Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 279 › Conversation 279-043

Nixon & Ziegler on Public Relations and California Angels

Wednesday, September 22, 1971 · 6:49 PM–6:51 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation279-043 on Tape 279 (tape position 03:41:53–03:43:43)StartWednesday, September 22, 1971 at 6:49 PMEndWednesday, September 22, 1971 at 6:51 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 279-043 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discuss a public relations strategy to highlight the President's support for the California Angels baseball team. Nixon aims to replace the tradition of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch in Washington with a commitment to do so at Angel Stadium, viewing this as a significant political and symbolic gesture for California. Ziegler is tasked with coordinating with team owner Gene Autry and media figures to promote the story and cultivate the President's image as an avid supporter of the franchise.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Ron, I wonder what you were, I was thinking I should have checked this with you earlier, with regard to that angel, and that's a damn good story to do.
Yeah, but I was thinking if you might go over the bench and call Gene Autry and, I don't know.
Yeah, but anyway.
But that's a hell of a story for California.
And of course, as you're out there, you know, with Nixon, now he becomes an angel man.
Now, don't tell me that's moving from here.
That won't do it.
We've got to do it ourselves, you know, feed it out.
And Reynolds, Reynolds, Reynolds.
I mean, Bob Hicks loves to do these things.
Let me call Reynolds and Autry and have them build it up.
The president has become an angel man.
He's going to come revolving the angels in the angels.
Does it move?
It's important for them to understand because in a very real sense of historical significance, here the president for 71 years has thrown off the ball in the Washington ballpark.
It's not going to happen next time.
And I'm not going to let him have it.
But I will throw out the ball whenever the president should in his home ballpark.
And mine is going to be Angel Stadium.
And I think that's what you get.
If you tell the board this, then what are we going to do?
All right.
All right.
But I think that if you let Bob get on this, that you're still going to have it out there.
OK.

NARA Description

On September 22, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:49 pm to 6:51 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 279-043 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 279-43

Date: September 22, 1971
Time: 6:49 pm - 6:51 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See Conversation No. 9-131]

Also recorded on September 22, 1971

  • 279-042 6:48 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:48 pm to 6:49 pm.
  • 009-131 6:49 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 6:49 pm to 6:51 pm.
  • 009-132 6:51 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:51 pm and 6:55 pm.
  • 279-044 6:51 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:51 pm and 6:55 pm.
  • 279-045 6:51 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:51 pm and 6:55 pm.
  • 279-046 6:51 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:51 pm and 6:55 pm.
  • 009-133 6:55 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Robert H. Finch talked on the telephone from 6:55 pm to 6:57 pm.
  • 279-047 6:55 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Robert H. Finch met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:55 pm to 6:57 pm.

All 84 conversations from September 22, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 279-043, September 22, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/279-043 (accessed October 12, 2026).