Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 43 › Conversation 043-118

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Press conference and Henry Kissinger

Tuesday, February 20, 1973 · 3:14 PM–3:17 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation043-118 on Tape 43StartTuesday, February 20, 1973 at 3:14 PMEndTuesday, February 20, 1973 at 3:17 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 043-118 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discuss scheduling the President's upcoming press conference to avoid media oversaturation. They determine that Henry Kissinger’s planned Thursday briefing on China and the Vietnam settlement necessitates rescheduling the President's event to avoid competing with that news cycle. Ultimately, they decide to move the President's press conference to the following Tuesday to ensure better news coverage and momentum.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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I have Mr. Ziegler for you.
Yes, sir.
Ron, I've been thinking about that, you know, we were talking about this press thing.
Yes, sir.
And I wonder if we aren't just loading too much in if we go Friday.
You know what I mean?
You've got Kissinger on Thursday, and we've got Meany on Monday, and South Carolina on Tuesday, and
Radio speech Wednesday on the economy, Kissinger on Thursday.
Henry's going to go on Thursday, huh?
Well, I'm going to talk to him, but he says he has an agreement with them that he has to brief.
No, that's to be just a briefing, not on television, but it's still a story.
But it's a problem we've got, see?
Yeah.
So...
Okay, well...
Henry has to do it, huh?
That's the problem, yeah.
He claims he has to.
It's a cable of that effect that they had agreed with the Chinese that he would brief.
It seems to me.
Is he a problem?
Yes, sir.
Briefs on Thursday, I would suggest that you not go on.
My thought would be then to do it, say...
How would it be to do it Tuesday?
Monday's not a good day, is it?
No.
Or is it?
No, it's not.
Tuesday's a better day.
Tuesday's a better day.
Well, we could go Tuesday then.
How would that be?
I think that would be better.
And then we crack the next week with an opening.
Yes, sir.
I don't think we've got any choice on this because he agreed to the goddamn briefing.
You know, he's...
I don't want him to hit...
I mean, his...
He thinks, of course, everybody's going to be interested in China.
He forgets that their major interest is in Vietnam at the moment, you know, particularly the aid of the North.
But it may not be all that bad for him to get out there first.
I mean, I would have preferred it otherwise.
But you can see advantages of having him, you know, talk a lot of gobbledygook and so forth and launch it first.
And then they'll all have congressmen and senators that come back, and then I can hit it boosty and sort of a,
We've got to continue to hammer this thing.
No, I didn't mean to sound negative.
I just had my mind running in the direction that you would go first.
Well, that's what we had thought.
That's what I wanted to do.
But if he's going to go Thursday, I would... See, the only other time I could go would be to go Wednesday.
But if I went Wednesday, I don't want to compete with the economic thing.
You know, it's still... You don't ever trample on a story even though it's not much of a story.
Don't you agree?
I think next week's better.
Tuesday's about right.
They're not particularly restless about a press conference.
No, no.
And if Henry goes out Thursday, I assume he has a joint communique with him.
The joint communique will come out at 11 o'clock, and he'll brief immediately thereafter.
It would be a waste to go Friday.
You think so?
Yes, sir.
Absolutely.
And then let this ride through the week.
Let this ride through.
You've had...
But I think we don't want to get them in the eye pattern, too, that I'm always Thursday or Friday, either.
I think hitting them on Tuesday will be a good thing.
I would favor... What day of the week, though, is Tuesday good?
Do I have a dinner that night?
Let's see.
What doesn't make any difference?
See, Tuesday is the 27th.
Today is the 20th.
Oh, the 27th.
No, there's nothing on the governor's or the 28th, so I could go Tuesday very easily.
Today's the 27th, yes, sir.
So we'll have that on the back of our minds.
All right.
Okay, fine.
Okay.
Okay, very good.
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On February 20, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 3:14 pm to 3:17 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 043-118 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 43-118
                                               -68-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 43-118 (cont’d)

Date: February 20, 1973
Time: 3:14 pm - 3:17 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

       Press conference
             -Timing
                   -The President’s schedule
                         -Henry A. Kissinger
                         -George Meany
                         -South Carolina
                         -Radio speech
                               -Economy
                   -Kissinger’s press conference
                         -People’s Republic of China [PRC]
                         -Vietnam settlement
                               -Economic aid to North Vietnam
                         -Congressional reaction
                   -Radio speech
                         -Economy
                   -Kissinger’s press conference
                         -Joint communiqué
                   -Dinner
                   -Governors

Also recorded on February 20, 1973

  • 043-117 3:12 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 3:12 pm to 3:13 pm.
  • 411-003 3:12 PM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:12 pm to 3:13 pm.
  • 411-004 3:14 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:14 pm to 3:17 pm.
  • 411-005 3:17 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 3:17 pm.
  • 043-119 3:18 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:18 pm.
  • 043-120 3:18 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan talked on the telephone from 3:18 pm to 3:22 pm.
  • 411-006 3:18 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:18 pm to 3:22 pm.
  • 043-121 3:22 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:22 pm and 4:17 pm.

All 21 conversations from February 20, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 043-118, February 20, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/043-118 (accessed October 1, 2026).