Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 617 › Conversation 617-002

Nixon & Ziegler on Troop withdrawals and Press strategy

Friday, November 12, 1971 · 3:59 PM–4:02 PM ET · Oval Office · 17 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation617-002 on Tape 617 (tape position 00:03:34–00:03:58)StartFriday, November 12, 1971 at 3:59 PMEndFriday, November 12, 1971 at 4:02 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 617-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler consulted regarding the logistical details of an upcoming presidential announcement concerning troop withdrawals. The discussion focused on establishing the duration of the withdrawal process and setting a definitive cutoff date for the initiative. They also addressed how to manage media inquiries from journalists, specifically citing Frank Cormier, alongside brief mentions of Henry Kissinger's role in the planning.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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NARA Description

On November 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:59 pm and 4:02 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 617-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 617-002

Date: November 12, 1971
Time: Unknown after 3:59 pm until 4:02 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     The President's forthcoming troop withdrawal announcement
          -Duration

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

                 -Cutoff
                      -Frank Cormier

     Henry A. Kissinger

The President and Ziegler left at 4:02 pm.

Also recorded on November 12, 1971

617-013 3:33 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:33 pm and 3:36 pm.
617-014 3:33 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:33 pm and 3:36 pm.
617-015 3:36 PM · 1 min — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:36 pm and 4:26 pm.
617-001 3:59 PM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:59 pm and 4:02 pm.
617-003 4:02 PM · 5 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:02 pm and 4:29 pm.
617-004 4:02 PM · 13 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:02 pm and 4:29 pm.
617-016 4:26 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Donald H. Rumsfeld, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:26 pm and 4:30 pm.
617-005 4:29 PM · 26 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, Clark MacGregor, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:29 pm and 4:54 pm.

All 93 conversations from November 12, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 617-002, November 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/617-002 (accessed October 1, 2026).