Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 483 › Conversation 483-018
Nixon, Ziegler & Woods on Public Relations and Political Strategy
Tuesday, April 20, 1971 · 4:10 PM–4:19 PM ET · Oval Office · 9 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Rose Mary Woods, Ronald Ziegler, and others to discuss administrative matters, personal gifts, and the President's public image. The conversation touched upon the positive public reception of the President's recent remarks on welfare and foreign policy, as well as the need to monitor political rivals like Ted Kennedy through informal channels. Additionally, the group coordinated scheduling details and reviewed logistics regarding upcoming travel and correspondence.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 24% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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I was wondering if we could just start bringing... Sir, the right...
There's nothing to praise for your Friday night effect.
Most of the people out there should have listened to it.
Oh, they've heard it on the radio.
That's amazing how people...
The one man who first talked to me about it was the head of the Associated Institute of Medicine.
He's an old ball player.
He's talking for the Detroit Tigers.
He's not old.
He looks like healthy guy.
Orchard, I think.
His name is O-R-C-U-T. And I went to the Toll Silver plant.
They were so nice to me.
I'll give it to you.
I'll give it to you.
Is that nice?
They all like it Friday night.
Oh, yes.
They all look like they need something to eat.
Whatever your place is, either in San Clemente or Florida, you might like a little, just, it's a, it's a, it's a little, isn't that pretty?
I need that.
And they were so nice back home.
They were so nice back home.
One of our patients is doing just that.
Where could you use it?
I'm going to make a picture of that.
Yeah, but all of it is cranky.
Do you remember that gentleman?
That is very easy.
That ain't gonna be okay.
I know.
You gotta have a chat with Alexander.
He'll call Alexander and say that I need to go to Spine.
He's out in the park.
He's an enormously capable man.
He's an enormously capable man.
Bird oil, and his father is Joe Batchelor's poster.
Oh, that's what I wondered.
That's right.
Okay, very well.
Thank you very much.
You've got to wait a minute.
We've got to wait until I get the turn of the camera.
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She was so pleased with it.
She's got one good line there, though.
They carried your governor's speech, apparently.
The whole text of it.
Where you talked about your mother and welfare and what happened.
So maybe I can give that to Ray.
You know, it's awful.
I'm sick of the will.
Oh, I am too.
I am too.
Why don't you tell them to get around the will for a thing?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
This is Mitchell.
Mitchell's not here.
There he is.
Oh, my.
That's right.
He didn't deserve it.
Everything on top of it.
They get too tired.
It was excellent.
They had two or three parties, and it was like campaigning, really.
But it was just wonderful.
People were so interested in everything.
And they were all?
I'll talk to you sometime about Buzz Jaeger and whether he's the head of Alcoa.
Love Sager, it is.
Yes.
Whether he should go ahead and sort of be an advisor to Ted Kennedy so he can stay in close to find out what they're into.
Yes.
But Ted Kennedy likes him.
Good.
Oh, I can tell you right away.
Move in.
Okay, is this anything you think he'd want anywhere in his house?
Any little pewter trash?
You know, Manolo can use it to serve things with, you know.
He brings things out.
Let's have Manolo.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And it's a beautiful thing.
It's a beautiful joy to have.
And Manolo can use it to serve things.
Yeah.
um just over a weekend or something thank you
Oh, we think of that place.
Oh, right.
I just haven't thought of it before.
You remember how many years?
I surely do.
And everything's good.
Yeah.
The spirit up there is pretty good.
That was fine.
It was good.
Well, you know, the things that actually turn around a great deal is the last one.
and the China thing cooled, and the economy starts to move.
Well, the Toll Filmer man, the president of that, I mean, Gordon, that's, you know, starting to tell me all this business, told me to tell you that their first quarter is up, I think, something like 11% from last year's first quarter, something like that.
You'd like to know that?
Yes, sir.
What did you... Oh, I see.
I didn't know where he was.
I don't know.
NARA Description
On April 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Ronald L. Ziegler, Fred Maroon, Manolo Sanchez, unknown person(s), and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:10 pm to 4:19 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 483-018 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 483-18
Date: April 20, 1971
Time: 4:10 pm - 4:19 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Rose Mary Woods and Ronald L. Ziegler at 4:10 pm.
The President's schedule
-Meeting with Fred Maroon
-Photos
-Woods
Maroon entered at 4:12 pm.
Woods' trip
-President's meeting with American Society of Newspaper Editors [ASNE], April 16,
1971
-Reaction
-Radio
-Carrol W. Orcutt
-Reaction
-San Clemente
-Gift for the President
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 4:12 pm.
The President's gift
-Picture
Photos
Unknown document for the President's signature
Doug Spencer
Sanchez left at unknown time before 4:14 pm.
Woods's forthcoming call to John H. Alexander
-Joe [Surname not known]
-Firm
-Father
-Joe Batchelder
Ziegler and Maroon left at 4:14 pm.
Schedule
-John N. Mitchell
Letter for the President
-California
-Elmer H. Bobst
-Unknown woman
**********************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Privacy (D) reviewed under deed of gift 02/07/2020. Segment cleared for
release.]
[Privacy]
[483-018-w001]
[Duration: 9s]
Letter for the President
-Unknown woman
-Health
-Inflamed pancreas
**********************************************************************
Letter for the President
-Schedule
-Santa Monica Outlook
-President's remarks on welfare
-Mother
-Welfare
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
**********************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 02/07/2020.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[483-018-w002]
[Duration: 43s]
Hannah Milhous Nixon
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-Work
-Length of time spent working
-Harold Nixon
-Health
-Arizona
-Work
-Tuberculosis patients
-Length of time spent working
**********************************************************************
The President's remarks on welfare
-Reaction
Welfare
An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 4:14 pm.
The President's schedule
-Mitchell
The unknown man left at an unknown time before 4:19 pm.
The President's meeting with ASNE
-Television
-Woods's activities
-Unknown congressman
-Buz Jaeger
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-Lee Thompson
Gift for the President
-Pewter tray
-Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon
-Sanchez
-Mrs. Nixon
-Sanchez
The President's schedule
-Roses
-Plane
-California
-Weekend
Cabinet
-Reaction
Public mood
-Improvement
-Vietnam
-People's Republic of China [PRC]
-Woods's conversation with Elliott M. Gordon
-First quarter
H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 4:19 pm.
The President's schedule
-Mitchell
Haldeman and Woods left at 4:19 pm.Also recorded on April 20, 1971
- 002-007 3:35 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:35 pm and 3:47 pm.
- 002-008 3:47 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 3:47 pm to 3:48 pm.
- 002-009 3:48 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:48 pm and 3:54 pm.
- 002-010 3:54 PM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and James D. ("Don") Hughes talked on the telephone from 3:54 pm to 3:55 pm.
- 002-011 3:55 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:55 pm and 4:04 pm.
- 002-012 4:04 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George H. Mahon talked on the telephone from 4:04 pm to 4:07 pm.
- 483-019 4:20 PM · 51 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John N. Mitchell, John W. Dean, III, White House photographer, Ronald L. Ziegler, unknown person(s), White House operator, and Sue Morrison met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:20 pm to 5:14 pm.
- 002-013 4:42 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:42 pm and 4:59 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 483-018, April 20, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/483-018 (accessed October 3, 2026).