{"conversationCode":"623-021","tapeNumber":623,"conversationNumber":21,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-623-021","startDateTime":"1971-11-23T21:33:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-11-23T21:35:00.000Z","startDate":"23-Nov-1971","startTime":"4:33 PM","endDate":"23-Nov-1971","endTime":"4:35 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Butterfield, Alexander P.; Bull, Stephen B.; Ziegler, Ronald L.; Nixon, Richard M. (President);","description":"On November 23, 1971, Alexander P. Butterfield, Stephen B. Bull, Ronald L. Ziegler, and President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:33 pm to 4:35 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 623-021 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"OVAL","recordingDevice":"Oval Office","latitudeEstimated":38.8974,"longitudeEstimated":-77.0374,"chronCode":2,"chronRelease":"Second Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"26-Oct-2000","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 623-021\n\nDate: November 23, 1971\nTime: 4:33 pm - 4:35 pm\nLocation: Oval Office\n\nAlexander P. Butterfield met with Stephen B. Bull.\n\n     The President's schedule\n          -Ronald L. Ziegler\n\nRonald L. Ziegler entered at 4:34 pm.\n\n            -James O. Eastland\n\nThe President entered at 4:34 pm.\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n            -William L. Waller\n\nButterfield and Bull left at an unknown time before 4:35 pm.\n\n            -Travel\n                 -Informing the press\n                       -Gerald L. Warren\n                 -Ziegler's conversation with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman\n            -Football game\n                 -Senate action\n                 -Ziegler's forthcoming press briefing\n                 -Weather\n\nZiegler left at 4:35 pm.","filename":["623-021.mp3"],"tapeStart":"04:50:46","tapeEnd":"04:54:25","participantsList":["Butterfield, Alexander P.","Bull, Stephen B.","Ziegler, Ronald L.","Nixon, Richard M. (President)"],"prevCode":"623-020","nextCode":"623-022","transcript":[{"start":0.03,"end":14.98,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":20.8,"end":40.89,"text":"Well, we're looking at 440 dollars."},{"start":52.28,"end":65.69,"text":"So we went through that."},{"start":66.01,"end":81.89,"text":"Bob and I were talking about it might be good for me to say I'll go to"},{"start":82.3,"end":87.2,"text":"the football game."},{"start":87.22,"end":96.57,"text":"We have never announced if he works for the football game, but there's a little rumbling coming up."},{"start":96.59,"end":99.64,"text":"Now, I talked about the Senate action and other matters before your desk."},{"start":99.66,"end":100.42,"text":"That means he's not going to go there."},{"start":100.44,"end":103.66,"text":"He says he isn't going to make any plans at all now because of the uncertainty of the Senate action."},{"start":103.68,"end":105.47,"text":"All of that is going to keep real loose."},{"start":105.48,"end":105.7,"text":"Real loose."},{"start":105.91,"end":107.87,"text":"Could we do this and test him out?"},{"start":107.99,"end":113.77,"text":"Because I think what I did today, where I blasted him in the public, they moved a little story on him."},{"start":114.58,"end":121.84,"text":"Could I say this, that no plans, never were any plans for you to go to a football game, so you might as well wipe that out of there."},{"start":121.86,"end":128.95,"text":"Then say, because of the uncertainty of the Senate action, the president simply is, and the other matters on his desk, he has not determined what he's going to do over the next day."},{"start":129.73,"end":131.03,"text":"When he does, we'll let you know."},{"start":131.35,"end":137.83,"text":"And then try him on off the record guidance that there is a possibility that he may go tomorrow sometime."},{"start":138.29,"end":139.39,"text":"But that is not said."},{"start":139.41,"end":146.95,"text":"There is a possibility he will go Thursday."},{"start":147.49,"end":165.03,"text":"I just can't tell you."},{"start":165.05,"end":165.45,"text":"I play it very dumb."},{"start":165.47,"end":166.77,"text":"He just doesn't know because of the things in his desk."},{"start":166.79,"end":168.62,"text":"As soon as the thing clears up tomorrow, I'll let you know."},{"start":168.98,"end":192.79,"text":"That's where we're posted now."},{"start":192.81,"end":193.05,"text":"We're not..."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon met with Ronald L. Ziegler, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Stephen B. Bull to coordinate the administration's public messaging regarding the President's upcoming travel and potential attendance at a football game. The group discussed how to handle press inquiries amidst the uncertainty surrounding pending Senate action and other legislative matters on the President's desk. Ziegler received instructions to maintain a non-committal stance with the media, clarifying that no travel plans were finalized while keeping the possibility of a last-minute appearance open.","topics":["Presidential scheduling","Press relations","Senate legislative action","Public relations strategy","Travel planning"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-07T01:09:38.252Z"},"topicSlugs":["presidential-scheduling","press-relations","senate-legislative-action","public-relations-strategy","travel-planning"],"audioDurationSec":200,"audioFiles":[{"file":"623-021.mp3","bytes":8022016,"durationSec":200.45,"bitrate":320166,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:51.997Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:44:09.120Z","transcriptGapSeconds":77,"transcriptGapShare":0.39,"transcriptQuality":"incomplete","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/623-021.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/623-021","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/623/conversation-623-021","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}