Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 018-072
Date: Wednesday, January 12, 1972 at 8:09 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/018-072

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:02] Hello.
[0:02] Yes, sir.
[0:03] I run with regard to that television show of Mrs. Dixon's.
[0:07] Yes.
[0:08] Let me say how I want you to handle it.
[0:11] First, talk to Connie.
[0:16] Right.
[0:16] See if she thinks as I think she does that this is vicious, as Mrs. Dixon thought.
[0:22] Right.
[0:22] Then second, look at it.
[0:23] Yes, I will.
[0:24] And make your own determination.
[0:26] Third, though, the main thing is that
[0:29] You know, we've got to use Barbara Waller.
[0:31] We know that people are against us and for us.
[0:34] But I want her directly to be called and say, you thought it was a low shot.
[0:38] If you believe that.
[0:40] You know, look, Barbara, we're trying to cooperate in the rest.
[0:44] Why don't you take just a cheap shot and really cut yourself off from the White House and let her come back, okay?
[0:50] I have a number of wedges I can put into her office.
[0:54] I'll take it.
[0:54] I'll look at it in the morning anyway.
[1:00] waller shouldn't have done it of course connie was not connie was and the other thing is in the future i want you to tell connie it's a strict rule that nothing is to be done for any of these specials on television without total clearance for the white house and editorial control why the hell should we now uh if we're on a press conference or the rest that's something else again but let's have editorial control because
[1:26] What this did was to raise hell with a lot of press people that had covered her on the trip.
[1:31] They said, why the Christ are you giving that to Barbara Walters who wasn't on the trip?
[1:34] I don't want to be critical of Connie on this.
[1:39] I'm sure that she felt she had that type of arrangement.
[1:41] But I'll talk to Connie about it.
[1:42] All right, fine.
[1:43] But you do that.
[1:43] Give me a report about 11 o'clock tomorrow, okay?
[1:46] And give Mr. Dixon a report, will you?
[1:48] All right, fine.