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Conversation 005-130

TapeTape 5StartTuesday, June 22, 1971 at 10:24 PMEndTuesday, June 22, 1971 at 10:30 PMTape start time03:55:51Tape end time04:00:21ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Ziegler, Ronald L.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discuss media coverage strategies regarding Vietnam, the successful House passage of H.R. 1, and the ongoing legal battles over the Pentagon Papers. Nixon emphasizes the importance of framing the Pentagon Papers issue around the mishandling of top-secret documents to garner public support and protect national security. The two also coordinate efforts to generate press coverage for a story involving the British government through State Department spokesperson Robert J. McCloskey.

Vietnam WarH.R. 1Pentagon PapersMedia RelationsNational SecuritySocial Security
AudioNARA Description

On June 22, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 10:24 pm to 10:30 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 005-130 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 5-130

Date: June 22, 1971
Time: 10:24 pm - 10:30 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     Story on Vietnam
          -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
          -Walter Cronkite

     H.R.1 statement
          -Vote in House of Representatives

     President's conversation with William B. Murphy, June 22, 1971

     Patrick J. Buchanan's conversation with Ziegler
           -Atlantic City story

     Pentagon Papers
          -Court action
          -National security

     British story
           -News coverage
           -Robert J. McCloskey
           -Charles W. Colson
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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.

Hello.
Hello.
Hi, Ron.
Yes, sir.
Did you get your story out all right?
Yes, I think it's fine.
We made CBS with the... Henry, I'm going to talk to you in a little bit of space.
Right.
CBS used the part of...
Seriously jeopardizing the negotiation.
That line... We want to lay the foundation on that because...
falls down.
Right.
Well, I was glad that Conkite got that on the end of the show.
As a quote, the wires moved that out too.
Then we issued the HR-1 statement.
That was a good victory.
I didn't hear about it.
Well, HR-1 passed.
288 to 135.
including, you know, Section 4, which is Social Security.
So, just the right, just the right deal.
And we assume your statement.
Good.
My predictions are looking pretty good in the House, at least.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Somebody tonight, to Bev Murphy of Gamble Company, was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh, he was, uh,
Tobias played it straight.
I don't know what's up to the band, but I'll check it in the morning first.
I talked to Buchanan briefly about it.
He said Atlantic City played all right, but it was at that period we were trying to get everything down, so he doesn't have a ton of talking to us about it now.
Well, the courts are keeping the damn thing alive, man.
Drag both New York and Marshall.
They both collided.
You know, they're thinking a lot.
They've asked for something real, secret stuff.
Codes to the threshold.
They might turn that thing and uphold it.
Well, if they uphold it on the right ground, then the people could turn on us.
If they uphold it on the ground, then it would jeopardize national security.
Well, I think people out in the country are a lot more concerned about mishandling the top secret documents than they are about the complexity of it.
And yet they want the open war to come out.
Well, I think there's mixed reaction, but I think if you...
handling top secret documents, their emotion is going to go to handling top secret documents.
Because it's quite a big thing when someone thinks the United States government is a top secret
Did that thing of the British get any play at all?
I did not see that.
It didn't give any...
Try to see if Klosky can't get that written something out of the state.
All right, for columns and so forth tomorrow.
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