Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-136

Nixon phone call with Kleindienst on NFL and Television blackouts

Tuesday, December 19, 1972 · 8:07 PM–8:10 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kleindienst, Richard G.Conversation034-136 on Tape 34StartTuesday, December 19, 1972 at 8:07 PMEndTuesday, December 19, 1972 at 8:10 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 034-136 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst coordinate a strategy to persuade NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle to lift the television blackout on upcoming playoff games. The administration proposes a compromise where regular-season games retain broadcast protection while postseason games are made available to the public, similar to the World Series model. Nixon directs Kleindienst to publicly announce his involvement in these negotiations and personally promises to veto any congressional legislation that would mandate the end of all professional football blackouts.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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The Attorney General, sir.
Yeah.
Hi, Miss.
Hi, Dick.
What did you find out?
Well, I had a long chat with him, and I told him I'd see him again at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
But I think that we could get them to get rid of the blackout for the playoff game.
If, you know, in the event that Congress passed a law that would include, you know, every game, you know, the regular season games,
You know, that we would, you know, see to it that that law didn't come about.
Oh, we'll stop that.
Yeah.
Just like the World Series.
That's right.
We do it just like the World Series.
The World Series is not blacked out.
That's what he's got to understand.
That's right.
Play it just like the World Series.
Yeah, every other game.
You know, they're a regular season game.
I think they deserve some protection.
They should have absolute protection on all regular season games.
Playoff games, playoff games, just like the World Series, should be open to the public.
Now, what I'd like to do tomorrow— But let me say that I want us to get some publicity out of this.
I just want to do this to accomplish it.
You know that.
I understand that.
And that's what I'm going to tell him.
You know, that without, you know, putting your neck on the line— Well, I don't want my neck on the line at all.
And that, you know, this will all come about as a result of my conferences with him at your direction.
Yeah.
Way to— Right.
But then you say something.
publicly.
I want you to make a public statement to the effect you've talked to him.
As a result of your direction to me.
Right.
Now they can't do anything this year?
No, I think we should do it right now.
Get him to do it right now.
Yeah, for these playoff games.
If he'll make the move for these playoff games, we will block any legislation.
to stop anything else.
I will fight it personally and veto any legislation.
You can tell him that I will veto it.
Okay.
And we'll sustain the veto.
I'll do that.
Fine.
And I think I can even... And if you can get the playoff games, believe me, it'll be the greatest achievement we've ever done.
Okay, sir.
Go all out on it.
Tell him that he's got the president's personal commitment.
I'm for pro football all the way.
Good.
But I think it's not pro football's interest.
Allow this to build up because before you know it, they'll have the damn
Congress to go all the way.
We don't want Congress to go all the way.
That's right.
What we want is that the teams should not have games, you know, on television when, you know, in the regular season.
Do it just like baseball.
For the championship games, they should be open to the public.
No problem.
I think I can work this out.
I'll see if you can work that out and tell him that this would be the greatest move he could ever make.
He'd be a hero to the nation.
Okay, sir.
All right, boy.
I'll call you tomorrow.
Bye, sir.

NARA Description

On December 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone from 8:07 pm to 8:10 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-136 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 34-136

Date: December 19, 1972
Time: 8:07 pm - 8:10 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Richard G. Kleindienst.

       Media relations
            -Television blackout of professional football games
                   -Kleindienst’s conversation with [Alvin R. (“Pete”) Rozelle]
                         -Forthcoming meeting with Rozelle
                   -Playoff games
                         -Possible law
                               -Regular season games
                   -World Series
                   -Regular season games
                         -Playoff games
                   -Publicity
                         -Kleindienst’s forthcoming conversation with Rozelle
                               -The President’s instructions
                                     -Possible public statement by Kleindienst
                                     -Timing
                                     -Possible veto
                                     -Playoff games
                                     -Congress
                                     -Baseball
                                              -106-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                              Conversation No. 34-136 (cont’d)

                   -Forthcoming call from Kleindienst to the President

Also recorded on December 20, 1972

  • 034-133 7:41 PM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:41 pm.
  • 034-134 7:43 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and [David] Kenneth Rush talked on the telephone from 7:43 pm to 7:44 pm.
  • 034-135 7:44 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:44 pm and 8:07 pm.
  • 034-137 8:16 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and [David] Kenneth Rush talked on the telephone from 8:16 pm to 8:17 pm.
  • 034-138 8:18 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:18 pm to 8:22 pm.
  • 110-011 12:00 AM · 7 min — Herbert Stein, George Meany, John H. ("Jack") Lyons, C. L. Dennis, Paul Hall, I[lorwith] W. Abel, Frank E. Fitzsimmons, Pat Greathouse, Peter J. Brennan, Donald H. Rumsfeld, and George P. Shultz met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 am and 11:24 am.
  • 827-001 10:16 AM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:16 am and 10:20 am.
  • 827-002 10:16 AM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Zosimo T. Monzon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:16 am and 10:20 am.

All 47 conversations from December 20, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 034-136, December 20, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-136 (accessed October 12, 2026).