Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 18 › Conversation 018-080
Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Vietnam War and Press relations
Thursday, January 13, 1972 · 2:45 PM–2:47 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discuss the media reception of the latest U.S. troop withdrawal announcement and accompanying favorable coverage regarding the President's birthday and his recent meeting with Alexandria schoolchildren. They evaluate how the press is handling the Vietnam withdrawal announcement alongside related supplemental stories and intelligence concerning Soviet activity in the region. Nixon explicitly directs Ziegler to ensure that photographs of the school children are prominently featured in local newspapers.
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On January 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:45 pm to 2:47 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 018-080 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 18-80
Date: January 13, 1972
Time: 2:45 pm - 2:47 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.
[See Conversation No. 314-1D]
Press relations
-Announcement of US troop withdrawals from Vietnam
-The President’s recent meeting with Alexandria, Virginia school children
-The President’s birthday
-Troop withdrawal announcement
-Press handling
-Melvin R. Laird
-Soviets in Vietnam
-Photographs
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-John N. Mitchell
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins
-TASS
-The President’s meeting with schoolchildren
-PhotographAlso recorded on January 13, 1972
- 647-020 2:22 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 2:22 pm.
- 018-077 2:34 PM · 1 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:34 pm and 2:45 pm.
- 314-001 2:34 PM · 1 hr 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, White House operator, James D. ("Don") Hughes, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:34 pm to 3:41 pm.
- 018-078 2:45 PM · 46 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and James D. ("Don") Hughes talked on the telephone at 2:45 pm.
- 018-079 2:45 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:45 pm.
- 018-081 2:47 PM · 2 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and James D. ("Don") Hughes talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:47 pm and 3:09 pm.
- 018-082 2:47 PM · 1 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and James D. ("Don") Hughes talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:47 pm and 3:09 pm.
- 018-083 2:47 PM · 1 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:47 pm and 3:09 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 018-080, January 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/018-080 (accessed September 24, 2026).