Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 043-118
Date: Tuesday, February 20, 1973 at 3:14 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/043-118

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] I have Mr. Ziegler for you.
[0:02] Yes, sir.
[0:03] Ron, I've been thinking about that, you know, we were talking about this press thing.
[0:08] Yes, sir.
[0:09] And I wonder if we aren't just loading too much in if we go Friday.
[0:18] You know what I mean?
[0:19] You've got Kissinger on Thursday, and we've got Meany on Monday, and South Carolina on Tuesday, and
[0:28] Radio speech Wednesday on the economy, Kissinger on Thursday.
[0:34] Henry's going to go on Thursday, huh?
[0:36] Well, I'm going to talk to him, but he says he has an agreement with them that he has to brief.
[0:41] No, that's to be just a briefing, not on television, but it's still a story.
[0:45] But it's a problem we've got, see?
[0:49] Yeah.
[0:51] So...
[0:52] Okay, well...
[0:54] Henry has to do it, huh?
[0:57] That's the problem, yeah.
[0:58] He claims he has to.
[1:01] It's a cable of that effect that they had agreed with the Chinese that he would brief.
[1:04] It seems to me.
[1:07] Is he a problem?
[1:08] Yes, sir.
[1:09] Briefs on Thursday, I would suggest that you not go on.
[1:13] My thought would be then to do it, say...
[1:17] How would it be to do it Tuesday?
[1:19] Monday's not a good day, is it?
[1:20] No.
[1:21] Or is it?
[1:21] No, it's not.
[1:22] Tuesday's a better day.
[1:23] Tuesday's a better day.
[1:24] Well, we could go Tuesday then.
[1:25] How would that be?
[1:26] I think that would be better.
[1:28] And then we crack the next week with an opening.
[1:30] Yes, sir.
[1:31] I don't think we've got any choice on this because he agreed to the goddamn briefing.
[1:37] You know, he's...
[1:41] I don't want him to hit...
[1:42] I mean, his...
[1:43] He thinks, of course, everybody's going to be interested in China.
[1:45] He forgets that their major interest is in Vietnam at the moment, you know, particularly the aid of the North.
[1:50] But it may not be all that bad for him to get out there first.
[1:57] I mean, I would have preferred it otherwise.
[1:59] But you can see advantages of having him, you know, talk a lot of gobbledygook and so forth and launch it first.
[2:07] And then they'll all have congressmen and senators that come back, and then I can hit it boosty and sort of a,
[2:12] We've got to continue to hammer this thing.
[2:14] No, I didn't mean to sound negative.
[2:16] I just had my mind running in the direction that you would go first.
[2:20] Well, that's what we had thought.
[2:22] That's what I wanted to do.
[2:23] But if he's going to go Thursday, I would... See, the only other time I could go would be to go Wednesday.
[2:28] But if I went Wednesday, I don't want to compete with the economic thing.
[2:32] You know, it's still... You don't ever trample on a story even though it's not much of a story.
[2:38] Don't you agree?
[2:39] I think next week's better.
[2:42] Tuesday's about right.
[2:43] They're not particularly restless about a press conference.
[2:47] No, no.
[2:47] And if Henry goes out Thursday, I assume he has a joint communique with him.
[2:51] The joint communique will come out at 11 o'clock, and he'll brief immediately thereafter.
[2:55] It would be a waste to go Friday.
[2:57] You think so?
[2:58] Yes, sir.
[2:58] Absolutely.
[2:59] And then let this ride through the week.
[3:00] Let this ride through.
[3:01] You've had...
[3:05] But I think we don't want to get them in the eye pattern, too, that I'm always Thursday or Friday, either.
[3:09] I think hitting them on Tuesday will be a good thing.
[3:14] I would favor... What day of the week, though, is Tuesday good?
[3:18] Do I have a dinner that night?
[3:19] Let's see.
[3:19] What doesn't make any difference?
[3:21] See, Tuesday is the 27th.
[3:26] Today is the 20th.
[3:27] Oh, the 27th.
[3:28] No, there's nothing on the governor's or the 28th, so I could go Tuesday very easily.
[3:32] Today's the 27th, yes, sir.
[3:35] So we'll have that on the back of our minds.
[3:37] All right.
[3:39] Okay, fine.
[3:41] Okay.
[3:41] Okay, very good.
[3:42] Yes, sir.