Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 41 › Conversation 041-041

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Leonid Brezhnev and US-USSR relations

Friday, June 22, 1973 · 1:45 PM–1:47 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation041-041 on Tape 41StartFriday, June 22, 1973 at 1:45 PMEndFriday, June 22, 1973 at 1:47 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 041-041 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discuss the positive media coverage surrounding the summit with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and the recent Agreement on the Prevention of Nuclear War. Nixon emphasizes that the success of these diplomatic efforts rests on the personal commitment and political will of both leaders to maintain the agreement. He instructs Ziegler to ensure Henry Kissinger conveys this narrative of mutual resolve to the press, highlighting the significance of the shift in US-Soviet relations.

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Yes, Mr. President.
How are the press reacting to this thing?
Are they playing it decently, objectively, and so forth?
What's the situation?
Well, I think they're...
Hold on just a second.
You had somebody there?
Someone's leaving, Mr. President.
That's all right.
All right.
They're playing it very well, I think.
The discussion...
They have to play it in an upbeat way because they've got to think in terms of...
sort of thing four and a half years ago would have been absolutely unthinkable.
Even last year, it was impossible.
This year, we have an agreement from these people that they're not going to use force or the threats of force against any country.
That's the biggest thing.
And these guys have got to realize how important this is.
Yes, I think they do.
Henry made that point very well in the briefing.
And also, the fact is it isn't an agreement, but the will of the parties to keep it, Henry or you should emphasize it.
that it's quite clear that Brezhnev and Nixon have the will to keep the agreement.
Yes, sir.
It's a good line.
The will of the parties to keep it, but what is more important, perhaps, in the words we've all signed, is that the two men have shown a definite will to keep these agreements and to move in this direction.
Right.
And that's, therefore, it isn't every war starts by breaking a treaty.
That isn't the important thing.
The important thing is that we have a will to keep it.
Right.
I think Henry, you know, he's so convoluted, he doesn't see it.
He ought to go back and tell the press and the plane that that's the key point.
It's the will of the parties to keep it.
Right.
Very good.
As I say, the leads are excellent.
Yeah.
Well, there ought to be good television out of that.
There will be.
Those people up here when the damn thing was signed.
Yes, sir.
It's bound to play in that direction.
It's going to play very good.
Okay.
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On June 22, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 1:45 pm to 1:47 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 041-041 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 41-41

Date: June 22, 1973
Time: 1:45 pm - 1:47 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See also Conversation No.448-3]

     Leonid I. Brezhnev visit
          -Press coverage
                 -Upbeat
          US-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] relations
          -Agreement [on the Prevention of Nuclear War]
                 -Henry A. Kissinger’s briefing
                      -President’s relationship with Brezhnev
                             -Attitude towards agreement
                                   -Will
                      -Kissinger’s message to media

     Press coverage
           -Television [TV]
                                                -24-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on June 22, 1973

  • 041-039 1:36 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 1:36 pm to 1:41 pm.
  • 041-040 1:41 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:41 pm and 1:45 pm.
  • 448-002 1:41 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:41 pm and 1:45 pm.
  • 448-003 1:45 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:45 pm to 1:47 pm.
  • 041-042 1:47 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 1:51 pm.
  • 448-004 1:47 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 1:51 pm.
  • 041-043 1:51 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 1:51 pm to 1:58 pm.
  • 448-005 1:51 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:51 pm to 1:58 pm.

All 70 conversations from June 22, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 041-041, June 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/041-041 (accessed October 10, 2026).