Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 467 › Conversation 467-010

Nixon & Ziegler on White House press corps and Media relations

Friday, March 12, 1971 · 8:48 AM–8:51 AM ET · Oval Office ·4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation467-010 onTape 467 (tape position 00:17:49–00:21:37)StartFriday, March 12, 1971 at 8:48 AMEndFriday, March 12, 1971 at 8:51 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 467-010 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discussed media management strategies concerning upcoming interviews and relations with the White House press corps. Nixon expressed hostility toward female journalists, specifically the National Women's Press Corps, while emphasizing strict control over how his interviews—including a high-profile segment with Barbara Walters—were edited and broadcast. To prevent journalists from taking statements out of context, Nixon mandated that the Walters interview be aired in its entirety on NBC's 'Today' show rather than as fragmented promotional excerpts.

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Mr. President, they should have noted this in the interview.
They had to work all night last night to move it across the country for Sunday papers because the feature sections of the, you know, papers out there.
I don't care what's in it.
I just want to be sure that nobody breaks the environment.
And don't take any of that crap and the effect on...
I could do another pool on that when I have the next restaurant.
I could not.
I mean, I'm not gonna have an extra guy.
We're gonna have just the ones we want in here.
None of their business, right?
in this town that you know better than I, there are a lot of
emotional, selfish, self-centered bitches of women who call themselves the National Women's Press Corps.
Sure.
And when someone else gets something that they feel they didn't get, they don't care about the communications you gave them.
You gave them the... You played the whole thing.
You played the whole thing.
You got the whole thing.
You weren't in the room.
You weren't in the room at all.
That's exactly right.
So therefore, they create a little less appropriate time somewhere someday.
I'm going to...
No, no they won't.
Of course not.
That's going to happen, but they don't.
They're going to always put the needle into the press secretary.
That's fine.
But they can't.
They don't have a complaint.
that would reflect on the press.
But they can't.
American people, so what?
That's one of the stories.
You cannot, you could not have that kind of interview with him.
There'd be screaming left and right.
And that's the reason you had to say something.
And he covered everybody all the time.
And he hit her by the head.
It didn't all get in.
They come off looking bad here.
The press come off looking bad here.
Get in that story.
Now, the reason I'm so strong on the other thing, I want Howard Smith to have the first crack at it.
That's why we've got to insist.
I know NBC, and they'll try to run some of the crap out of that.
You know, the Barbara Walters stuff, I don't want any of that stuff.
None of it used.
I've talked to you.
It's got to be used, and it's got to be understood.
The other thing is this.
I don't want any of it used out of context.
See?
And they'll take something out.
If they don't use it, she runs the whole thing.
That's why I gave her the whole time.
She said, well, we're going to use the two hours.
It'll take 40 minutes.
I said, all right, I'll give you 40 minutes.
And I took the whole 40 minutes, which means it's hard.
But Ron, if you give them any chance to use one bed or another, it's not fair, see?
I just talked to Barbara Walters before I got in here.
They will not use anything on it.
But they will not use any of the interview on any of their new shows.
They will not use excerpts of it for monitor radio, you know, on Sunday.
That's turned off.
It will be run in its entirety, in sequence, on the Today Show, only on my channel.
All right, fine.

NARA Description

On March 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:48 am to 8:51 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 467-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 467-10

Date: March 12, 1971
Time: 8:48 am - 8:51 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler

     Press
             -A story by Helen A. Thomas
                   -Release
             -Pool coverage at next press conference
                   -Ziegler
                   -President’s position
             -Women press corps
                   -Compared to male reporters
             -President’s interview with Cyrus L. (“Cy”) Sulzberger
             -Women press corps
                   -Relations with Ziegler, President
             -President’s interview with Thomas
             -President’s interview with Howard K. Smith
             -National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
                   -Use of President’s interview with Barbara Walters
                         -President’s instructions
                         -Ziegler’s call
                         -Length of interview
                                                 6

                              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                         Tape Subject Log
                                            (rev. 9/08)



                          -Promotional photograph
                          -Excerpts
                               -Radio
                          -”Today” television show

Ziegler left at 8:51 am

Also recorded on March 12, 1971

  • 467-001 8:15 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 8:15 am.
  • 467-004 8:19 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:19 am to 8:20 am.
  • 467-005 8:20 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), and John W. Vogt, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:20 am and 8:32 am.
  • 467-006 8:45 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at 8:45 am.
  • 467-007 8:46 AM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:46 am to 8:47 am.
  • 467-008 8:47 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 8:47 am.
  • 467-009 8:48 AM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 8:48 am.
  • 467-011 8:51 AM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:51 am to 9:01 am.

All 11 conversations from March 12, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 467-010, March 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/467-010 (accessed September 18, 2026).