We understand completely the post-consultation that will be carried out as you have directed.
And I think on the receptions, we will not have coverage of those except the Friday nights on a pool coverage basis, or Friday afternoon at the reception line.
And also the cabinet dinner, the entertainment portion, again on an invitation basis, and then the church service on an invitation basis.
ALL INVITATIONS.
ALL INVITATIONS.
BEYOND THAT, WE HAVE A GOOD STORY TO TELL, AND I'M GOING TO BACK DOWN TO VIRES ON THE ACTIVITY BETWEEN NOW AND PRIOR TO CHRISTMAS.
THE FACT THAT YOU'RE SEEING 5,000 OR RECEIVING 5,000 PEOPLE IN THE WHITE HOUSE IN RECEPTION.
SO WE SHOULD GO BACK.
Yes, we do have that.
Oh, I see.
I thought you meant Christmas.
All right.
Yes, sir.
Is Julie, when you come to Julie, was she going to be
Should I call Julie on this and tell her that we're moving on the door?
Yeah.
Call her and tell her that we're doing the re-serving.
Right.
We're doing the re-serving.
We're doing the re-serving.
We're doing the re-serving.
Okay.
We're doing the re-serving.
Right.
We're doing the re-serving.
I'm going to put one of my men on it.
Absolutely.
Okay, today we're going to announce the agriculture changes.
And we'll say the changes on down in agriculture.
Well, we're changing about five people.
It's going to be a shake-up story in agriculture.
Good morning.
I think the Dole and Bush thing came out of the body.
I was looking at the news magazines.
But again, we haven't been able to get across the idea that there could be a change.
That's the only problem.
We haven't seen it so far.
The only one story that we haven't been able to play is Grant and Stranger Things.
Well, the news magazines, I think, tend to focus on the internal entry and the people.
I think out in the country, though, there is an impression of change, because as we were talking about yesterday, I don't think that people think about who the Secretary of Transportation is.
There's a lot of stuff you can do about it.
The problem is that we can all change the state of the United States because of the tourism.
He did very well.
He looked good on film last night, too.
I think he has recognized...
I think he's recognized, and we talked about this a little bit, that he comes over a little flat on film, and I think it's worth it to overcome that, and it's showing up on film now.
He looked very good on film last night.
Forcefully had some gestures going, and it was good for George, and it didn't seem forced.
So he made, and the other thing he did, he very, you know, in some reform at the outset, outlined the action very quickly, which they picked up and were able to use.
So I think he was effective on film, which was on all three networks.
Well, I think it would have changed later on.
Well, two, when you come to the point where we announce the counselor and the assistant role, and when we come to the point where we are able to announce the cuts, particularly in the White House staff,
that will really underpin and solidify the changes
But the news magazines this week, and I knew they were going to do this at some point, focus more on, you know, why did Peterson leave and why did... Well, that Stuart Lawson column in Newsweek is just totally, absolutely wrong.
where Alsop refers to the fact that Connolly met with you in Florida, and then following that, Peterson and Helms left, when the decisions on Peterson and Helms were made far before that meeting with Connolly down in Florida.
Well, okay.
I'm sorry.
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