Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 344 › Conversation 344-024

Nixon & Ziegler on SALT and Press Conference

Thursday, June 22, 1972 · 1:35 PM–1:45 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 11 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation344-024 on Tape 344 (tape position 03:01:29–03:12:44)StartThursday, June 22, 1972 at 1:35 PMEndThursday, June 22, 1972 at 1:45 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 344-024 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Ronald Ziegler met to strategize on how to address questions regarding the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) and the necessity of upgrading U.S. offensive weapons during an upcoming press conference. They discussed the importance of framing the push for offensive systems as a national security requirement rather than linking them explicitly to the SALT negotiations. Nixon instructed Ziegler to maintain this distinction, emphasizing that the administration should advocate for defense upgrades based on national need while remaining confident in congressional support for national security initiatives.

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Position in tape: 03:01:29 – 03:12:44

part B, 1:01:42

344a.mp3
344b.mp3
344c.mp3

NARA Description

On June 22, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:35 pm to 1:45 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 344-024 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 344-24

Date: June 22, 1972
Time: 1:35-1:45 pm
Location: Old Executive Office Building

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     The President’s forthcoming press conference
          -Patrick J. Buchanan
          -Arms control question
                -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.'s advice
                -Ziegler's view
                -Haig
                      -Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty [SALT]
                      -Defense posture
          -SALT
                -Melvin R. Laird
                -Henry A. Kissinger
                -William B. Saxbe
                      -Statement
                -Debate
                      -Ziegler’s view
                -Laird
                      -Response by Ziegler
                      -Laird’s reaction
                -SALT debate
                      -Offensive agreement
                      -Strategy
                      -Question
                -Arms limitation agreement
                      -Supporters
                      -Offensive arms agreement
                      -President's position
                      -Offensive weapons

Ziegler left at 1:45 pm.

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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You see some people are about to go next week.
They're 30, they aren't still on time.
I'd rather go for it.
I don't know, 30, maybe 35.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
On this thing here, I think, it's... Do you have a whole... Yeah, I said yes.
It's okay to go.
Thank you.

— 1 min 12 s with no transcribed speech —

I talked to Alan about it.
I don't think you should volunteer it, but if you're asking about it, I think you should take that particular question.
I think Alan's dealing with this too.
If you're asking questions.
No, no, the matter of the offensive, being for offensive systems, the matter we just talked about, what your view was possibly to make that exception and volunteer it.
If a guy comes with a question saying it's a legislative matter, perhaps he could fall on the domestic side, if that comes, perhaps you should make the points that you made.
Thank you.
Well, that's one point to make.
Al's inclination, of course, is that we should say we need this because the country needs it.
In other words, Al's view is that we should not link it to the SALT thing, necessarily.
But also, in looking ahead, he feels that obviously we need this strong defense in order to make progress in the second phase, but
The key point, according to what Hagen used, is that we meet them just because the company is going to take them.
I just want to get off of that and sit down.
The way, after talking to also Saxby's story, we're on the same subject, aren't we, all this?
And Saxby said, in the first mix,
unless U.S. forces are upgraded.
But this sort of flagged in my mind the fact that this debate's getting a little off course.
It's moving to a point where it's turning into
to assault agreement is off if we don't get an offensive.
When the debate should really be, we need a vote, we want a vote, with heading in the other direction, heading in the positive direction.
Now, yesterday, I suppose, the Blair testimony that is running forward, and the line I took here, which was basically the line we talked about,
But within that statement I made here yesterday, I've seen Secretary Merritt, of course, the Secretary of Defense, has stated a strong personal view, which I sort of, how do we get out of this?
How did he take that?
We took quite strongly, and I've talked to him this morning, and he recognizes what I said and how I had to say it in full context.
But that, as I mentioned on the phone, that's the difficult question that has to be dealt with.
However, the other side of that is we don't want this debate to get into something that's not.
See, we don't want the debate to get into something that's not, because people may then decide, well, look,
both of us all agree with it, but we really don't love you on that subject.
Perhaps a statement, a comment on what you said on the phone.
I'm not going to get into the semantics, you know, you're not volunteering.
All right, well, that's what I think.
And I got a question.
If you got a question, I could probably get a question in.
Would you mind, Mr. President, clearing up?
Well, you can definitely say it.
I can't tell you the real answer, but there's something I can't tell you.
That's what I'll do.
See, we've been able to get by with it the last three days.
Excuse me, the last, actually, ten days.
Where I said there's really, you know, it's a matter of semantics and so forth, we're basically saying the same thing.
I've been telling you the position.
I'd like to put it this way.
I'd like to say, anyone who supports the wire implementation agreement, please.
And we wouldn't negotiate the other way if we were in a position where we didn't have something to negotiate.
And perhaps in that,
I think two points.
First of all, we need the offensive armament system, one, because the U.S. country needs it.
Number two, as we move into the second phase of the assault force, we need a strong offensive budget to provide for the security.
And as the President, you are confident that the Congress will continue
why that would be good security for the station as put forth by the, uh, the defense.
There's a layer of it a little bit, too.
The station is an offensive weapon, but we don't have a chance to assault, uh, the second base in charge of the rotation of our crew.
So, they are in our rotation.
They are in our program.
I'll have it ordered on that basis, then.
See, the other thing this has to do, too, is get another .
Which falls over all the crap, then, right?
I'll do that in order.
Good.

Also recorded on June 22, 1972

  • 025-122 12:15 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:15 pm and 12:56 pm.
  • 344-020 12:15 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 12:15 pm and 12:56 pm.
  • 344-021 12:15 PM · 19 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 12:15 pm and 12:56 pm.
  • 025-123 12:56 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 12:56 pm to 1:08 pm.
  • 344-022 12:56 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:56 pm to 1:08 pm.
  • 344-023 1:08 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:08 pm and 1:35 pm.
  • 344-025 1:45 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:45 pm and 2:58 pm.
  • 344-026 1:45 PM · 4 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 1:45 pm and 2:58 pm.

All 38 conversations from June 22, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 344-024, June 22, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/344-024 (accessed November 14, 2026).