Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 397 › Conversation 397-007

Nixon, Price & Ziegler on 1973 Inauguration and Presidential speechwriting

Friday, January 19, 1973 · 10:55 AM–11:25 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 16 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Price, Raymond K., Jr.; Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation397-007 on Tape 397StartFriday, January 19, 1973 at 10:55 AMEndFriday, January 19, 1973 at 11:25 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 397-007 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with advisors Raymond K. Price, Jr. and Ronald L. Ziegler to finalize logistical preparations for his upcoming 1973 second inauguration. The discussion focused primarily on the strategic timing, distribution, and media management of the President's inaugural address, including vetting which journalists and commentators should receive advance copies. The participants also touched on peripheral topics ranging from professional football coaching records to historical comparisons regarding former President Eisenhower.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 9 minutes of this recording (about 58% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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... ... ... ...

Yeah.

Thank you.

... ... ... ... ... ...

Thank you.

... ... ... ... ...

I'm not opposing that we give the speech out to all of the press, but I think when you're giving it to the lawyers, I think it's important to give it to the lawyers.

Thank you.

Yes.

I don't know.

See, all he wants is to get a sense of emotion.

Well, I'm not going to give him any of that.

He's a killer.

Okay, that's all I had.

Thank you.

He has to eat.

He has to sit.

He has to eat.

Thank you.

NARA Description

On January 19, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 11:25 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 397-007 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 397-7

Date: January 19, 1973
Time: Unknown between 10:55 am and 11:25 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Raymond K. Price, Jr.

       President's schedule
             -Meeting rescheduling
             -Meeting with Ronald L. Ziegler

Ziegler entered at 11:07 am.

       1973 Inauguration
            -Photographic coverage
                  -Film, still pictures
            -Press relations
            -President's Inaugural speech
                  -Advance copies
                         -Possible revisions
                         -Timing
                         -Distribution
                         -Joseph W. Alsop
                         -Richard (“Dick”) Wilson
                         -Press coverage
                         -Afternoon newspapers
                  -Length, subject
                  -Wilson
                  -Ziegler's previous statements
                                               -11-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 397-7 (cont’d)

       Press relations [?]
             -President’s supposition

       Los Angeles Dodgers’ baseball game [?]
            -Performance

       Dwight D. Eisenhower
           -Snobs
           -Speaking out

       Whittier College football coaches
            -George Allen
            -Allen's successor
            -Allen's predecessor
            -Don Coryell
                  -Allen's successor
                  -Record
                  -San Diego State
                  -St. Louis Cardinals
            -Record

Ziegler and Price left at 11:25 am.

Also recorded on January 19, 1973

397-006 10:55 AM · 15 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 10:55 am and 11:07 am.
036-003 11:26 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:26 am and 11:52 am.
397-008 11:26 AM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:26 am and 11:52 am.
397-009 11:26 AM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:26 am and 11:52 am.
397-010 11:26 AM · 10 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 11:26 am and 11:52 am.
036-004 11:52 AM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:52 am and 11:53 am.
397-011 11:52 AM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:52 am to 11:53 am.
036-005 11:53 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:53 am and 11:56 am.

All 53 conversations from January 19, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 397-007, January 19, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/397-007 (accessed October 11, 2026).