Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 35 › Conversation 035-155

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on 60th Birthday and Press Relations

Monday, January 8, 1973 · 2:56 PM–3:00 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation035-155 on Tape 35StartMonday, January 8, 1973 at 2:56 PMEndMonday, January 8, 1973 at 3:00 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 035-155 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Ronald Ziegler coordinate strategy for a press interview regarding the President's upcoming 60th birthday. They decide to limit the scope of the discussion to personal birthday reflections and age-related perspectives, specifically avoiding a broader retrospective on his first term or political philosophy. To project an image of a working President, they arrange for the interview to take place in the Executive Office Building rather than the Oval Office, while directing photographer Ollie Atkins to handle the official documentation of the event.

Audio

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NARA Description

On January 8, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:56 pm to 3:00 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 035-155 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 35-155

Date: January 8, 1973
Time: 2:56 pm and 3:00 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See Conversation No. 394-14]

       The President's schedule
            -The President's 60th birthday
                  -Photographers
                         -George P. Shultz
                                          -92-

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 35-155 (cont’d)

                             -Wage and price controls
                       -Reporters
                       -Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins
                       -Reporters
                       -Atkins
                       -Duration
                       -Pet [?] story
          -Press briefing
                -Purpose
                       -Birthday reflections
                -Ziegler’s recent conversation with Pet [?] [last name unknown]
                       -The President’s discipline
                -Location
                       -Executive Office Building [EOB]
                -Timing
                -Location
                       -EOB
                             -Papers
                                    -Messages

*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

               -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
                      -Health

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************

               -Age
                     -Need for young candidates for public office
                     -The President’s previous birthdays
                           -Reflections
               -Birthday greetings
                                               -93-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

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.
Mr. Stegler?
Yes, sir.
Ron, I wonder if really we ought to bother with the picture.
I was just thinking that it doesn't really add much.
And tomorrow I'm planning to see Schultz on wage price controls, among other things.
Can we get a picture of that on your 60th birthday?
I think so.
Yeah, I think that's better.
Because actually, we have a picture of a couple of reporters, basically.
You know what I mean?
I'll shoot one.
Sure.
How would that sound to you?
Right.
What they would do, they may start to put their focus on the two reporters, but they would be photographing you anyway, and we'll have that tomorrow for your 60th birthday.
Well, but won't they take it from Ollie, or do you have to have their report?
We'll have Ollie take some anyway.
Have Ollie take them and then give it to them if it comes out well.
use it if they want sure let's do it that way i don't think you should spend more than 10 minutes with them right now uh well you spend the amount of time you want but i don't think they're they're all programmed for 10 minutes but we want to be very careful not to to know that story kill pet story any and i've told him no this is not a recap of how the president feels after four years this is how the president
What he thinks about the 60th birthday and, you know, the age thing and how he feels today, but not a recap of how he feels after four years or how he feels going into the second term.
None of that.
That's a matter for a different time.
This is simply to respond to their request of a brief recap from the president.
what he thinks about his 60th birthday.
He may understand that.
Yeah, yeah.
I plan to handle it exactly that way.
I've got two or three things that I'll get a little, you know, about.
Great.
I think this would be good.
I talked to Pet today, and he's not worried about it, but he did remind me that you had gotten into some great quotes about, you know, how to maintain yourself in office and discipline and so forth, which we should not give.
None of that is to go to these people.
Right.
Okay, good.
No, no.
Now, what I was going to suggest is that the EOB, why don't we just have them come over here?
And I'm working, and if that's a good idea.
Good, fine.
3.30.
They've been meaning them to be in the formal office.
No, no, no, no.
They'll see my papers.
Sure.
I'll say I'm working on some messages and so forth.
Great.
You might.
I didn't mention that Julie thing.
You might want to mention that.
Julie having a flu?
Right.
yeah i don't think it's necessary to do well get covered but we're just uh what to ask and i'll just talk about generally and i'll talk to about some some remarkable older people of you know that'd be gone and also they would indicate that my strong feeling is that we need to look for younger people to run for office right that's a good that's a good good line yes sir
And as you covered the 30th and the 40th and the 50th years that you mentioned is good also.
What I remember about each of those.
And the line about writing birthday greetings on the...

Also recorded on January 8, 1973

  • 394-014 2:56 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:56 pm to 3:00 pm.
  • 035-098 3:00 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:00 pm and 3:04 pm.
  • 394-015 3:00 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:00 pm and 3:04 pm.
  • 035-099 3:04 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 3:04 pm to 3:11 pm.
  • 394-016 3:04 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:04 pm to 3:11 pm.
  • 394-017 3:11 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:11 pm and 3:26 pm.
  • 394-018 3:26 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:26 pm to 3:28 pm.
  • 394-019 3:29 PM · 34 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Helen A. Thomas, Frances Lewine, Ronald L. Ziegler, Manolo Sanchez, and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:29 pm to 4:04 pm.

All 24 conversations from January 8, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 035-155, January 8, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/035-155 (accessed November 2, 2026).