Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 465 › Conversation 465-011

Nixon & Ziegler on Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM) and James C. Fletcher

Wednesday, March 10, 1971 · 1:37 PM–1:40 PM ET · Oval Office · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation465-011 on Tape 465 (tape position 03:40:18–03:43:38)StartWednesday, March 10, 1971 at 1:37 PMEndWednesday, March 10, 1971 at 1:40 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 465-011 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discussed a strategy to address a news report by Daniel Schorr concerning James C. Fletcher’s views on the Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM) system. Nixon instructed Ziegler to ensure Fletcher publicly clarified that the President’s Science Advisory Committee never opposed the ABM, that Fletcher had not discussed the matter with the President, and that Fletcher fully supported the administration's policy. The President emphasized a firm stance in managing these public communications to protect his defense initiatives.

  • Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM)
  • James C. Fletcher
  • President’s Science Advisory Committee
  • Media relations
  • Daniel L. Schorr

Audio

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Position in tape: 03:40:18 – 03:43:38

part B, 1:39:36

465a.mp3
465b.mp3

NARA Description

On March 10, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:37 pm to 1:40 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 465-011 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 465-11

Date: March 10, 1971
Time: 1:37 pm - 1:40 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler

     [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
         -Press release on class standing at Naval Officers Candidate School

     James C. Fletcher
          -Conversation with Ziegler
          -Daniel L. Schorr story
          -Conversation with Ziegler
               -Position on Anti-ballistic Missiles [ABM]
                     -President’s Science Advisory Committee
          -Retraction
               -Meeting with President
               -Position on ABM
                     -Support for Administration policy

     President’s Science Advisory Committee
          -Position on ABM
          -Influence

     Fletcher story
          -President’s position

Ziegler left at 1:40 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.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Yes, I thought I'd put that out, you know, like tomorrow, there's a bill about that.
I thought of 216, I think, but I wouldn't put the number away from 17, 216, and I'd raise the other guy to about 10 percent.
the top ten percent of his class, as it was in 1962.
The top ten percent.
I talked it to Dr. Fletcher.
I told him I gave him three points to make, and I think he will make them.
He better make them.
You know, this door thing, I want to do it again.
where he says that Dr. Fletcher, when he talked to you, was a member of the President's Science Advisory Committee.
I said, as a member of that committee, did you ever express a view negative to the ABM?
He said, absolutely not.
It was never expressed by the committee.
It was never expressed by the committee.
No, no, I heard a lot of them discuss the ABM.
Right, and he said we never discussed it.
That's one point, and then the other point that he will make is he's never discussed it with you.
Then the third point, I said, sir, I think you probably want to indicate that you support the ABM system.
He said, well, what I intend to say is, number one, I have not been involved in any discussions on it.
I don't know that much about it, but I support the President's decision on the ABM safeguard system.
I would never let them bring it up, see, because I would never let them get involved in an actual security matter or anything like this.
And they went out and blew up the line at 8 p.m. See if they were even, if any of them were involved, considering it.
Did Fletcher say they never did?
He can't be remembered.
He never sewed in his damn gap.
He never opened his gap.

Also recorded on March 10, 1971

  • 465-006 10:13 AM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter M. Flanigan met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:13 am to 10:23 am.
  • 465-007 10:23 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:23 am and 10:42 am.
  • 465-008 10:42 AM · 2 hr 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Raymond K. Price, Jr., Noel C. Koch, Alexander P. Butterfield, Henry A. Kissinger, Stephen B. Bull, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:42 am to 1:15 pm.
  • 465-009 1:15 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:15 pm and 1:37 pm.
  • 465-010 1:15 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:15 pm and 1:37 pm.
  • 465-012 1:40 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 1:53 pm.
  • 465-013 1:40 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 1:53 pm.
  • 465-014 1:40 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 1:53 pm.

All 15 conversations from March 10, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 465-011, March 10, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/465-011 (accessed November 2, 2026).