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Conversation 683-011

TapeTape 683StartMonday, March 13, 1972 at 2:54 PMEndMonday, March 13, 1972 at 3:02 PMTape start time04:43:21Tape end time04:51:32ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Ziegler, Ronald L.Recording deviceOval Office
AudioNARA Description

On March 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:54 pm to 3:02 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 683-011 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 683-11

Date: March 13, 1972
Time: 2:54 pm - 3:02 pm
Location: Oval Office

                                           (rev. Aug-01)

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     Press briefing
           -Busing statement
                 -John D. Ehrlichman
                 -Possible message to Congress
                 -George P. Shultz
                 -Wording to press
                 -Timing of decision
                 -Message to Congress
           -Pandas
                 -Crosby S. Noyes
                       -Call from the President
                 -Gerald L. Warren
           -Possible questions
                 -William P. Rogers
                 -Henry A. Kissinger
                 -Response to Rogers-Kissinger situation
                       -Quality of story
                       -Election
                       -Press opinions
                             -Composition of the Administration
                                  -The President’s decisions
                                  -Secretary of State
                                  -Kissinger
                       -Quality of story
                       -Secretary of State
                             -Foreign policy team
                       -Stewart J.O. Alsop’s column
                             -The President’s view
                                  -Kissinger
                                         -Possibility as Secretary of State
                                  -Rogers

Ziegler left at 3:02 pm.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Ron Taylor has requested to see you for a couple of minutes.
Right now.
Yeah, sure.
John, earlier, wants to leave as much flexibility as possible, as loose as possible.
I said I am going to do that.
By saying such things, the President over the weekend made the decision in terms of, in general terms, the direction his recommendations will take.
Now, he's directed the staff today as to how they should pursue to prepare.
the materials consistent with that direction he has now set.
He doesn't want to say a message to Congress.
Well, he was a little antsy on that, but I checked with Schultz, and Schultz feels there's no problem with a message to Congress.
Say a message to Congress, that will be the lead then.
And when will it go up?
Well, we don't know yet, but it will go up perhaps later this week or sometime next week.
It's still, depending on the work that is done.
But to leave a little looseness in it.
Okay, fine.
Well, he just wanted to make sure that in case something develops over the week that we wear loose as possible.
So I...
I'll handle it that way.
Now, they'll ask you today whether or not you definitely made a decision not to do a television thing or a radio thing.
I'm going to say yes.
They intend to make it in the form of a message to Congress.
Right.
Absolutely.
So I'll rule that out.
Right.
Okay, good.
All right.
Yes, sir.
I called her up and I told her you were going out.
Actually, it went pretty well in the briefing because I told Warren, I said, indicate that I called you to the President's office.
We wanted to, you know, you had just informed me that I wanted to get it out of the briefing.
So he said that he was going to call me to the President's office.
So it worked fine in the briefing.
It's a small act.
Are you expecting any questions about Rogers' history?
I may get something, and I just know it over my mind whether or not I should say something about it.
I can answer all the questions.
I should be able to smile and say that I've had many.
You could say that that's a...
But in terms of my attitudes, I think you can get across the fact that I have seen so much, the President has said that he's seen so much of this kind of backstage gossip about what's going to happen.
administration of the full Democratic Party in my five years in the White House.
And it's a
It causes very little discussion.
Well, I think that I, I'm just going to be bored if I see the tree, but it's, uh, I think so much of it that I'm, uh, so much of it that I, uh, that it's just a, that it's just an old story.
It's an old story that we, uh,
And particularly as the election rolls near, I expect a lot more of them.
There is a... Now I have long said the present views of the members of the press are the way of their opinions.
is who ought to lead the administration.
The President reserves the right to decide who will be in charge of the system.
If I could refer to him at that point.
The President is the right.
He has the confidence of the Secretary of State.
He has the confidence of the Education Secretary.
Whenever he does not have that confidence, he will say so.
But in the meantime, we urge you all to have a merry time.
I mean, this is a, I have to sort of say that you understand, but if this is what you understand, you thought that you didn't have to write this.
That's the way I treated you.
You didn't have to write it.
called it backstabbing.
There's just nothing to it.
And then I kind of, to me, it's sort of an old story.
There's no relation to your views.
Well, all right.
Yeah, I don't try to stop their speculation, but I'll make, but I'm sure you're right.
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