President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discuss strategies to address media coverage of anti-war protests on university campuses. Nixon proposes a rhetorical counter-attack that highlights the perceived hypocrisy of demonstrators for criticizing the United States rather than the enemy. The pair decides to have a political surrogate, such as Barry Goldwater, deliver this critique to the public to effectively challenge the protestors' stance.
On April 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:17 pm to 2:18 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 331-032 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 331-32 Date: April 19, 1972 Time: 2:17 pm - 2:18 pm Location: Executive Office Building The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler. [See Conversation No. 23-37]
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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.