{"conversationCode":"277-003","tapeNumber":277,"conversationNumber":3,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-277-003","startDateTime":"1971-09-15T15:05:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-09-15T15:15:00.000Z","startDate":"15-Sep-1971","startTime":"11:05 AM","endDate":"15-Sep-1971","endTime":"11:15 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.;","description":"On September 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:05 am to 11:15 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 277-003 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":2,"chronRelease":"Second Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"26-Oct-2000","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 277-3\n\nDate: September 15, 1971\nTime: 11:05 am - 11:15 am\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.\n\n     Attica prison riot\n           -Ziegler’s conversation with John D. Ehrlichman\n           -Ehrlichman’s conversation with Nelson A. Rockefeller\n                 -Time\n                 -Autopsies on hostages\n                 -Advice\n                       -Low profile stance of administration\n                       -Support by the administration of Rockefeller\n           -The administration’s response\n                 -Possible press conference statements\n                       -Decision-making process by the administration\n                       -The administration’s relationship with Rockefeller\n           -Events concerning Attica riot\n                 -Possible outside influence\n                       -Action of inmates\n                       -Confrontation between guards and inmates\n                 -Stance\n                       -The left-wing and radicals\n                            -Comparison to anti-Vietnam War moratoriums\n                       -Public statement by the administration\n                            -Decision by Rockefeller\n                                   -Position of responsibility\n                            -Administration’s position on situation\n                            -Rockefeller\n                                   -Action\n                                   -Telephone call to Ehrlichman\n                                         -Timing\n                 -Possible public statements\n                 -May Day demonstrators\n\n     Forthcoming press conference\n          -Possible question\n               -George S. McGovern\n                     -Trip to Vietnam\n\n                            -Security problem\n                            -The President’s travels abroad\n                                 -Latin America, Peru, Burma, Pakistan\n                            -Possible response\n                                 -Details\n                                 -Comments\n                                        -Ambassador\n                            -McGovern’s security\n\n     Edmund S. Muskie\n         -Time magazine story\n\n     Attica\n           -Decision\n                -The President’s position\n\nZiegler left at 11:15 am.","filename":["277-003-splice.mp3"],"tapeStart":"00:03:57","tapeEnd":"00:10:24","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Ziegler, Ronald L."],"prevCode":"277-002","nextCode":"277-004","tapeTranscriptFile":"277a.mp3,277b.mp3","transcript":[{"start":251.18,"end":268.67,"text":"I probably would be questioning this."},{"start":308.9,"end":327.04,"text":"Apparently he has, according to John's conversation with the governor this morning, apparently the governor feels that there's an outside influence on the actions of the inmates."},{"start":327.93,"end":330.06,"text":"Oh, the person in order to bring a confrontation."},{"start":330.13,"end":331.83,"text":"That's a very good line to take."},{"start":331.86,"end":335.68,"text":"Don't let your little left-wingers out there liberals make you think it isn't."},{"start":335.78,"end":338.14,"text":"It's kind of like the more occurring..."},{"start":338.2,"end":345.5,"text":"I don't think there's a question about it."},{"start":345.68,"end":345.88,"text":"No."},{"start":346.24,"end":353.48,"text":"What I want you to do is to simply say that the president is a dominant public official."},{"start":383.28,"end":390.05,"text":"He had a very hard decision, and the president doesn't believe him."},{"start":390.67,"end":399.52,"text":"I'm not going to discuss details, this is not the White House."},{"start":403.7,"end":407.06,"text":"We don't know to what degree the situation was deteriorating."},{"start":407.2,"end":409.96,"text":"The governor stayed in New York and was on the scene."},{"start":409.99,"end":411.93,"text":"The governor called and reported to us."},{"start":411.95,"end":417.51,"text":"After the morning call, I had a person I said, I didn't call her."},{"start":418.35,"end":421.71,"text":"After the action, I said, if we can play that game, we'll do it."},{"start":421.77,"end":424.07,"text":"Well, we don't do it."},{"start":424.09,"end":424.67,"text":"We don't do it."},{"start":426.39,"end":428.31,"text":"That's a statement."},{"start":428.33,"end":433,"text":"Okay, I want you to get your... Let's see, I'll just stay right on it, please."},{"start":435.39,"end":436.57,"text":"One other question."},{"start":436.65,"end":438.45,"text":"I don't see whether I can say it."},{"start":438.59,"end":441.99,"text":"I'll ask a question."},{"start":467.75,"end":494.93,"text":"I don't want to say that, and I'm going to do everything not to say that, but the question may come in such a way by, you know, a guy who's not going to say this, but he travels abroad and runs into this situation."},{"start":498.66,"end":501.13,"text":"It's a galvanized crew function."},{"start":501.35,"end":501.63,"text":"Oh, of course."},{"start":501.97,"end":505.5,"text":"It's described in Latin America, Peru, and Burma."},{"start":507.45,"end":519.79,"text":"I'm trying to move around a lot this program."},{"start":537.28,"end":540.97,"text":"I noticed the Time magazine name."},{"start":592.87,"end":601.86,"text":"I think that the idea that the president is a man who has to make a part of the city, right?"},{"start":603.8,"end":603.94,"text":"Yes."}],"transcriptBoundary":{"start":240,"end":624,"startMethod":"llm-alignment","endMethod":"llm-alignment"},"transcriptConfidence":"high","transcriptSource":"bigtape","aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler strategized the administration's public relations response to the violent Attica prison riot and its aftermath. Nixon directed Ziegler to maintain a supportive stance toward Governor Nelson Rockefeller, emphasizing that Rockefeller faced a difficult decision under pressure from radical outside influences. Additionally, the pair discussed potential responses to upcoming press questions regarding George McGovern’s overseas travel and personal security concerns.","topics":["Attica prison riot","Nelson Rockefeller","White House press strategy","Radical influence","George McGovern","Presidential travel security"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T12:52:09.738Z"},"topicSlugs":["attica-prison-riot","nelson-rockefeller","white-house-press-strategy","radical-influence","george-mcgovern","presidential-travel-security"],"audioDurationSec":387,"audioFiles":[{"file":"277-003-splice.mp3","bytes":6192109,"durationSec":386.98,"bitrate":128009,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T14:10:30.123Z","originalFilename":["277a.mp3","277b.mp3"],"spliceSource":{"spliceType":"bigtape","sourceFiles":["277a.mp3"],"cutStart":238.5,"cutEnd":625.5,"adjustedStart":238.5,"adjustedEnd":625.5,"boundaryMethod":"llm-alignment","confidence":"high","splicedAt":"2026-09-18T14:10:30.123Z"},"transcriptPrev":{"segments":31,"replacedAt":"2026-09-18T05:08:10.551Z"},"audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/277-003-splice.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/277-003","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/277/conversation-277-003","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}