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Conversation 031-005

TapeTape 31StartThursday, October 5, 1972 at 7:40 PMEndThursday, October 5, 1972 at 7:48 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Ziegler, Ronald L.;  [Unknown person(s)];  White House operatorRecording deviceWhite House Telephone
AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler review the media reception of the President's recent press conference, expressing frustration with the television networks' tendency to frame the event within the broader 1972 campaign context. Nixon dismisses the utility of further press conferences or speeches, suggesting that the administration should pivot toward a more aggressive, confrontational approach with network anchors. Consequently, Ziegler is directed to apply pressure on NBC executives and prepare for a tough, firm conversation with Walter Cronkite regarding campaign coverage and equal time requirements.

1972 presidential campaignMedia relationsTelevision news coverageWhite House press policyWalter CronkiteJohn Chancellor
AudioNARA Description

On October 5, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, unknown person(s), and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 7:40 pm to 7:48 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 031-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 31-5

Date: October 5, 1972
Time: 7:40 pm - 7:48 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

                                         (rev. Oct-06)

        Ziegler's voter registration

The President conferred with an unknown person at an unknown time between 7:40 pm and 7:48
pm.

        Status of unknown object

[End of conferral]

        Ziegler's voter registration
            -California, Virginia

        Televised press conferences
            -The President's press conference, October 5, 1972
                -Press coverage
                     -Style and content of press conference
                     -Washington Star
                     -Television coverage
                          -George S. McGovern's foreign policy speech
                -Relation to 1972 campaign
                     -Television coverage compared with written coverage
            -Future appearances
                -The President's forthcoming schedule
                     -Radio speech
                     -Atlanta appearance
                     -Press coverage
                          -Speeches compared with press conferences
                     -Television exposure
                          -The President’s view
                          -John A. Scali
                          -Ziegler's forthcoming conversation with Walter L. Cronkite, Jr.

        Television coverage of the President
            -Compared with written coverage
            -Dan Rather, Tom Jarriel
            -National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
                 -Ziegler’s forthcoming conversation with Richard G. Valeriani
                 -Ziegler’s forthcoming conversation with John W. Chancellor
                 -Ziegler’s view
                     -Compared with Rather and Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]

                                        (rev. Oct-06)

                 -Effect on White House relationship with Cronkite
             -American Broadcasting Company [ABC]
                 -William A. Gil, Jr.
                 -Jarriel
             -NBC
                 -White house pressure
                      -Chancellor
             -Ziegler’s forthcoming conversation with Cronkite
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Hello?
Mr. Seacrest?
Where?
Yes, sir.
Did you get registered?
Excuse me?
Did you get registered?
Yes, sir, I did.
Where do you register here?
Sorry, I fixed it.
Thank you.
In Virginia.
Yeah.
I thought you registered in California.
No, Virginia.
I don't have a residence out in California, but I want to set up for the absentees.
That's too damn bad.
It doesn't count as much here as there.
Well, I couldn't do it out there.
I thought— I know.
I know.
And the press would, you know— They'd catch you.
I know.
Well, that's right.
You might as well get a good vote in Virginia, too.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I was thinking that—
And I would hope that out of this press thing today that some of the more fair-minded guys would give us a rather good play on the content, which of course is irrelevant because if you say anything that hasn't been said a hundred times before, but more on the
on basically the style and so forth.
Do you think we can get anything out of them, or what do you think?
I think so.
On the way you handled the press conference?
Well, the style, basically.
Well, the fact that it was held and the style.
You know what I mean?
That's really the only reason we did it.
There was no news to make.
I think so.
I think we could get some follow-up on that.
Absolutely.
There was some of that on the wires.
They were talking about it.
I don't think it's an immediate thing that will come out of... No, I understand.
It's not a big lead.
And I think it'll play big tomorrow.
I was not pleased at all with the television coverage tonight.
What'd they do?
Well, they handled it all right, but they're too tied up, you know, in the whole...
the whole campaign atmosphere of things.
So what'd they do?
They all played their— Well, they, of course, put the government's so-called major foreign policy speech that you led on the show.
What'd they lead with us and what was that?
Well, the Vietnam thing, the tax thing, particularly the— Well, at least that's better to be on a positive line than a negative line.
Oh, absolutely.
No, the stories were generally good, but
know they have a tendency here to move to everything that is done and to put it into the campaign atmosphere.
Today's press coverage was not in that category.
And the star didn't play it that way, the wires didn't play it that way, but the damn TV played it that way.
And I think we have to assess, as you said today very carefully, how we handle that fast.
that happened again.
They played McGovern's foreign policy thing, you know?
You mean?
We didn't say a goddamn thing, that he was not an isolationist, that I'm the isolationist.
Well, that's so big, big balls.
Well, one believes that.
That's what, yeah.
They played it big, huh?
Well, they played this foreign policy thing, yeah, this speech today.
But it's something we have to watch very carefully, I think.
I'm not concerned about it at this point.
But my guess is that really it
probably isn't worth our while to bother with these press things, Ron.
I mean, it only affects the writing press.
It doesn't affect the collusion press.
And maybe the thing to do is just screw up and talk to the hell.
I think before we do any more, I think we have to take a look at it the next two weeks.
It might be better, you know, like this radio speech this week, okay, this Saturday, that will get played.
Atlanta will get put to play.
I'm inclined to think that it's probably...
Your effort that you put in today would probably be perhaps better placed at a speech to a group somewhere on some specific positive position that you've taken.
In other words, why you feel that your foreign policy approach is the
No, I think that's what the press would say, Ron, but I don't think the speeches make a goddamn bit of difference.
Well, the press hasn't indicated that.
I'm referring now to television coverage.
Oh, well, I think, too, that the television people say that, but I don't think it makes any difference with them either.
The speech thing is a dead loser, in my opinion.
I mean, they're going to play their own line.
The television fiddling to play the press thing today is just simply bad reporting, isn't it?
To a great extent it is, yes.
Absolutely.
I'm not—I think actually the best thing to do is to—and the attitude of these people is not to give them anything more.
I mean, what the hell?
I'm not convinced you should do another one of these.
Oh, I agree.
I was only kidding them there.
Actually, and our staff too, I have no intention of doing any more.
I mean the whole purpose is to sort of let Skelly and the rest of them roll around a little about it and not do a damn thing.
But good to do, you know.
We've now done it, see.
Now they can't school about it by the time—have you talked to Conkite yet?
Well, he was sick today, but I saw him on here tonight, so apparently he got better.
I'm going to call him first thing in the morning.
I'd be very cold and tough with him.
No, I'm going to handle it just the way we talked about it.
Don't give them an inch.
I'll have a report to you tomorrow, but I'll talk to them.
Good.
I'm not—I don't want to— No, I wouldn't be mean.
No, I don't want to give you the impression that I'm discouraged about the TV coverage tonight.
I just sensed a tendency on the part of these guys to inject in a different way than the printed press has done and the TV that, of course, has the impact.
Right.
the political environment, you know, the reasons why for the press conference and so forth, which is absolutely total, you know, speculation on their part with no fact to it.
Was this Rather and who else, Gerald?
No, it was Valeriani, who I had a talk with today and I'm going to have a talk with tomorrow about this.
And I'm going to get together with Chancellor for lunch, because I think NBC, of all of the networks,
CBS, of course, would rather lose against us sometime.
But my main concern from this point is NBC.
They've got to shape up, and I'm going to have a lunch with Rather and talk—I mean, with Chancellor and talk to him about it.
But I think we have to keep the pressure on them.
What would irritate NBC the most?
Doing something with Cronkite?
It might.
See, that's not a bad idea, is it?
I think ABC we don't owe anything to.
No, ABC we're in fairly good shape with.
We've got to keep...
Unfortunately, Gil's out with the vice president.
He generally gives us a good shake.
But, uh, Gerald, we just have to keep him off balance.
He's just, you know, not too aware.
against Chancellor, who has a great deal to do with the content of the issue.
And then, other than that, just generally ignore him.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, you know, we might, I see.
Well, anyway, the main point about your conversation with Cronkite would be very congenial and the rest, but...
I'd get cold as hell as about, now look, what are you going to do about equal time?
Right.
That's the thing we've got to know.
Right.
And when and so forth.
And then if he says, well, we should go first and this and that, I may say, no, look, let's not be silly, Walter.
I mean, what do you really have in mind?
Right.
Okay.
Okay, sir.
Fine.
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