Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 36 › Conversation 036-046

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Information control and Alexander Haig

Monday, January 22, 1973 · 4:15 PM–4:16 PM ET · White House Telephone · 51 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation036-046 on Tape 36StartMonday, January 22, 1973 at 4:15 PMEndMonday, January 22, 1973 at 4:16 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 036-046 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon directs Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler to enforce a strict information blackout regarding a sensitive timing issue, specifically tasking Ziegler with instructing Alexander Haig to police the Pentagon's compliance. Nixon expresses frustration over perceived malicious leaks from the State Department and demands that Ziegler silence members of the Domestic Council, including staff under George Shultz. The conversation serves as a directive to centralize control over communications and neutralize internal dissent across key executive departments.

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yeah.
Yes, sir.
Of course, it is particularly important to get this to the NSC crowd.
Right.
And I want you to call Haig and tell him I expect him to enforce it at the Pentagon.
Okay.
And then the... And then state, we can't do anything with them.
The other thing is that... Yeah, you can tell Rogers.
Tell Rogers.
I'll call Rogers.
Tell Rogers that I expect to be an absolute blackout on time because they have not...
and they did it with malice, I've found.
All right.
They had knowledge beforehand.
If you were to hit Erling, put him hard on it.
I will.
He used to take that whole goddamn domestic council, all the left-wingers in there, and shut their damn mouths.
None of them.
Everybody around here shults.
All right.
Is that clear?
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On January 22, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 4:15 pm to 4:16 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 036-046 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 36-46

Date: January 22, 1973
Time: 4:15 pm - 4:16 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See also Conversation No. 400-11E]

       Time story
            -Communications from White House staff
                                              -33-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                               Conversation No. 36-46 (cont’d)

                   -The President’s instructions
             -National Security Council [NSC]
             -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
                   -Defense Department
             -State Department
                   -William P. Rogers
             -John D. Ehrlichman
                   -Domestic Council
                   -Roy L. Ash
                   -George P. Shultz

Also recorded on January 22, 1973

  • 036-041 3:39 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:39 pm.
  • 400-008 3:39 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 3:39 pm.
  • 400-009 3:39 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:39 pm and 4:05 pm.
  • 400-011 3:40 PM · 55 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Raymond K. Price, Jr., White House operator, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:40 pm and 4:05 pm.
  • 036-042 4:05 PM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 4:05 pm to 4:06 pm.
  • 036-043 4:06 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:06 pm and 4:13 pm.
  • 036-044 4:13 PM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 4:13 pm to 4:14 pm.
  • 036-045 4:14 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:14 pm.

All 49 conversations from January 22, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 036-046, January 22, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/036-046 (accessed October 11, 2026).