Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 20 › Conversation 020-050

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Vietnam War and Foreign Policy

Monday, February 7, 1972 · 4:44 PM–4:49 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation020-050 on Tape 20 (tape position 01:57:45–02:02:02)StartMonday, February 7, 1972 at 4:44 PMEndMonday, February 7, 1972 at 4:49 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 020-050 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Ronald Ziegler discussed upcoming press briefings, specifically addressing Henry Kissinger’s presentation of a foreign policy report and recent media coverage concerning H. R. Haldeman’s controversial remarks about critics of Vietnam War negotiations. They agreed that Ziegler should respond to George McGovern’s recent policy proposals by refusing to comment on the positions of presidential candidates while maintaining the right to correct factual errors. Additionally, Nixon categorically denied a rumor reported by Helen Thomas regarding his direct involvement in selecting journalists for the upcoming trip to the People's Republic of China, authorizing Ziegler to clarify that the selection process followed established criteria rather than personal influence.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Yes, sir.
Hi, Ron.
Yes, sir.
How did your afternoon briefing go?
Well, I haven't briefed yet.
Oh, you're waiting, huh?
Henry's doing his rundown, and then I'm going to... Oh, Henry's... Oh, Henry's doing... Oh, he was... Oh, on the Zontwee offer?
No, no, no.
He's just doing a general scope.
We just released the foreign policy report.
He's just given us a view of what's in it for about 10 minutes, which is embargoed until Wednesday.
Oh, I see.
See, we just handed it out, and he's just saying... Oh, yeah.
That's good.
That's good.
Fine.
Fine.
How did your morning stuff play?
Well, AP says, as playing presidential assistant, Haldeman accused critics of the administration peace negotiation today of consciously aiding and abetting the enemy of the United States.
The White House described the statement as the personal opinion of Haldeman and not of President Nixon.
Haldeman was expressing his own point of view and was not speaking for the president, Sigler said, in response to questions.
Then it goes on to ask whether... That pretty much puts him down, but that's all right.
I think it's all right.
Don't you think so?
Yeah, but it really doesn't put him down in a way he's been repudiated.
He just expresses his prior view.
It picks up and repeats that.
And then gets some of your stuff about facts and so forth.
That's right.
The spokesman said at no time did the president put forth proposals or counter-proposals against the government's position when he was out of office.
And Ziegler was suggesting, said Haldeman was suggesting that it's more difficult for the policy to end the war when there's a lack of unity.
So those lines filter through.
Okay.
I think it's posturing out all right.
McGovern's out on the wire this afternoon urging the president to end all foreign aid to South Vietnam in two months.
Yeah, yeah.
With all recognition of two.
Yeah.
I think I'm just going to no comment that.
Yeah, I'd just say no comment.
No, that's... Don't you think?
No, no, I would say that I just don't get into...
I'd put it this way.
I'm just not going to comment on the various statements of presidential candidates.
Why don't you just say that?
Right.
I'm just not going to comment on the various statements, presidential comments.
And then that'll sort of get you off the musky wick at a bit, too, don't you think so?
Okay.
Unless there's a mistake in fact, this is a point of view, and that you're not going to comment on the point of view, but if there's a mistake in fact, we'll keep the record clear, but that's all.
Okay.
Fine.
Now, when I released the list, Mr. President, I was going to talk to you about this, so I don't have to bother you again.
Sure.
Sure.
Go ahead.
UPI, Thomas had a story.
Helen Thomas, I don't know where she got it, suggested that you had personally involved yourself in the selection and so forth.
Oh!
And that one of the... Where'd she got it?
Christ almighty.
Where one of the correspondents had personally called you and you said you were at the top of the list.
Now...
I don't know of any correspondent ever calling you to... Nobody ever called me.
Can I deny that?
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Nobody ever called me.
And you never told anyone he was... No.
No.
No.
Is the person going?
I don't even know who she's referring to.
No.
She doesn't say.
I don't know who the hell it is.
As a matter of fact, as I told you, what concerns me is that a few of my friends are going.
Right.
And it's true.
Right.
I mean, I didn't pick Joe Craft and Carno and all those people.
Right.
No.
Well, then I'm going to say this afternoon.
No.
The President was involved in this only from the standpoint of I discussed with him the criteria that I had to select, and I discussed with him how it worked out.
That's right.
But he basically left it to me.
Left it to me.
Yeah, he left the decision as mine, and the President approved it, and he said without regard to their position, with regard to the President, if they fit the criteria, and you could say, for example, gentlemen, if you read this list, you will find
that it has a considerable number of people.
Why don't you make the point?
I've been rather strongly...
I'm not considered to be the president's strongest supporters.
I've been making that point.
I should take the heat on it and... Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Well, I didn't tell... Good God, I didn't tell anybody the top of the list because we weren't doing it.
Sure.
And a matter of fact...

NARA Description

On February 7, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 4:44 pm to 4:49 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 020-050 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 20-50

Date: February 7, 1972
Time: 4:44 pm - 4:49 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See Conversation No. 319-14]

     Afternoon briefing
          -Henry A. Kissinger briefing
               -Content
                     -Xuan Thuy offer
                     -Foreign policy report
                          -News embargo

     Vietnam
          -Morning briefing
              -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman statement about critics
                    -Associated Press [AP] coverage
                    -Administration clarification
                          -Ziegler
                               -Haldeman’s opinion
                               -The President’s comments before taking office
                               -Lack of unity

     George S. McGovern statements
          -End of aid to South Vietnam
          -Withdraw Nguyen Van Thieu recognition

          -Administration handling
              -Lack of comment
                    -Edmund S. Muskie
                    -Factual errors
                    -Points of view

     Helen A. Thomas story
          -President's involvement in reporter selection for People’s Republic China [PRC] trip
                -Reported call by correspondent to President
                -List of invitees
                      -The President’s friends
                      -Joseph C. Kraft
                      -Stanley Karnow
          -Administration denial
                -Ziegler’s talk with the President
                      -Criteria for invitee selection
                            -The President’s involvement
                            -Ziegler’s role
                -Invitees
                      -Support for the President

Also recorded on February 7, 1972

  • 319-012 4:40 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:40 pm to 4:43 pm.
  • 319-013 4:43 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:43 pm and 4:44 pm.
  • 319-014 4:44 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:44 pm to 4:49 pm.
  • 020-051 4:49 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:49 pm and 4:52 pm.
  • 319-015 4:49 PM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:49 pm and 4:52 pm.
  • 319-016 4:49 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:49 pm and 4:52 pm.
  • 319-017 4:49 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:49 pm and 4:52 pm.
  • 319-018 4:52 PM · 49 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:52 pm to 4:53 pm.

All 41 conversations from February 7, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 020-050, February 7, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/020-050 (accessed October 1, 2026).