{"conversationCode":"032-029","tapeNumber":32,"conversationNumber":29,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-032-029","startDateTime":"1972-10-25T12:20:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-10-25T12:22:00.000Z","startDate":"25-Oct-1972","startTime":"8:20 AM","endDate":"25-Oct-1972","endTime":"8:22 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.;","description":"On October 25, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 8:20 am to 8:22 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 032-029 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":4,"chronRelease":"Fourth Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"10-Dec-2003","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 032-029\n\nDate: October 25, 1972\nTime: 8:20 pm - 8:22 pm\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.\n\n[See Conversation No. 372-2]\n\n        John Roosevelt (“Jackie”) Robinson\n            -The President's article on baseball\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n                 -Robinson's records\n                     -Football, track and basketball\n                 -Associated Press [AP] coverage\n                 -Public release\n             -Career\n                 -Significant points\n\n        Watergate\n           -News story on H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman\n                -White House rebuttal\n                   -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] investigation\n                   -Disbursement of funds\n                   -Sources\n                   -Hugh W. Sloan, Jr.\n\n        Vietnam negotiations\n            -Briefing\n            -George S. McGovern statement\n                -Ziegler statement\n                     -Counterattack\n                         -The President’s view","filename":["032-029.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Ziegler, Ronald L."],"prevCode":"032-028","nextCode":"032-030","transcript":[{"start":0.84,"end":4.69,"text":"Mr. Ziegler, sir."},{"start":4.85,"end":5.09,"text":"Hello."},{"start":5.11,"end":5.45,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":6.35,"end":16.22,"text":"With all your other problems, one thing I didn't have a chance because our, you know, these little things they don't usually study it."},{"start":16.74,"end":25.27,"text":"The most, the best thing that I've ever said about Jackie Robinson, you've probably forgotten, is in the little thing I wrote on baseball."},{"start":25.77,"end":26.71,"text":"Do you remember where I pointed?"},{"start":29.33,"end":29.93,"text":"Right."},{"start":30.25,"end":31.05,"text":"And basketball."},{"start":31.07,"end":31.29,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":31.67,"end":33.15,"text":"That was picked up again by AP."},{"start":33.73,"end":35.25,"text":"I mean, but it wasn't in my statement."},{"start":36.45,"end":39.34,"text":"But they picked that up from the previous comment."},{"start":39.36,"end":39.82,"text":"Put it out."},{"start":40,"end":43.12,"text":"I mean, what I meant is just, you might just point that out."},{"start":43.28,"end":43.6,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":43.62,"end":56.49,"text":"Because I was reading some of the sports things, and they didn't, that's the most significant thing, that he was probably the greatest all-around athlete in time, at that time."},{"start":56.73,"end":56.95,"text":"Right."},{"start":57.39,"end":58.13,"text":"Okay."},{"start":58.37,"end":58.67,"text":"Okay, sir."},{"start":59.43,"end":62.37,"text":"We're going to, well, this thing this morning is an opportunity."},{"start":65.32,"end":65.5,"text":"Sorry."},{"start":66.74,"end":67.4,"text":"Which one is that?"},{"start":67.48,"end":68.08,"text":"Von Haldeman."},{"start":68.92,"end":69.28,"text":"Oh, yeah."},{"start":69.68,"end":73.77,"text":"I mean, this is just, we just nailed him to the wall on this one."},{"start":74.03,"end":74.95,"text":"What are you going to say about it?"},{"start":75.99,"end":80.39,"text":"We're working that out now, but it's just full of just absolutely, you know, they have statements."},{"start":80.41,"end":84.68,"text":"It was learned that all five men had been questioned by the FBI about disbursements from the fund."},{"start":84.7,"end":86.84,"text":"Hell, Haldeman was never even asked to"},{"start":87.49,"end":89.1,"text":"The FBI's never talked about it."},{"start":89.12,"end":90.74,"text":"That's right."},{"start":90.76,"end":95.47,"text":"Referred a sworn testimony in their lead and federal investigators, and then they support that later."},{"start":96.13,"end":97.43,"text":"I mean, they don't support it later."},{"start":97.63,"end":101.93,"text":"They later say the Post was told that Sloan testified and sources close to."},{"start":101.97,"end":104.74,"text":"And we know that Sloan didn't prove it."},{"start":104.76,"end":105.02,"text":"Right."},{"start":105.32,"end":110.69,"text":"I mean, it's going to make a very good speech sometime."},{"start":111.37,"end":112.71,"text":"This other situation..."},{"start":114.44,"end":117.31,"text":"Vietnam had a long session, I noticed, with them yesterday."},{"start":117.35,"end":122.19,"text":"The main thing is today be vicious."},{"start":122.39,"end":124.21,"text":"I think you've got to be vicious on McGovern."},{"start":125.66,"end":128.84,"text":"Just to say this, shocking, he's trying to sabotage the peace efforts."},{"start":129.76,"end":130.46,"text":"That's what I'd say."},{"start":130.94,"end":131.76,"text":"I think it has to be done."},{"start":131.96,"end":137.41,"text":"I know you haven't paid attention, but if it gets to that, I think it's now time to, don't you think so?"},{"start":138.65,"end":140.13,"text":"Somebody's got to crack that hard."},{"start":141.09,"end":144.35,"text":"Well, what he's saying, of course, is that where are we?"},{"start":145.46,"end":147.16,"text":"He's talking out of both corners of his mouth."},{"start":147.18,"end":147.5,"text":"Right."},{"start":149.58,"end":150.74,"text":"Well, anyway, you know what I mean?"},{"start":150.78,"end":151.8,"text":"I'd be pretty tough today."},{"start":152.94,"end":154.47,"text":"It's got to come from somebody."},{"start":154.49,"end":155.51,"text":"It's got to be tough."},{"start":155.53,"end":155.73,"text":"Right."},{"start":156.13,"end":156.81,"text":"Okay."},{"start":156.83,"end":159.07,"text":"He says that if we get peace, it would destroy Nixon."},{"start":160.27,"end":160.53,"text":"Right."},{"start":160.55,"end":160.65,"text":"Okay."},{"start":161.81,"end":162.1,"text":"Okay, sir."},{"start":162.5,"end":163.1,"text":"We'll work on it."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon directed Ronald Ziegler to emphasize his prior public praise of Jackie Robinson's athletic versatility, specifically requesting that Ziegler highlight these comments to the press. The two also coordinated a rebuttal to negative news coverage regarding H.R. Haldeman and the Watergate investigation, aiming to challenge the accuracy of reports concerning FBI questioning. Finally, Nixon instructed Ziegler to launch a \"vicious\" public attack against George McGovern, accusing the candidate of sabotaging ongoing Vietnam peace negotiations.","topics":["Jackie Robinson","H.R. Haldeman","Watergate scandal","George McGovern","Vietnam peace negotiations","Media strategy"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T04:02:44.239Z"},"topicSlugs":["jackie-robinson","h-r-haldeman","watergate-scandal","george-mcgovern","vietnam-peace-negotiations","media-strategy"],"audioDurationSec":170,"audioFiles":[{"file":"032-029.mp3","bytes":4080743,"durationSec":169.96,"bitrate":192080,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:28.234Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:40.402Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/032-029.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/032-029","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/32/conversation-032-029","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}