Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 24 › Conversation 024-160
Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Soviet Union summit
Friday, May 19, 1972 · 3:20 PM–3:25 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler coordinate the logistics and talking points for an upcoming press reception regarding the President’s imminent trip to the Soviet Union. Nixon emphasizes that his remarks at the event must be on the record and decides to extend invitations to Secretary of State William P. Rogers, Henry Kissinger, and their staff as a professional courtesy. The two also review specific briefing schedules and travel accommodations, ultimately agreeing that Nixon will announce his planned televised address to the Russian people while maintaining flexibility regarding daily briefing commitments.
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Transcript (AI-generated)
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Yes, sir.
I notice it says my remarks will be recorded for the archives only.
This tonight has got to be on the record.
You can't have 150 people there.
Oh, sure.
I noticed that.
We'll do a transcript.
Tell the people that they will get a transcript.
As a matter of fact, let me tell them when I come in.
Good.
Fine.
Okay.
And I'll just say that we'll give you a transcript.
Mr. President, did you talk to Alex Butterfield?
no what's he want well uh we were talking about the best way to do this tonight my view is that uh in looking over that sheet you have that uh at about you should not come over until about ten to six yeah i agree in other words let them have a drink let them have a drink and no staff will be there and they can get settled and so forth then you can walk in see since there's no reception line
Make your remarks, you know, give them a wave when you walk out, and then the guys who want to go file can, and the guys who want to stay, stay.
And that will give them a feeling of having been there and had a drink and milling around.
Actually, even 6 o'clock would be okay.
Fine.
Fine.
All right.
Fine.
Let them have a drink.
But I'll touch bases with you before.
Let them have a drink first.
Now, incidentally, I think on reflection we probably ought to have Rogers there.
Don't you think so, Rogers and Kissinger?
What's your feeling?
Well, we can.
I don't have a strong feeling against it.
Well, I think mainly in terms of the therapy for Rogers is just good for him.
He did a good job today, I think, from what I see.
Well, that's probably just good.
Tell him he's welcome to come if he wants.
All right.
Him and Hildebrandt.
Hildenbrand and Rogers.
Yeah, well, is he going to take a press man, too?
No, but I could have McCloskey come over just... Have McCloskey come, too.
Fine.
Invite them all over.
I mean, what the hell is cheap?
That's right.
And then they can mill around with him a little bit.
Tell Bill it's up to him.
He can't just have Hildenbrand come.
It's not a command performance, and I'm just going to talk briefly about...
sort of give him a feel of the trip and so forth.
And then he goes, I don't want to give away everything in a thing like this.
And that if he wants to come, fine.
Tell him that our staff people will be there, some of them, and some of them will not be there.
Good.
Did you get the fact sheet that we prepared on the...
I think most of that stuff, though, I won't handle.
I just figured that it's...
Okay, well, I just saved it all, and you can use whatever you want.
You mean it's precious to stay in that... Well, we have named a hotel.
That was incorrect.
We've named a hotel.
You shouldn't get into that at all.
I think maybe that I'll just leave that to you.
I mean, they...
They all know where they're going to go, don't they?
Well, they just know the hotels, but... What would be something that I could tell them that they need to hear?
I think you could point out... For example, I can tell them that the first...
that the two substantive speeches will be the opening toast and the and and the do they know that i'm going to address the the russian people by television no sir all right i'll put that out fine you want to announce that sure that's good okay you can do that and the other thing that they don't know about is our briefing schedule i haven't told them about now on that incidentally henry says he doesn't want to commit the two a day
He thinks that's too much.
He says, don't commit.
I'll just say there will be daily briefings.
I think I'll just say that.
It would reassure him if you tell him that you told me to be around the press center and to brief him during the day, and I'll have people along with me, but they'll get regular briefings.
There'll be regular briefings.
The only other thing...
There'll be progress reports, basically, also.
That's right.
And I can do things informally, for example, and give the times and the meetings and so forth.
The other thing now that I think is in that sheet, and that's the third country press problem...
In other words, the Soviet Union did not grant visas to other country press who are stationed here in Washington.
I think you're better off not even raising that.
No, no.
But I think reference to the kitchen cabinet guys who are going along and reference to the fact that there will be plenty of transportation for the press in Moscow, some reference to the hotels.
But the hotels and hotel facilities are good, we'll say.
Right.
One of the problems in China, although you wouldn't want to compare it perhaps, was the fact that there was not enough cars.
There will be plenty of cars, plenty of hotels.
Good filing facilities.
Filing facilities are fine.
Okay?
Good.
All right.
Okay, Mr. President.
Thank you.
NARA Description
On May 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 3:20 pm to 3:25 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-160 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 24-160
Date: May 19, 1972
Time: 3:20 pm - 3:25 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.
[See also Conversation No. 339-29]
The President’s trip to the Soviet Union
-Press reception
-The President's remarks
-Recording
-Transcript
-The President's statement
-Plans
-Alexander P. Butterfield
-Time
-The President's entry
-The President's remarks
-Time
-William P. Rogers's and Henry A. Kissinger's attendance
-Invitation
-Martin J. Hillenbrand
-Robert J. McCloskey
-Hillenbrand
-Invitation
-Ziegler's Request for a call to Rogers
-White House staff
-Fact sheet
-Itinerary for trip
-Hotels for press
-The President's remarks
-Opening toasts
-Television address
-Briefing schedules
-Commitments
-Frequency
-Third-nation press
-Visas
-Kitchen Cabinet
-Press
-Accommodations
-Travel
-Filing facilitiesAlso recorded on May 19, 1972
- 024-159 1:58 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:58 pm and 3:20 pm.
- 339-021 1:58 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:58 pm and 3:20 pm.
- 339-029 3:20 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:20 pm to 3:25 pm.
- 024-161 3:25 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:49 pm.
- 339-030 3:25 PM · 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and John B. Connally met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:25 pm to 4:03 pm.
- 024-162 3:49 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 3:49 pm to 3:59 pm.
- 726-013 4:05 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Robert C. Byrd, John D. Ehrlichman, Clark MacGregor, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:05 pm to 4:13 pm.
- 101-010 4:13 PM · 1 hr 12 min — Richard M. Nixon and bipartisan Congressional leaders, including Clinton P. Anderson, Robert P. Griffin, Robert C. Byrd, Norris Cotton, J. William Fulbright, Warren G. ("Maggie") Magnuson, Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, John C. Stennis, John G. Tower, Milton R. Young, Page Belcher, Gerald R. Ford, Craig Hosmer, George H. Mahon, Clark MacGregor, William E. Timmons, Peter M. Flanigan, Richard K. Cook, Thomas C. Korologos, John A. Scali, William P. Rogers, Helmut ("Hal") Sonnenfeldt, the White House photographer, and members of the press, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 4:13 pm and 11:59 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 024-160, May 19, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-160 (accessed October 9, 2026).