Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 217 › Conversation 217-014

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Media relations and Tax reform

Saturday, October 7, 1972 · 10:16 AM–10:28 AM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation217-014 on Tape 217StartSaturday, October 7, 1972 at 10:16 AMEndSaturday, October 7, 1972 at 10:28 AMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 217-014 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler met to discuss media strategy and public messaging tactics ahead of the 1972 election. They reviewed administrative concerns regarding tax policy, specifically aiming to avoid public perception that a tax reform plan was imminent. Additionally, the two discussed scheduling appearances with news networks, prioritizing a late-campaign timeline to accommodate the President's schedule while managing media inquiries regarding potential debates.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 24% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.
I want you to know that we're doing a few odds and ends here.
I probably won't have this textbook very close to about 11.30.
Oh, that's really soon enough, isn't it?
I'll have it ready probably by 11 or 11.30 if that'll help you.
What she can't do, of course, as soon as I finish it, is to tell her to sit down there, and then you've got to get her to give you an hour or two earlier.
Whatever you like.
Fine.
Fine.
Well, they didn't rush.
Well, I'm not rushing that.
Just the fact that they didn't get the text in the last night.
It's coming up.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Okay.
There really isn't a hell of a lot of news in our ground.
It's mainly just a pitch for the spent.
But on the other hand... Yeah.
Yeah.
The main thing is they must not get the impression we're going to put our tax reform thing out.
We're not now.
I refer again to property taxes.
I don't say we're going to do it, but I guess we're going to do it.
Otherwise, that's fine.
It never continues.
It's rather wild swings.
It's about, you know, the guys who come out and do the damn ridiculous and some of the stuff.
First, it's the most corrupt.
Then it's the most vegan.
Then it's the most deceitful.
Then it's the worst.
But what was it today?
What was it?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know, I forgot what it was, but just one a day, that's probably their policy.
I certainly think I am right, though.
It doesn't, of course, impress a lot of people because they like doing things in Knoxville, but on the other hand, it's got to turn off some of the people.
That's my view of things.
In other words, I think it's all like Potter Group's concern is that it does turn off people.
That's my worry.
That's the one I remember today.
Yeah, about the OS and everything.
That was great though for him to talk about amnesty.
God almighty, I love that.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
They wonder what you're doing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
as sort of an effeminate type.
And the effeminate type does not attack well because he sounds like a sort of a truish woman.
Really, that's true.
And no flexibility in it, no up and down.
Really?
Did he say they had my government already?
I really want to know the truth.
He wants to level with us, we might do this program, but I'm not going to get trapped.
I agree.
I agree.
Go on, second.
He understands that.
Because also I'm busy with the conquest.
And then they can't, if you make the point that you couldn't pick excerpts from one of those debates, that's the thing I would not do.
You made the point that the other networks, how do you think we could get around that?
All right, well, we'll think about it.
He's having health, of course, if they put his on right now.
And we do ours the last week.
That's what I have in mind.
The only way I would do it would be to do it last week in the basement.
I'm too busy before that.
By the way, it's interesting.
It should break out other networks that do things with an activist.
Why not?
We aren't going to give that one anyway.
And we could tell Smith that we'd give him the first thing afterwards.
Are you ready to tell him?
If that team could have the first crack that we're going to do.
One-on-one isn't a bad idea anyway.
Good.
All right.
He knows.
You don't think he's already talking to the government?
I don't know that we were looking at all the facts.
Great.
Oh, that's fine.
That's right.
I got the word.
I got the word.
Oh, that's fine.
I don't do it.
Well, I think on balance that despite our I was talking to Colson about this later.
I think that we may tend to have been a little bit too rough in terms of evaluating the office and what the TV does.
If you don't let them do it live, they aren't going to do it live a lot because they're going to give you a couple of hooks.
But the point is, if you look at the whole man thing, it certainly gave us a pretty dominant disposition on some things that you might, and I can't complain about that.
And on that, and also, it is very good with the columnist and the rest.
I mean, they're kind of, I mean, when they're flying around, I mean, when you add one of these things to it now for a couple of weeks, they won't say anything about not seeing them.
Right?
All right.
I know.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
The experts, the experts now have some, they like to be there.
Okay, Rob.
Bye.
Bye.
Oh, Rob.

NARA Description

On October 7, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 10:16 am to 10:28 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 217-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 217-14

Date: October 7, 1972
Time: 10:16 am - 10:28 am
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See Conversation No. 147-6]

Also recorded on October 7, 1972

  • 147-006 10:16 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at Camp David from 10:16 am to 10:28 am.
  • 217-015 10:28 AM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:28 am and 11:55 am.
  • 217-016 10:28 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:28 am and 11:55 am.
  • 217-017 10:28 AM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:28 am and 11:55 am.
  • 217-018 10:28 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:28 am and 11:55 am.
  • 217-019 10:28 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:28 am and 11:55 am.
  • 217-020 10:28 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:28 am and 11:55 am.
  • 217-021 10:28 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and unknown person(s) met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:28 am and 11:55 am.

All 41 conversations from October 7, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 217-014, October 7, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/217-014 (accessed October 11, 2026).