Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 355 › Conversation 355-024

Nixon & Ziegler on Press Conference and Media Strategy

Thursday, October 5, 1972 · 10:40 AM–10:42 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 59 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation355-024 on Tape 355StartThursday, October 5, 1972 at 10:40 AMEndThursday, October 5, 1972 at 10:42 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 355-024 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Press Secretary Ronald L. Ziegler to coordinate media strategy ahead of a forthcoming press conference. They discussed the handling of potential questions regarding the President's California property and finalized the timing for Ziegler’s subsequent press briefing. The brief interaction focused on ensuring message discipline and preparing the administration's public posture.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 68% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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, do you want to do a picture of the service that we talked about last time?

Did it help?

Did it help our progress?

Do you think it's the right response?

Any questions?

I'll turn you on every week, so it's fine with me to take a look.

But just understand, that is what the service has to do.

NARA Description

On October 5, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:40 am to 10:42 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 355-024 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 355-24

Date: October 5, 1972
Time: 10:40 am - 10:42 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

        The President’s forthcoming press conference
            -Photograph
            -California [property?]
                -Possible handling of question

         Timing for Ziegler's briefing

Ziegler left at 10:42 am.

Also recorded on October 5, 1972

355-021 9:16 AM · 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:16 am to 9:50 am.
031-001 9:48 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:48 am.
355-022 9:51 AM · 25 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:51 am to 10:20 am.
355-023 10:20 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:20 am and 10:40 am.
792-001 11:05 AM · 1 hr 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, reporters, and news conferences attendees, including Frank Cormier, Gaylord Shaw, Eugene V. Risher, Norm Kempster, Ralph Harris, John W. ("Pat") Heffernan, Marc Hutten, Claude Moisy, Gene Carlson, Thomas E. Jarriel, Robert Pierpoint, David Breasted, Gary Axelson, Forrest Boyd, Mike Maus, Cliff Evans, Fay G. Wells, Donald Fulsom, Gil Butler, Charles Van Dyke, Thomas Girard, Peter Kumpa, Phil P. Potter, Sal Micciche, Lucian C.("Lou") Warren, Peter Lisagor, Tom Littlewood, Fred Farrar, Courtney Sheldon, Karen Elliott, Jerald F. ("Jerry") terHorst, Sarah McClendon, John Cauley, Bob Toth, Frank Wright, Frank van der Linden, Paul Healy, Stan Carter, Robert B. Semple, Jr., Martin Schram, Larry O'Rourke, Jim Deakin, Jim Gannon, Carroll Kilpatrick, Garnett D. ("Jack") Horner, Mary McGrory, Jim Carey, David Barnett, Robert Boyd, Donald Bacon, Bruce Agnew, Hugh S. Sidey, Henry Hubbard, John F. Osborne, Jerrold L. Schecter, Howard Norton, John P. ("Jack") Sutherland, Al Sullivan, Bill Sprague, Roy McCartney, Dave de-Segonzac, Fred Bonavita, Frank Kane, Ed O'Brien, Kenji Wakamatsu, Akira Noguchi, Hiroshi Kondo, Jin Tae Hong, Tatsuro Matsumura, H.R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler and Patrick J. Buchanan, unknown person(s) [an unknown woman], Clark MacGregor, Stephen B. Bull, John A. Scali, John D. Ehrlichman, and Charles W. Colson, met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:05 am to 12:10 pm.
792-002 12:14 PM · 14 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:14 pm and 3:03 pm.
364-001 12:20 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:20 pm to 12:25 pm.
364-002 12:25 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:25 pm and 12:26 pm.

All 36 conversations from October 5, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 355-024, October 5, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/355-024 (accessed October 1, 2026).