Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 532 › Conversation 532-008

Nixon, Ziegler & Goldwater on Narcotics control and U.S.-Turkey relations

Wednesday, June 30, 1971 · 9:59 AM–10:02 AM ET · Oval Office · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.; Goldwater, Barry M.; White House operatorConversation532-008 on Tape 532 (tape position 01:08:33–01:14:29)StartWednesday, June 30, 1971 at 9:59 AMEndWednesday, June 30, 1971 at 10:02 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 532-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Ronald Ziegler to coordinate media strategy regarding a new U.S.-Turkey agreement aimed at curbing the international heroin trade. The conversation focused on utilizing radio and television coverage to emphasize the administration's success in cutting off the primary source of Turkish opium. Nixon directed staff to frame this development as a major breakthrough in his broader worldwide offensive against narcotics, while also discussing efforts to garner political support from congressional allies.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 12% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Secretary, you followed your remarks up briefly, and the Ambassador had a few remarks, but I think the...
Yes, sir.
You talked about the world problem, and the fact that this was 68% of the supply to the United States, and significant stuff.
Those are points the Secretary made.
Sixty percent of all the... All the heroin comes from...
60% parking lot.
Right.
No, they didn't raise it.
They stayed at 60.
But we'll see what this does.
That's the purpose of it.
You think that'll make the announcement?
I think so.
I think we're on the course all day on radio.
I think they'll use probably all of your statements.
John Skelly was calling me, Perry, uh, I had known you'd done something.
He told me about it, really, uh, uh, on 30 minutes notice, how you went on that ABC program when, when McComber had, uh, on Monday, had McComber into it.
But I just wanted to thank you.
My colleague had stood there, and one of the guys will, uh, go to bat in that club.
That's right.
Well, I'll tell you, stir up a few of the other guys to get away.
Although, I'll tell you, isn't that house doing well?
Oh, the way they go is the other way in that damn dimension.
And let me tell you, one of the great men over there, Barry, after a few talks, you can see him as Eddie A.
Bear.
He's like a rock.
He's like a rock.
I'm telling you.
Yeah.
Yeah.
When you were, yesterday, all right, but when you're talking to Eddie sometimes, you just might say, anxiety, he was, without him, we couldn't run this.
Eddie A.
Bear in the house, and of course, John Center stands up in the Senate, but
Here it is.
As Tony said by then, it's going to be like a rockin' conference until they knock out that baby.
Yeah.
Okay.
Thank you.
Well, anyway, I thought you, uh, I think, I don't know if it's just worth getting out and going out with that responsibility.
I think so.
You've got to see, is there any trouble with your opportunity?
It's a hell of a scene under the announcement.
Do one thing, you call Pat one hand.
Congressman Rangel of New York City, Rangel, R-A-N-G-E-L. Of course, the other thing, too,
I'm an advocate of radio, not over TV, but I think radio has an impact.
You realize that this is 6 o'clock, 7 o'clock going west, so you have a great deal of drive time and a great deal of the, you know, all of the morning news shows.
People get the impression, I hope they get the impression, that we're cutting off the source of supply.
Also, that indicates it's bad, too.
That's right.
I think it has an educational effect.
Absolutely.
It's just fine.
I mean, that's the story, cutting off the supply.
Stopping the supply.
I think the idea, Judge, is the fact that I said by far the most significant, by far the biggest breakthrough that has been made in our worldwide offensive.
Worldwide offensive is to stop the source of supply.
That's point one of the first.
All right.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On June 30, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Barry M. Goldwater, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:59 am and 10:02 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 532-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 532-008

Date: June 30, 1971
Time: Unknown between 9:59 am and 10:02 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     Briefing
           -Secretary William P. Rogers’ comments
           -Turkish Ambassador's comments
                -World drug problem
                      -Significance of US-Turkey agreement
                      -Turkish opium in US
                -Media coverage
                      -Television
                      -Radio
                            -Use of President's statement

[The President talked with Barry M. Goldwater between 9:59 am and 10:00 am]

[Conversation No. 532-8A]

[See Conversation No. 6-45]

[End of telephone conversation]

     Briefing
           -Turkish Ambassador's comments
                -Media coverage
                     -Television

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

     Ziegler's call to Daniel Patrick Moynihan

[The President talked with the White House operator at 10:01 am]

[Conversation No. 532-8B]

[See Conversation No. 6-46]

[End of telephone conversation]

     Briefing
           -Turkish Ambassador's comments
                -Media coverage
                       -Radio
                            -Timing
                       -Focus on cut-off of opium supply
           -President's remarks
                -Focus on worldwide opium battle

Ziegler left at 10:02 am.

Also recorded on June 30, 1971

  • 006-043 9:50 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 9:59 am.
  • 006-044 9:50 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 9:59 am.
  • 532-007 9:54 AM · 1 min — unknown person(s) and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:54 am and 9:59 am.
  • 006-045 9:59 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Barry M. Goldwater talked on the telephone from 9:59 am to 10:00 am.
  • 006-046 10:01 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:01 am.
  • 006-047 10:02 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:02 am.
  • 532-009 10:02 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 10:02 am.
  • 532-010 10:02 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:02 am and 10:18 am.

All 66 conversations from June 30, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 532-008, June 30, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/532-008 (accessed October 5, 2026).