President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler met to strategize on managing press coverage and public messaging ahead of upcoming political developments. They focused on drafting a formal statement regarding busing, addressing the political fallout from ITT hearings, and reviewing media reactions to the recent trip to the People's Republic of China. The discussion included the planning of future press conferences and coordinating the administration's stance on pending legislation and diplomatic communications.
On March 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Stephen B. Bull, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:41 am to 10:15 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 683-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 683-3
Date: March 13, 1972
Time: 9:41 am - 10:15 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.
(rev. Aug-01)
Press stories
-Florida primary
-Bangladesh recognition
-India
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-Hearings
-Marlow W. Cook
-Executive session
-Population Commission
-Cambodia
-Lon Nol
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-British diplomatic recognition
-Charge d’affaires
Upcoming press briefing
-Questions
-Busing
-The President’s forthcoming statement
-Timing
-The President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
-Decision
-Preparation
-Drafting
-Message to Congress
-Timing
-Message to Congress
-Constitutional amendment
-Legislation
-The President’s meeting with John D. Ehrlichman, George P. Shultz
and lawyers
-Drafting
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-Leonard Garment
-Shultz
-Ehrlichman
(rev. Aug-01)
******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 59s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
******************************************************************************
Busing
-Black caucus comments
-Ehrlichman
******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 17s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
******************************************************************************
Press stories
-The PRC trip
-News summary
-Clayton Fritchey
-Effect of ITT stories
-ITT
-Paris contact between US and PRC
-Overshadow the PRC trip
-Fritchey
-The PRC trip
-Polls
-Key Biscayne
-Tribune article
-Compared to Lyndon B. Johnson
(rev. Aug-01)
-Johnson City, Texas
-Compared to Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Augusta, Georgia
-Press briefings
-Gerald L. Warren
-Florida
-California
-Camp David
-Columns
-Joseph C. Kraft article
-News summary
-Press corps during the PRC trip
-Ziegler
-The President’s relationship with the press
-Press during PRC trip
-Visit to Great Wall of China
-Marvin L. Kalb
-Visit to Forbidden City
-Kraft’s article
-Ziegler’s view
-Press corps
-The PRC trip
-Visit to the Great Wall
The President’s forthcoming press conference
-Timing
-ITT
-Hearings
-Dita D. Beard
-Televised press conference
Press corps
-The President’s exposure to the press
-Wire services
-Woodcutters of America
-Example
-United Press International [UPI]
-Marina von N. Whitman swearing-in ceremony
-Photographs
-First woman on a cabinet committee
-James Keogh’s book [President Nixon and the Press]
-Presidents and the press
(rev. Aug-01)
-George Washington
-Warren G. Harding
-The President’s relationship with the press
-The PRC trip
-The President’s forthcoming trip to Soviet Union
-Hawaii
-Kraft article
-Great Wall
-The PRC trip
-Peter Lisagor
-Hugh Sidey
-Magazines
-Television coverage of the PRC trip
-Compared to printed press
-Shanghai Communiqué
-Soviet trip
-Britain’s recognition of the PRC
-Lisagor, Sidey, Fritchey and Kraft
-Kraft
-Ziegler’s view
-Fritchey
-WTOP
-Martin Z. Agronsky
-George Putnam
-Washington, DC
-Ziegler’s view
Stephen B. Bull entered at 10:06 am.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-Call to the President
Bull left at 10:06 am.
Press
-Ziegler’s schedule
-Neal Ball
-Warren
Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked with the President between 10:06 am and 10:07 am.
[Conversation No. 683-3A]
(rev. Aug-01)
[See Conversation No. 21-48; one item has been withdrawn from the conversation]
[End of telephone conversation]
Ziegler’s previous press briefing
-Paris contact between the US and PRC
-Ball
Press corps
-Herbert G. Klein
-Stories
-ITT
-Bombing of aircraft
-US-PRC contact in Paris
-New Hampshire primary
-Florida primary
-ITT
-Richard G. Kleindienst
-Contributions
-Anti-trust settlement
-Objective
-Congress
-The Administration
-Alger Hiss case
-Five percenter case
The President’s schedule
-Gridiron dinner
-Women’s movement
-Richard (“Dick”) Wilson
-Ziegler’s talk with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Helen A. Thomas
-Shirley Chisholm
-Bella S. Abzug
Busing
-The President’s forthcoming statement
-Timing
-Typing
Whitman swearing-in ceremony
(rev. Aug-01)
-Photograph session
Ziegler left at 10:15 am.No transcript is available for this conversation. The audio may not contain audible speech, or the recording may not yet have been processed.