Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 508 › Conversation 508-001

Nixon alone in the Oval Office on Press relations and Ronald L. Ziegler

Wednesday, June 2, 1971 · 8:55 AM–9:20 AM ET · Oval Office · 34 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation508-001 on Tape 508 (tape position 00:00:27–0)StartWednesday, June 2, 1971 at 8:55 AMEndWednesday, June 2, 1971 at 9:20 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 508-001 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417177627 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictates a letter reflecting on his past interactions with the press while preparing for an upcoming press conference. He specifically discusses the performance of Ronald L. Ziegler and John A. Scali, evaluating their roles in managing media relations. The President further analyzes his own strategic approach to public appearances, emphasizing the necessity of maintaining a cooperative persona when addressing the White House press corps.

Audio

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NARA Description

On June 2, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 9:20 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 508-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 508-001

Date: June 2, 1971
Time: Unknown between 8:55 am and 9:20 am
Location: Oval Office

The President dictated a letter to an unknown person

     President’s press conference
           -Ronald L. Ziegler
           -John A. Scali
           -President’s previous experiences with the press

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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that in this first press conference at the appearance of the White House Correspondent Center, where I played the quote, good sport, and quote, role, considerably more,

Also recorded on June 2, 1971

  • 508-002 8:55 AM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 9:20 am.
  • 508-003 8:55 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 9:20 am.
  • 508-004 8:55 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 9:20 am.
  • 508-005 8:55 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 9:20 am.
  • 508-006 8:55 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 9:20 am.
  • 508-007 8:55 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 9:20 am.
  • 508-008 8:55 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 9:20 am.
  • 508-009 8:55 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:55 am and 9:20 am.

All 27 conversations from June 2, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 508-001, June 2, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417177627). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/508-001 (accessed November 11, 2026).