Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 033-109
Date: Sunday, November 19, 1972 at 10:49 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/033-109

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:02] Yeah.
[0:03] Mr. Ziegler.
[0:04] Yeah.
[0:05] Hello.
[0:09] Hello.
[0:10] Hello.
[0:10] Yes, sir.
[0:10] Yeah.
[0:11] I read that story.
[0:12] Who's it from?
[0:14] I don't—I'm sure it's from no one who knows.
[0:18] I talked to Ehrlichman.
[0:19] He said they have all the thinking and plans locked up at Camp David, never left there.
[0:23] I think what Joy did was to take, you know, some
[0:28] Leeds from the Horner interview, and then to pick up a quote, I don't know where from, perhaps over in the OMB or somewhere, about, you know, from somewhere.
[0:38] I'll get a hold of Ehrlichman or just as soon as we finish and tell him that he's to issue an order to not Weinberger at all that they're
[0:45] any more leaks out of that, everybody will be fired in the OMB.
[0:49] All right, fine.
[0:49] I'll do—I'll be firm, too, on them.
[0:51] Yeah.
[0:52] But I know we can't be firm afterwards.
[0:54] They've got to be firm now.
[0:56] Right.
[0:56] You just raise hell over there, call Weinberger and tell him we understand.
[1:01] Ehrlichman, too, because Ehrlichman's staff could have leaked it, see.
[1:04] They aren't the most—they've leaked before.
[1:07] Reading—I read it over twice.
[1:09] I'm sure it's not based upon any background or based upon anything where—
[1:14] where someone sat down and said, here's what we think it will be, or here's what it will be, in reading through what it is as a compilation of, you know, material from the previous, the last session's legislation on reorganization.
[1:31] And, you know, sort of a
[1:32] indication she had probably that it was going to be done without further legislation.
[1:40] But in reading it over, I'm convinced it's not based on a backgrounder.
[1:48] Okay, let's get the orders out.
[1:50] Absolutely.
[1:51] Mr. President, what is your thinking as of now as to how
[1:56] you want to proceed on announcements and so forth.
[2:00] But just tell everybody just not talk so much.
[2:02] Is that enough?
[2:03] Yes, sir.
[2:03] Fine.
[2:04] Okay.
[2:04] Okay, fine.