Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-067

Nixon, Ziegler & Sanchez on White House Christmas decorations

Wednesday, December 13, 1972 · 8:51 PM–8:54 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.; Sanchez, ManoloConversation034-067 on Tape 34StartWednesday, December 13, 1972 at 8:51 PMEndWednesday, December 13, 1972 at 8:54 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 034-067 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consulted with Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler regarding a strategy to secure increased television coverage for the White House Christmas decorations. Nixon directed Ziegler to arrange a tour of the festive displays, led by either First Lady Pat Nixon or Julie Nixon Eisenhower, specifically requesting that the broadcast feature the decor rather than include a presidential interview. Ziegler agreed to coordinate with NBC and Barbara Walters to facilitate the filming, aiming for a segment that would capture the aesthetic of the decorations while excluding the President from any on-camera dialogue.

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Oh, I thought I wanted to tell you that I talked to
And I think you made a sale of it.
I think it's all done now.
Well, I think it's the right thing to do.
And I think it's the right thing to do, so we'll go on that score.
The second thing I wanted to tell you, though—come in in just a minute.
When Mr. Peloso spills, could you have him come down, not rush him down?
The second thing is, Ron, that I should have thought of, but everybody's so busy they haven't thought of these things.
There should be some sort of a television
coverage of the White House Christmas decorations because they're quite outstanding.
Each year they're very outstanding.
I know there was a 30 Seconds on the network last night.
But my point is we can do better than that.
Now what can you do tomorrow on that?
Now we can have Julie or Mrs. Nixon.
Either one will do.
We'll go on it.
Now who do you want to use?
Are you going to use Barbara Walters or do you want to try it on CBS or NBC or—not CBS, of course—NBC or ABC or what have you?
Because it's a hell of a good show, you know.
We have a few clowns that come in, you know, that have contributed a few bucks and they see it.
And a few people that go through the candlelight tour, so we show ten thousand.
And with the minimum audience of around three on the Oprah, maybe three million see it.
What are you going to do?
Well, let me talk to NBC tomorrow, and I think maybe the time to do this would be Friday, when you have your...
I don't want two minutes, you see.
I know they'll want me saying something.
No, no.
That isn't what I want.
No, that's what I want.
I want an NBC crew to go through and then take pictures, you know, showing the Versailles kind of window, showing, you know, with that, showing the beautiful decorations, getting the feel of the whole place.
See, that's what we want around.
We don't want me yakking to a bunch of people.
No, no, no.
I don't think you.
But we can, let me call NBC and maybe we can have
I'll suggest Barbara Walters here, who could do a—but there must be no interview with me.
I will not give an interview.
No, absolutely not.
No, that's— What I want is—but if they want a tour of the White House, the Christmas tour of the White House with Julie, she'll do it.
Well, what I'm thinking— Far with Mrs. Nixon, but not with me.
And I will not even give one minute, because I tried it once before, and they took too much of the time for that.
I don't think that's good.
But let me call, and we could maybe do it before—just before—
Let's say a half an hour before the reception tomorrow night where Julie, for example, could take them through and do the thing.
Then they could get some cutaway film of you receiving, and this is no interview, but just pictures of you receiving the guests coming through as a part of it.
But it's an exclusive thing, a half hour.
Okay, you work on it.
I'll do that in the morning.
Okay, fine.

NARA Description

On December 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Manolo Sanchez talked on the telephone from 8:51 pm to 8:54 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-067 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 34-67

Date: December 13, 1972
Time: 8:51 pm - 8:54 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

       The President’s recent conversation with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon and Julie Nixon
       Eisenhower

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 8:51 pm.

       Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
            -Meeting with the President

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 8:54 pm.

       Media relations
            -White House Christmas decorations
                   -Television coverage
                   -Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Mrs. Nixon
                   -Barbara Walters
                   -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
                   -National Broadcasting Cooperation [NBC]
                   -American Broadcasting Company [ABC]
                                              -54-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                               Conversation No. 34-67 (cont’d)

                   -Viewing
                         -Contributors
                         -Tours
                   -NBC
                         -Timing
                         -Camera crew
                               -Windows
                                     -Versailles
                   -Walters
                   -Interview with the President
                   -Tour with Julie Nixon Eisenhower or Mrs. Nixon
                         -The President’s involvement
                         -Timing
                               -Reception, December 14, 1972
                                     -The President receiving guests

Also recorded on December 14, 1972

  • 034-068 8:54 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:54 pm and 8:55 pm.
  • 034-069 8:55 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 8:55 pm to 9:07 pm.
  • 823-001 9:59 AM · 1 hr 50 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Stephen B. Bull, Henry A. Kissinger, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., White House photographer, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:59 am to 11:46 am.
  • 034-070 11:49 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:49 am.
  • 034-151 11:49 AM · 12 sec — the White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:49 am and 11:54 am.
  • 823-002 11:49 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:49 am.
  • 823-003 11:49 AM · 13 sec — the White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:49 am and 11:54 am.
  • 034-071 11:54 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:54 am.

All 47 conversations from December 14, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 034-067, December 14, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-067 (accessed October 1, 2026).