Conversation 279-003

TapeTape 279StartWednesday, September 22, 1971 at 10:53 AMEndWednesday, September 22, 1971 at 11:14 AMTape start time01:00:20Tape end time01:18:01ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Ziegler, Ronald L.Recording deviceOld Executive Office Building

On September 22, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:53 am and 11:14 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 279-003 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 279-3

Date: September 22, 1971
Time: Unknown between 10:53 am and 11:14 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     Ziegler's press briefing
          -The President's statement about the departure of the
          Washington Senators baseball team
                 -Home team
                 -Opening day tradition of the President throwing out the first ball
          -Baltimore Orioles baseball team
          -Nation's capital
                 -Lack of baseball team
          -Orioles
          -Major leagues
                 -Game in Washington, DC
                       -Orioles
          -California Angels baseball team
          -Throwing the first ball
                 -Home team
                       -Senators
          -Announcement of meeting between the President and Andrei A. Gromyko
                 -Date

     Question and answer [Q&A] session at Detroit Economic Club, September 23, 1971
          -Television cameras
               -Mark I. Goode
               -Arrangements for telecast
          -Goode
               -Arrangements for telecast
                     -Detroit Economic Club
                -Audience position
                -Position of aisles
                -The President's position
                      -Cameras
     -Television coverage of session
          -Number of cameras
                      -Goode
                -Location of cameras
     -The People's Republic of China [PRC]
          -Speculation about internal conditions
     -Arrangements for telecast
          -Cameras
     -White House press corps
          -Number participating in Q&A session
     -Members of panel
          -White House reporters
          -Questions
                -Local press
                      -White House press corps
                      -Participation in the session

News story about the President's September 21, 1971 meeting with race car drivers
    -Release date
          -Television
    -Coverage
          -Sports magazines
          -Sports pages of newspapers
               -Pictures
          -Magazines

Ziegler's press briefing
     -Foreign policy issues during news conference
            -The President's press conference
            -Volunteer army
                  -Maintaining defense
                  -Foreign policy
                  -The President's long term commitment to a volunteer army
     -Consumer Price Index [CPI]
            -Catch-up period
            -Figures
                  -Adjustment of points
     -Interest in consumer issues
            -The press
                  -Prices
                  -Agriculture
                  -Coverage of the President's meeting with special interest groups
                        -Governors
                        -Meetings with Senators and Congressmen
                  -Consumers
                        -Agriculture
                -Labor
                -Consumers
                -The press
                     -Issue
                           -Consumers
     -Possible economic issues
                -Ways and Means Committee
                     -Actions of the Committee
                           -Administration program
                           -The President's previous statement
                     -Vote on tax program
                           -Senate
                -Tax action
                -Speed
                -Stimulation of jobs
          -Congress
          -Tax action

Q&A session in Detroit
   -Television coverage
         -Cameras
               -Electronic camera
   -The press corps
         -Future meetings
               -Size of press corps
                     -Television image
                           -Audience
                           -Speakers
                     -Typewriters
               -Location of press corps
                     -Audience
   -Monitors

White House correspondents
     -Douglas B. Cornell
          -Reception
          -Years as White House reporter
                -Herbert C. Hoover
          -Wire service reporter
          -Retirement
                -Age
     -Reception
          -Attendance by wives
          -Helen Thomas
          -Stag
                -Working press corps
                     -White House
                     -Capitol Hill
                     -Wire services
                           -Associated Press [AP]
                               -United Press International [UPI]
               -Number of guests
                    -AP
                    -Wire services
          -Marvin L. Arrowsmith
          -Reporter
     Ziegler’s press briefing
          -Attica state prison riot
                -Questions about situation
                      -The President's previous press conference
                -Edmund S. Muskie
          -Questions on Vietnam
                -Answers by Military Assistance Command, Vietnam [MACV] and the
                      Department of Defense
                -Buildup in the demilitarized zone [DMZ]
                      -US troops
                      -Air strikes
                            -Weather
                      -DMZ
                            -Military build-up

Ziegler left at an unknown time before 11:14 am.

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Yeah, well, I think you could say that my wife, I'm sorry about that, Senator, if I wasn't so remind you.
No, I'm not.
I'm just a good liar.
I am.
So, occasionally.
But I have to tell you.
I'm just excited about the doctors at home.
Can't wait to meet them.
Why don't you say that as an opening day next year to go out and do the tradition of the president throwing out the first ball probably with the will of the king and the king's party.
I like it.
I just think it's a good idea.
And they say, well, what about the order of the throne?
They're great, but maybe we don't need them.
I think they would be much, much, much help.
You know, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man
as majorly engaged in slavery.
Played in Washington, particularly in New York.
I'm sorry.
I like the angel thing.
I like the angel thing.
It's a very good thought.
The idea that, you know, because everyone started writing with nostalgia and throwing out the first wall.
And you say, well, I think now that the president's future is on the first wall,
in the town, or in the area where they're home, where their home team, the final team, is now meeting with the President and Senators.
Okay, good.
Let's put it that way.
I'm going to announce the name of the, it's the green one, so that I'll be able to take it away.
Yeah, it comes up when it's all done.
We'll have it before.
I don't want to be bothered with it.
I don't want to be breathing on it.
You know what I mean?
There's this type of thing that I care a damn about.
I understand that.
There should be no problem.
I'm not going to have a stand with cameras and all that.
At most, there will be.
Mark's looking at it now.
They had previously worked it out with the Detroit Economic Club where they arranged the audience in such a way that no one would be blocked.
They had two aisleways on each side and one in the center that Mark's view is that they could put about 60 feet back a camera in each aisleway
various shots.
We can eliminate one of those cameras that she's taking a look at now, which would be only two cameras.
That would be all that's in there.
I don't mind that.
That's all it is.
There's no more energy.
We would get the best coverage, Mark feels, with three cameras.
But they would be 60 feet back.
In other words, there's no camera up on the platform, or there's no cameras up around the panel or anything.
They're all way back, and they wouldn't be clustered together.
All right.
And I don't expect any of the channels to happen.
That's all?
No, no, I'm not going to get the slightest idea on how that's going to go.
And we'll do it.
We'll still do the vision out there.
We'll still allow it to be covered with a camera.
There, I don't want to have three or four.
No, what we do there, you wouldn't even see the camera.
It's right there.
Well, that doesn't even bother me.
I see it.
But provided it isn't, I don't want the cameras to dominate the map.
The other thing is that I want that set up in such a way that the White House press corps doesn't have it in such a way that just a couple of people in this case would cover it.
If I do, I want to have so that I can give about two questions.
Two questions.
out of three I'll give to the local city.
But sometimes I won't know who the hell will hold the lids.
And so I want to turn to the locals, and I'll turn to the White House.
But you would let the White House come in?
I do, sir.
Don't you?
I mean, a few.
Well, so that they participate in the country?
Yes, we can.
Or would you?
That's a good idea.
On the limited things, yeah.
Just so you know.
I didn't express it to them.
You take something away from them, you let them have the question.
Because then they can't say that this was really not a place where they had a chance to ask their questions.
It was only this morning.
Oh, they were all there.
That's it.
And then whack.
Now, the victory is really two-fold.
The victory is the continuation of maintaining power.
Yeah, the draft of that is here for a policy, but it is a step toward also our goal of the President's long commitment to a volunteer army, a very significant center of the volunteer army, which pays the victory.
Although it's not the way.
Next one is the press conference.
CPI or CPI.
Does the early leads out of there?
It isn't particularly bad or good.
Basically, we didn't expect much.
It's only the first half of the month.
There's a catch-up period in the month.
We don't know where you're going to get into the numbers.
But still, overall, it's a good question.
Four-tenths adjusted to three-point, which is not adjusted to three-point.
So four-point is adjusted to four-point points.
It's still a downward trend in the upward trend.
Four-tenths.
You guessed the four this month, the two last months, the eight, the three, the average, the three.
Three-point is adjusted to three-point.
It's without.
Yeah.
Interesting how they all play against each other now.
And they didn't play any of those at all.
None of those were played at all.
Labor would, except for Christmas Controversy.
the consumer they wanted.
And the consumers had it.
Well, they were awful nice, and terribly naive.
It was the least, in terms of learning, it was the one that had the least substance, and the least need, and the goddamned question, that's all.
I guess it's news.
True, true, true, true.
Well, pork hops might be a suspect, but you don't quite follow.
They were writing accounts, and basically they were writing accounts of the big issue, which is what is to follow.
The others are informal, there's no changes.
Consumers are not going to have anything.
if they talk about our tax program i think you should say it's very pleased with the ways the names committee is acting so expeditiously
And we didn't expect them to accept our program.
We didn't expect it to come out just exactly the way we recommended it.
But the important thing is fast action and the right direction.
And in this case, the direction is correct.
So I would prefer a 10-5.
And I hope it moves that way in the Senate.
But the 7% across is good.
The main thing is to have tax action, which will stimulate jobs.
Tax action will stimulate jobs.
And that is something that you've talked about.
You've graduated from moving expeditiously toward that goal.
Fast tax action will stimulate jobs.
With their fast action.
Okay?
Yes, sir.
Okay, Mark.
We will not be able to afford three cameras back.
Yeah, well, just so it isn't a hell of a big show.
You will not...
In other words, there will not be, the only camera coverage will be from electronic cameras.
There will not be that bank of cameras.
I want to keep it that way.
And I want the press to be interested in that.
You see, on all meetings in the future, I want you to remember, any meetings we ever have, of course, we've been doing that, never, never, never allow that bank of press people to be right on it.
It's a terrible problem in the picture.
terrible for the audience, and it's terrible for the speaker.
Because they're there, you know, chewing gum, working around, clattering with their typewriters.
Put them the hell off to the side, right where they can see the audience.
Now, they'll bit you a little, but they get to see it.
No, no, we can do it, you see.
Yeah.
Well, just get a good press section, and then let the folks up, just so the folks are going to be up there.
And then we'll have a lot of questions.
monitors, which they'd rather do with beer and everything.
Well, they do.
Much better.
Much better than sitting in there.
We'll have some of them.
Oh, sure, they can do it.
Well, you heard we're going to try to get a little party for Cornell.
I think that's perfect.
Yes, sir.
Be sure to get Bill on the mic.
He is part of everybody, every president, including Hoover.
Right, we're working on that.
And we're going to get him a list of candidates.
I'm sorry.
Just finish.
Well, he's one of the real honest people.
professional wire service reporters.
He just calls them straight.
He doesn't give them half the ball.
And they idealize him.
I don't mean a lot of time.
Is he retiring?
No, sir.
How old?
He must be 64.
Why is he retiring?
He's still running.
He's still retiring.
All the people that are here,
He told Doug that he was going to invite 15 partners or something like that.
So he's got guys down on the Hill and others here and there for years, and some APs, and he's an executive.
And I'd like to see if he'd like to, because it's really a critical wire service.
You know, if you have a few of these AP and UT executives, in other words, you can add them as well.
I had about 15, I would say about, I had about 2,530 people that they'd come in.
AP and UT was part of the security for the Great White Archipelago.
I have one fellow that she's certain to be part of, Marlon Harris.
Right.
He's down on the desk now.
He's the old pioneer of the White House.
How's, uh, how about Atticus?
You know, it's not a fact, but you've just cut that off.
I haven't had a question on Atticus since your first conference.
There isn't much to contest here.
Where are the hair shirts?
I haven't had a question on Atticus.
Must be still hitting.
I'll tell him for other things.
I didn't hear one question.
Bob?
The North Vietnam.
Yeah.
I didn't think you would.
I didn't hear a question.
Not one question.
MacBee, Hamlet.
Every time.
If you get a question today, I would say, well, I was just routine.
I'd say, well, if you know something, build it up in the DMZ.
threatened our portions there.
Of course, you're so perfect, we don't quite agree on that.
Yeah, I said we were going to do it.
It wasn't, I say, the biggest problem.
It was a lot of planes.
But the weather cut in half, we took it in half for it.
just in the vicinity of the BMC and where they're having the military build up.
I think I'll just leave my mask on.
I'm just going to bounce it.
That's good.