Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 283 › Conversation 283-002

Nixon & Ziegler on Soviet-American relations and Media relations

Wednesday, September 29, 1971 · 2:45 PM–2:55 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation283-002 on Tape 283 (tape position 00:08:30–00:16:56)StartWednesday, September 29, 1971 at 2:45 PMEndWednesday, September 29, 1971 at 2:55 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 283-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discuss scheduling protocols for upcoming photo opportunities with various foreign and domestic officials, including Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko. The pair coordinate the administration's messaging strategy regarding the Accidental War Agreement and potential summit speculation involving the Soviet Union and China. Additionally, Nixon clarifies his preferences for media access, specifically requesting that press coverage at a forthcoming reception be limited to a pool of reporters without camera equipment.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 4 minutes of this recording (about 53% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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First of all, Mr. President, what's the short down time for the photo sessions?
On a story, I don't expect with him a short down time.
Because what they do, they wait until...
The main thing is that I don't want to put him so long, like those acronyms.
I just want him to be...
The purpose is to
Pick out the event each day that you really want to give a ride and get plenty of time.
But then on the one hand, we'll go back and just take a picture and come out on the main line.
And I can have those mayors and governors, you know, just take time out of their working time.
What did you want to do?
I was going to say, run about a minute and a half and then talk behind the scenes.
Sure.
I expected that.
I didn't mean to shorten that down.
I was just talking about the tips we expect.
We will get it done.
But then what do they say on the night of the anniversary, so we'll cover it on that.
Well, it's probably about, very, very, you just give it, get whatever he said.
You don't want to, generally particularly want to play a, you don't want to play a,
They smell it when you come back.
So I would say, if you were going to say, well, we met last year with the foreign minister, and we met again with the foreign minister this year, and created a number of problems.
All questions of mutual interest were spread where we're discussing.
And both noted that
The progress that has been made on the land talks, the progress also that has been made on the plus side, the progress on the land, the progress also on the design of the talks, the agreement was going to be signed tomorrow.
I decided not to go there, but I went back and forth on it.
Can you raise anything with regard to
that we don't have any plans at this point.
And I just simply say, well, and also the charity part of Stonewall is going to run above it.
Upcoming with the Chinese.
Well, Rubicon would be the perfect bridge for the question if they talk about China.
In general terms, as you know, the foreign minister expressed himself yesterday, said it was a natural step.
to say nothing more than that.
Well, I was thinking, though, of the other thing, too, is that I don't want any speculation about a burger being summoned and all that sort of thing.
The Russians come out of this to say, well, we're going to buy you guys an issue center sale.
I hope.
I just don't have anything on that.
And I've already referred to it.
I've already answered your question and proceeded on it.
That's right.
I'll refer to your question.
Yeah.
See, the way their questions are coming, tying in a visit here, like you're seeing through Canada.
I know.
I've been saying there's no plan at all for that to take place.
Right.
I think.
Incidentally, are you going to have a camera in front of you?
No.
I don't think there's any.
Ah, there's no coverage at all.
Oh, there isn't?
No, sir.
I'm going to speak to those bachelors.
I'm afraid the better...
I don't want this there, but what you can do is you better take my remarks, like we did at the dinner, and let the press cover them.
I'm not going to say something.
It's just a general statement.
This is what I mean to quote.
Desiring to walk away from that crime scene.
So I think you better tell the press that I will say some general things, which are on the record.
There's a 200-day run, I want one of them coming out and tripping.
Fair enough.
We should not have reporters in there.
I don't object to prison.
We could take a pool of reporters and then tell them what they can transfer to you.
There's no, I have no objection to reporters.
Just for your requirement.
For a pool, sure.
No objection.
Sure, that's perfectly all right.
But no cameras.
But I don't, I don't, I think it's, the reception is rather gross to have a camera on.
No, I don't want cameras on mine.
I, uh... We'll put a small pool in there and then we'll release the... Just one second, I must go to the bathroom.
They were?
They were impressed with the last one.
Well, of course, I believe they had to do that.
by a show the whole weekend.
The entire trip was on the opposite side.
Here we go.

NARA Description

On September 29, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:45 pm to 2:55 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 283-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 283-002

Date: September 29, 1971
Time: 2:45 pm - 2:55 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     The President's schedule for meetings with officials
          -Length of photograph sessions
               -Andrei A. Gromyko
               -Africans
               -Gromyko
               -Japanese
               -Mayors, governors
               -Gromyko
               -Henry A. Kissinger

     Soviet Union
          -Berlin
          -Disarmament
                -September 30, 1971 signing of Accidental War Agreement
                      -The President's schedule
                -Gerard C. Smith
          -Alexei N. Kosygin
          -The People’s Republic of China [PRC]
                -Gromyko
          -Summit with the Soviets
                -Kosygin
                     -Canada

     International Monetary Fund [IMF]

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

           -Media coverage
               -The President's comments at forthcoming reception
                     -Pool coverage

     The press
          -Reaction to the President's Northwest trip
          -The President's forthcoming meeting with Gromyko
          -Meeting with Japanese
          -President’s view on media coverage

Ziegler left at 2:55 pm.

Also recorded on September 29, 1971

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  • 580-015 1:08 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:08 pm and 1:15 pm.
  • 580-016 1:15 PM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:15 pm to 1:35 pm.
  • 283-001 1:35 PM · 2 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 1:35 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 580-017 1:35 PM · 2 min — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:35 pm and 2:55 pm.
  • 580-018 3:00 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:00 pm to 3:02 pm.
  • 580-019 3:02 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:02 pm to 3:03 pm.
  • 580-020 3:03 PM · 1 hr 54 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Andrei A. Gromyko, Anatoliy F. Dobrynin, William P. Rogers, Henry A. Kissinger, William Krimer, Viktor M. Sukhodrev, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:03 pm to 5:00 pm.

All 36 conversations from September 29, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 283-002, September 29, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/283-002 (accessed September 28, 2026).