Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-123

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Alabama trip and Press relations

Tuesday, May 25, 1971 · 9:15 PM–9:20 PM ET · White House Telephone · 9 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation003-123 on Tape 3 (tape position 03:01:40–03:10:21)StartTuesday, May 25, 1971 at 9:15 PMEndTuesday, May 25, 1971 at 9:20 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-123 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417188485 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler reviewed the media coverage and public reception of the President's recent trip to Alabama, specifically praising the large, enthusiastic crowds and the effective messaging regarding national unity. They discussed the positive impact of the President's informal briefing for Southern regional journalists, noting that his comments on patriotism, religion, and military strength were well-received. Finally, the two consulted on the scheduling of an upcoming press conference, weighing the strategic advantages of holding it on a Friday versus a Tuesday in light of the week's existing news cycle.

Audio

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NARA Description

On May 25, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 9:15 pm to 9:20 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-123 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-123

Date: May 25, 1971
Time: 9:15 pm - 9:20 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     President's Alabama trip
          -Television news coverage
                 -Motorcade
                 -Mobile, Birmingham crowds
                 -Dedication of Tennessee - Tombigbee Waterway
                 -Mobile, Birmingham crowds
                 -Lyndon K. ("Mort") Allin
                 -Length

                         -National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC], Columbia Broadcasting
                         System [CBS], American Broadcasting Company [ABC]
             -Press response
             -Crowds
                   -Birmingham Chief of Police Ed Moore
                         -Crowd estimate compared with unidentified astronauts' crowd
             -George C. Wallace
             -President's remarks
             -President's briefing for Southern regional media
                   -Press pool coverage
                         -Bill Tice and Douglas B. Cornell
                         -Eugene Risher
                   -Requests for transcript
                   -Transcript compared with tape
                   -Tone
                   -Statements regarding South
                   -Arms reduction
                   -Response
                         -Peter Lisagor
                         -Courtney Sheldon of Christian Science Monitor
                         -Bill Matoney [sp?] of NBC
                               -Comment to Ziegler
             -Blacks
                   -Response to President
                   -President's response
                   -President's references to unity
             -President's remarks
             -Future coverage
Show the rest of the log (29 more lines)
     President's schedule
          -A May 28, 1971 or June 1, 1971 press conference
                 -Possible alternative dates
                      -May 27, 1971

                             -Kennedy Center event
                  -Television viewing on weekends
             -Week's news
             -West Point
             -A May 28, 1971 or June 1, 1971 press conference
                  -Haldeman, John A. Scali

******************************************************************************

[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 10/25/2017.]
[Unintelligible]
[003-123-w001]
[Duration: 29s]

     Timeframe for decision

     President’s spoiled weekend

     President’s schedule
           -Meeting later in week

******************************************************************************

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 4 minutes of this recording (about 50% 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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I'm not sure of that.
I have to look at the tapes tomorrow because the people here really couldn't tell.
They sort of wove the whole thing into an Alabama story, not as much mobile, but with the, of course, the dedication to waterways.
But I think they used probably a good deal of mobile and mobile and golf was something to learn from, but I understand.
I didn't see it.
I called into Fort Allen speaking.
It didn't play very well.
I think CBS had three minutes in BC, except for number two in ABC about two minutes.
So it played very well.
The reaction amongst all of the tourists I talked to was that it was a very good day.
Pretty hard to find.
Well, they couldn't find us.
Good reception.
Well, the crowds were fantastic.
Birmingham was an enormous crowd.
Fantastic.
That's what they're quoting.
They're moving as over 100,000.
They're moving as mobile as they can.
60,000.
Well, the chief of police in Birmingham...
And he said he gave a quote that it worked a lot.
Yeah, they were all friendly.
Absolutely.
How'd they play the Wallace thing?
You notice how close he struck to me?
Sure did.
That's fine.
He had every right to.
I think that worked out just fine.
Sure.
Well, I didn't cater to him either.
I mean, I didn't cater to any of their prejudices.
I played it, in fact, the only way.
The remarks?
Yeah, the remarks were put in terms of one country.
Right, the unity thing, and that came through on the report, no?
I thought your presentation, as the guys who were in the presentation, your reaction to your remarks to the editors just, you know, very well, you know,
I thought it was great because the way you... Yeah, that's right, and you did it in such a relaxed way.
You did it in such a relaxed way, and the people who listened to the tape afterwards felt that.
It was a reflective pulling together a lot of things.
It was an excellent job, and everyone felt that way.
Those who were in there.
Who was in there?
Who covered?
Bill Tice was in there, for example, and Doug Cornell.
They're smart.
Gene Risher.
The three men.
Right.
And they were talking about it.
They covered that.
That was all covered on the record.
On the record, yes.
And people afterwards, for example, the people from the various states who came in were just...
you know, asking us to make sure that we rush the transcript up to them.
Drawing together and pulling together in a very complete, clear way, you know, the situation...
The difficulty, of course, with the tape and that kind of presentation, generally, it sounds better than the read.
You can see there's a lot of repetition.
Well, that's why it was important to play the tape.
That's why...
But I think it'll read well, too.
Pull the foreign policy thing together.
The part about the unity of the country, the spirit of the country, particularly the way you wrapped it up, was really very beautiful.
And I think the part about referring to the South, the strength of the South.
Yeah.
And if the...
They're economically strong.
They contribute to a stronger America economically and a stronger American military, but they also contribute in a spiritual and ideological way that has done them a part.
They're patriotic and they're religious.
Right.
It was good to hit that religious theme.
And it was good to hit the theme of the strong military defense and the...
and that a unilateral reduction on either side increases the danger, and a mutual reduction reduces the danger.
No, I thought it was a good job, and everyone I talked to, and you can sense these things, you know, where they volunteer.
How about some of the more sophisticated, you know, the Lissago and those people?
Well, Lissago wasn't wrong, but fellows like Courtney Sheldon, the Japanese, he knows.
He's probably a great guy.
Bill Matney from NBC came up to me on his own after the plane.
Is he colored?
Yes.
He's a nice guy, though.
Yes, he is.
He's covered you for a long time.
Yeah.
What did he say?
He came up to me, made a point of coming up just as you were shaking hands.
He couldn't help to notice, too, that
The tone was set very beautifully, very well.
There are going to be differences, there are going to continue to be differences, but it should not sap the strength of the country.
We are debating right now about whether to go Friday night or Tuesday night.
The one advantage of Tuesday would be that half of the weekend is over.
Friday, Bob
Well, when we originally talked about it, we wanted it Thursday.
That's our ideal day.
We couldn't do it Thursday because we can't be centered.
Friday starts the weekend.
The other people do listen to television on weekends, so... Is that what you're giving us?
My immediate reaction would be the Tuesday.
What about missing the opportunity of... Well, in a sense, I suppose we've had a lot of news this week already on...
I didn't have...
This is Tuesday.
West Point?
Yeah.
See, with West Point, you know, we... Might be jamming it up a bit now, the press conference party.
My, my, my, I just have a better feeling.
And again, I haven't talked to Barbara about all of this.
My immediate feeling is that Tuesday, I just think Tuesday would be...
Why don't you sit down tomorrow with Bob and get Scali in on it.
Okay.
What you all feel and talk about it around.
Okay.

Also recorded on May 25, 1971

  • 003-118 8:28 PM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:28 pm to 8:47 pm.
  • 003-119 8:36 PM · 3 sec — the White House operator and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:36 pm and 8:53 pm.
  • 003-120 8:36 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:36 pm and 8:53 pm.
  • 003-121 8:53 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 8:53 pm to 9:14 pm.
  • 003-122 9:14 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:14 pm and 9:15 pm.
  • 003-124 9:20 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:20 pm and 9:29 pm.
  • 003-125 9:29 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:29 pm.

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-123, May 25, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417188485). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-123 (accessed November 2, 2026).