Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 6 › Conversation 006-141

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on 26th Amendment and Media relations

Monday, July 5, 1971 · 6:16 PM–7:21 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation006-141 on Tape 6 (tape position 02:48:22–02:53:03)StartMonday, July 5, 1971 at 6:16 PMEndMonday, July 5, 1971 at 7:21 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 006-141 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discuss the media's television coverage of the President's certification of the 26th Amendment. Nixon expresses frustration, alleging that major networks deliberately excluded the event's enthusiastic atmosphere and the youth participants' performance. The President instructs Ziegler to confront specific network correspondents, including Robert Pierpoint and Herbert Kaplow, to criticize their editorial choices and demand better representation of the event's spirit.

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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You know, considering what it was, he couldn't have picked the worst thing.
And it was quite deliberate.
Well, he was down there trying to sell it.
I guess he didn't.
Well, I heard him.
He said he was trying to get more time on them.
But you know what happens in those cases.
I think they designated the time and then he got his twist in there at the end.
Actually, NBC didn't have any commentary at all.
NBC had a two-minute report.
I see.
ABC and CBS referred to the voting potential.
That's perfectly all right.
I don't mind that.
But NBC did not.
NBC had one minute of you speaking and enthusiastic applause.
The thing that both of them...
All networks should have used was enthusiasm, and they should have used the kids singing.
They were damn good.
No, but they only had NBC pick the bad section.
They didn't pick the low key.
They didn't pick the F beat at the end.
I mean, I know how to pick stuff.
The NBC guy, you should tell him, he deliberately picked the wrong stuff.
Don't you agree or not?
Well, the feel of the room was not presented on TV then.
what was presented on TV, I think, looked good and was... Oh, no, no, I agree, I agree.
But having been in the room and watching the TV, you've got a totally different feeling.
They missed the strike.
And I think I want you to tell each of them that I think they missed it deliberately.
All right, I will.
Yes, sir.
Done deliberately.
You can just say what you're going to do.
I will, I'll do it.
The flap's straight, deliberate.
Everybody knows it.
What the hell was the matter?
Why did they do it that way?
You know what I mean?
I understand.
I'm not complaining about the type.
I expected it to be this way.
It shows you that you can put on something really good and then have them screw it up.
Yep.
Sure does.
Although, they say, on the whole, it's a plus.
Mort Allen, who was not over there, I called Mort to get his feel.
I said, Mort, what did you think?
He said he thought, you know, it was a good presentation.
It was a good feel to it.
It showed the enthusiasm.
He felt ABC, which was two minutes and 20 seconds, was probably showed the best feel of it because they referred to the pins, I believe, on ABC.
Yeah, that's right.
And, you know, showed more of the enthusiasm.
There were a lot of others.
The point is, if you want the picture, you could assume that
sharing the enthusiasm.
ABC also showed shaking hands with the kids.
Right, they did.
NBC a little bit.
CBS, I was disappointed.
CBS did quite a lot.
CBS was a job.
CBS was a job.
Disappointed with that.
They were very cleverly done.
Without getting that they, if you did have the line, it seems to be a
Well, maybe it may be that he has more in his head.
I'll give him, I'll give, I'll handle it.
I'll give this to him.
I'd say, give it to Martin.
Guys, you're in the system.
What do you really think of him?
That's the matter.
Why don't you reflect on that?
We don't.
And as I said, I think all of this is worth it.
It just shows you how these networks are.
Or, oh, Marty, you must get off of this very good.
I don't know.
Huh?
Actually, he referred to the fact that I saw it.
I don't know if you saw it.
Of course, this is only the local thing, but it shows how well it could be.
WTOP, at the end of the show, showed an awful lot of, you know, the young people, the excitement, the singing, and the whole thing.
That was on WTOP.
That's not the network.
Right.
Yes, sir.
Well, maybe around the country.
I suspect so.
I'm not saying that.
It's tough to say that I think it's well-shared about it.
I'll handle this tomorrow.
I know how to do it.
How do you think you'll do it?
Well, I'll just do it.
When I see Pierpoint and when I see Caplow and Jarrell, apart from one another, I'll put the needle into them.
I was at both places.
Do you think it reflected the spirit in the room?
Yeah.

NARA Description

On July 5, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:16 pm and 7:21 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 006-141 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 6-141

Date: July 5, 1971
Time: Unknown between 6:15 pm and 7:21 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     President's certification of 26th Amendment
           -Television coverage
           -Unknown man's efforts with Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
           -National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
           -American Broadcasting Company [ABC], CBS
           -Lyndon K. (“Mort”) Allin's reaction
           -Television coverage
           -Ziegler's forthcoming telephone calls
           -WTOP radio
           -Robert Pierpoint
           -Herbert E. Kaplow
           -Thomas E. Jarriel

Also recorded on July 5, 1971

  • 537-005 6:15 PM · 1 min — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:15 pm and 6:27 pm.
  • 006-140 6:16 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:16 pm and 7:21 pm.
  • 006-142 6:16 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:16 pm and 7:21 pm.
  • 006-143 7:21 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:21 pm to 7:25 pm.
  • 006-144 7:25 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:25 pm.
  • 006-145 7:26 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:26 pm to 7:28 pm.
  • 006-146 7:28 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:28 pm and 7:35 pm.
  • 006-147 7:35 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 7:35 pm to 7:38 pm.

All 11 conversations from July 5, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 006-141, July 5, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/006-141 (accessed October 6, 2026).